Worlds class: The espoirs of Verona

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Kanstantsin Siutsou (Belarus) waves from the podium in Verona, 2004(Image credit: Sirotti)

Every year, the potential winner of the elite men's road race seems to dominate talk surrounding the World Championships. One of the races on the Worlds programme that frequently offers great racing is the espoirs championship, where the World's best Under-23 riders throw caution to the wind in their quest for glory.

A win in Liège-Bastogne-Liège and second overall in this year's Tour de France have been the highlights of the season for the younger of the Schleck brothers. The buzz surrounding Saxo Bank's star (and Cyclingnews blogger) is totally justified by his results and an affable nature to boot. A hilly Mendrisio circuit should suit the tall, lean Luxembourger, who'll surely be one of the main contenders on Sunday.

Breschel finished last year's world championship road race in third, behind Alessandro Ballan and Damiano Cunego, and has said he'll be aiming for a similar performance on Sunday in Mendrisio. Excels on terrain that other sprinters may find a little too difficult due to his slighter build and ability to get over climbs whilst maintaining plenty of power for the bunch kick. Won't be high in too many prognostics but he could throw up a surprise.

Brajkovic won the Under-23 time trial title in Verona before backing up for a top-20 in the road race. One of the best climbing talents to emerge in the last five years, the Slovenian hasn't enjoyed his best season in 2009, although a strong performance in Mendrisio could rectify that. One of the dark horses for a top-10, there's not much of him to watch for, so he'll certainly make his move with stealth.

Visconti is part of the Italian juggernaut and it's likely he'll be a domestique for the likes of Cunego and Ballan. While holding the crown of Italian national champion he spent eight days in the leader's jersey at the Giro d'Italia in 2008; this is when most observers began taking notice. A talented rider now plying his trade with Professional Continental team ISD after a move from Quick Step, Visconti will be a valuable ally for the big guns on Sunday.

Irish fans have been looking to the son of cycling legend Stephen Roche to come to prominence in the pro peloton and over the past two seasons, young Nicolas has delivered. He has ridden with maturity and poise in 2009, with 23rd overall in the Tour de France no mean feat on his first attempt. In tandem with Philip Deignan, Roche is the future of Irish cycling and may be able to ride into a decent result in Switzerland.

Tyler Farrar has been knocking on the door of big things for the past two seasons and in 2009 he joins other members of the 'Class of '04' in delivering on that promise. His first grand tour stage win at the Vuelta a España and domination of the sprints at the ENECO Tour have demonstrated the speed of this young American, who has been brought to the highest level by Jonathan Vaughters' Garmin-Slipstream squad. Mendrisio may not suit him but he'll give it his best shot regardless.