Australian tips Anglo riders for U23 time trial glory
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Team Jayco Skin's Rohan Dennis powers towards the gold medal. Dennis finished the 20kms in 24:48.20 minutes at an average speed of 48.38km/hr.(Image credit: Shane Goss/licoricegallery.com)
Rohan Dennis (Team Jayco Skins) rolls around in the peloton during the final 45km stage in Geelong's Eastern Gardens.(Image credit: Shane Goss/licoricegallery.com)
Dennis the menace: Rohan Dennis (Team Jayco Skins) was all smiles back in the peloton. Dennis is gearing up for the upcoming World Championships in Geelong at the end of the month. (Image credit: Shane Goss)
Australian Worlds under 23 time trial hope Rohan Dennis goes into today's title decider one of the men to watch and believes fellow Anglophones Taylor Phinney, Alex Dowsett and Luke Durbridge will be among the top finishers in the 31.6km race against the clock.
The 15.8km course features a steep climb up the oddly-named Mt Pleasant Road, which won't be a pleasure for riders who'll have to tackle it twice. Dennis believes it will play a part, although finding the right rhythm will be more important.
"It's going to be a tough course - it's going to be all about pacing - everything's pacing for the first lap," Dennis told Cyclingnews. "Obviously you've got to go hard, just not go into the red zone.
"The second lap's where you're going to have to make up a lot of time and if you go out too hard you could lose between one and two minutes over the second lap."
Taylor Phinney has been tipped as the red-hot favourite, given his recent US national championship TT win, and Dennis recognises the American's status as virtual number one seed. He further emphasised that the climb won't necessarily be the deciding factor, rather the riders' ability to find the right rhythm.
"Sure, weight does come into the equation, but I think that more so it's pacing. Some of the stronger guys like Phinney can still get over the climb - they put out some big power - and if they can get over quick enough I don't think it's going to hurt them too much. Hopefully it does, for my sake!
He's quick to point out that while Phinney is the favourite, some other names who could impress, given their ability against the clock, include his teammate Luke Durbridge, who has enjoyed a solid year of development on the road.
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"Definitely Luke Durbridge and [Britain's] Alex Dowsett, who has had some good results this year, are guys to watch," said Dennis.
The 20-year-old firebrand from Ashford, South Australia, has also enjoyed another year of progression, and was recently announced as part of the Pegasus Racing setup that is aiming to become Australia's first ProTour team.
"I'll be riding for Pegasus Racing next year - it's not official official, it was just announced that I was in the list of 20 riders," explained Dennis. "Obviously we've still got to announce the rest of the riders and what happens with the [ProTour] licence and that sort of stuff.
"He [Pegasus Racing CEO Chris White] is trying to get some big names in, which is good. It'd be great to have a ProTour licence because you get all the big races straight up, you don't have to fight for them; but if you've got a strong enough team, at Pro Continental level you're going to get the starts anyway. In the end if you've got a strong team it won't even matter."
Cyclingnews will feature the full interview with Rohan Dennis throughout its UCI Road World Championships coverage.
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