Bennati had been chewing and re-chewing for days the path of the Wollongong World Championships, cursing the bad luck that in this part of spring has deprived us, hopefully temporarily, of Colbrelli which would fit like cheese on macaroni in Australia. He studied the maps. He saw and saw again a video shot for the Australian Federation by Mark Renshaw, last Cavendish man living in those parts. And for June, a plan is under consideration to fly to Australia to see for yourself.
In the meantime, however, let's try to understand with him what it is about. Also because in the meantime, after flurry of insinuations keep going all winter long about the actual hardness of the road route, whether it was for sprinters or not, official data speak of 266,9 kilometers and an altitude difference of 3.945 meters: not a Liège, but a classic lady nonetheless. It will be held on September 25th, departing from Helensburg, arriving in Wollongong at Marina Drive.
«You can understand a lot from the video – explains the Arezzo native, who is about to leave for the Tour of Sicily – Then I saw the papers and I'm in contact with someone there. When we go to Wollongong in June, mainly to find hotels and work out the logistics, I wouldn't mind bringing the bike or asking to have one. Just to clear up any last doubts I may have. With all the tools at our disposal today, I already have an idea of the roads».
There is a difference in altitude and it is significant…
Elevation gain and kilometers. If the Poggio makes the difference after almost 300 kilometers and not even 2.000 meters of altitude difference, maybe even the steep section of the circuit will hurt.. Anyway, it starts with a 26-kilometer straight stretch. Then there is the Mount Keira circuit which measures 34, with the climb reaching an altitude of 473 meters. And at the end there are 12 laps of 17,5 kilometers on the real circuit. The Mount Pleasant climb has an average gradient of 7,7 percent and a maximum of 14. The bottom line is that it's not rock hard, but it's not even a route for sprinters. Sure, if we think about Van Aert and Van der Poel, it's fine for them, but I challenge you to call them sprinters. At home in Australia, I see more Matthews that Caleb Ewan, to be clear.
Starting in Helensburg, it goes to the Mount Keira circuit, then 12 laps of the Wollongong course The general altimetry shows the straight section, then Mount Keira and the 12 laps of the final circuit
Starting in Helensburg, it goes to the Mount Keira circuit, then 12 laps of the Wollongong course The general altimetry shows the straight section, then Mount Keira and the 12 laps of the final circuit
However, it seems more demanding than previously thought.
There have been various interpretations of this World Cup over the months. Colbrelli would certainly be a great fit, but Sonny, whom I was in touch with before and continue to be in touch with now, just needs to recover. From the climb to the finish there are 8 kilometers that tend to descendIf the strongest players make a big move on the last lap, it will be difficult to close out. I would instead exclude solitary action, unless the starter is able to perform Ganna's numbers from the top of the climb to the finish line.
What names do you see in our house?
I have a lot of faith in our boys. Unfortunately the season didn't start very well due to health problems, between falls, Covid and more. But I've always thought that every cloud has a silver lining. And I'm confident that later in the season, when everyone is at their best, things will change. Maybe just for the World Cup...
Looking at the floor plan, you can really see a lot of curves.
It's true, that's the first thing I thought. Then you watch the video and you realize that The streets are so wide that you can almost turn without using the brakes..Unless they decide to narrow the road too much with the barriers. The narrowest section is the climb itself, but it's a really short stretchThen the descent is very fast.
The team is useful, but we must be careful...
Exactly, it's one of those paths where Having a strong team makes the difference, but together it's very easy to finish it if you put them to shoot. It's great to be on the wheel, but we'll have to carefully evaluate which tactics to follow. I don't think there's any danger of wind on the straight stretch. Obviously, we'll have to figure out what season it will be, but the riders are now used to racing in all conditions and in any case. it is a portion of the race very far from the finish line and not even too long.
Would Bennati the rider have preferred the Wollongong route or the European Championships in Monaco?
The European Championships will be completely flat. The first part will be rolling, then essentially flat. Cavendish's route, assuming Great Britain participates. Australia will need men from the classics., another race. We'll have to think carefully.
