Denmark, Canada announce Worlds team

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The Danish Cycling Union has announced its line-up for its hometown World Championships, to be held September 19-26 in Copenhagen, Denmark.  It recently lost the services of two riders who were expected to be on the team, Matti Breschel and Alex Rasmussen.  The Canada Cycling Association also announced its team, with former medal winners Guillaume Boivin and Svein Tuft looking to repeat their performances.

The Danish team for the men's elite road race will now be made up of Michael Mørkøv, Chris Anker Sørensen and Nicki Sørensen (all Saxo Bank-SunGard), Jakob Fuglsang and Anders Lund (Leopard Trek) and Lars Bak of HTC-Highroad.  Jonas Aaen of Saxo Bank-SunGard will be the alternate.

Mørkøv and Fuglsang will ride the individual time trial on Wednesday, September 21.

The team was originally planned around Breschel, who last year finished second in the Worlds road race.  His season got off to a slow start due to lingering knee problems.  After a promising performance at the Tour of Denmark, he was forced out of the Vuelta a Espana and ultimately out of the Worlds when he broke two fingers in a crash.

Rasmussen was suspended this week by the cycling federation for having missed three doping controls.

Canada looking for more medals

The Canadian elite men's road team will consist of Dominique Rollin (FDJ), Svein Tuft (Team SpiderTech) and David Veilleux (Europcar). All three will ride the road race, and Tuft will ride the time trial.  Team Sky's Michael Barry is on reserve.  Tuft won the silver medal in the elite time trial in 2008.

Boivin, of Team SpiderTech, will look to improve on his 2010 bronze medal in the U23 road race, as his country's only entry in that race. Hugo Houle (Team SpiderTech) and Stuart Wight (C4RC-Roanne) will race the U23 time trial.

Clara Hughes will race the elite women's time trial and road race. In the road race, she'll be joined by Leah Kirchmann (Colativa-Forno D'Asolo), Joelle Numainville (Team Tibco-To-The-Top), Denise Ramsden (Team Juvéderm-Specialized), Rhae-Christie Shaw, Tara Whitten (Team Tibco-To-The-Top), and Erinne Willock (Team Tibco-To-The-Top). Ramsden, Shaw and Whitten will also ride the time trial.

For the junior men, Alex Cataford, Adam De Vos, Emile Jean, Yohan Patry, and Ben Perry will represent Canada while the selected junior women are Allison Beveridge, Alizee Brien, Annie Ewart, and Gabrielle Pilote-Fortin.