Gallery: Nibali tests Worlds course with Bettini

Italian national road manager Paolo Bettini took his long list of riders out for a reconnaissance ride over sections of the Worlds course last week.

The Worlds take place in Florence later this year and Bettini has already confirmed that Giro d’Italia winner Vincenzo Nibali will lead the team.

"Nibali has completed a special chapter in his career and he can now go on to win the world title," Bettini told Gazzetta dello Sport last week.

Nibali and Bettini were joined by a number of the Italian riders who made the long list, including Filippo Pozzato, Fabio Aru and Valerio Agnoli.

A Italian rider has not won the Worlds road race since Alessandro Ballan claimed the title in 2008.

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