Australia and USA announce Worlds teams

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Cycling Australia and USA Cycling announced their teams for the upcoming World Championships in Varese, Italy. Australia will send nine men to the road race, while the USA can field only six. A number of notable names are missing from both squads, as Australian Cadel Evans will not participate, and George Hincapie, Christian Vande Velde and National Champion Tyler Hamilton all declined USA nominations.

Australia

Australia's nine starters in the elite men's road race will be Allan Davis, Simon Gerrans, Matthew Gross, Adam Hansen, National Champion Matt Lloyd, Trent Lowe, Robbie McEwen, Stuart O'Grady and Michael Rogers. Three-time World Champion Rogers and National Champion Hansen will ride the time trial.

The women's team features seven riders in the road race and three in the time trial. The road race will be contested by Natalie Bates, Nikki Egyed, Rochelle Gilmore, Emma Rickards, Carla Ryan, Vicki Whitelaw and National Champion Oenone Wood. For the time trial, National Champion Bridie O'Donnell, Alexis Rhodes and Whitelaw will ride.

The U-23 men's road team is Simon Clarke, Mitchell Docker, Cameron Meyer, Travis Meyer and Wesley Sulzberger. The two Meyers will ride the time trial.

USA

The USA women will be led by Olympic gold medalist Kristin Armstrong, who will ride both races. In the road race, she will call on help from Katheryn Curi-Mattis, National Champion Brooke Miller, Amber Neben, Kori Seehafer and Christine Thorburn. Armstrong, Neben and Thorburn will ride the time trial.

Levi Leipheimer will lead the men in the road race. Steven Cozza, Lucas Euser, Tyler Farrar and Craig Lewis back Leipheimer. David Zabriskie and Leipheimer will ride the time trial.

For the U-23 men, Chris Barton, Chad Beyer, Kirk Carlsen, Peter Stetina and Tejay Van Garderen will ride the road race, while Stetina and Van Garderen will also do the time trial. (SW)