Valverde on long list for Worlds

By Monika Prell

The Spanish cycling federation's national team coach Francisco Antequera released a list of preselected cyclists on Friday for the World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany on September 27-30. Antequera proved unafraid to name Alejandro Valverde to the list, even though Worlds organisers have declared that he is not welcome at the event due to (vigorously denied) rumours of his involvement in Operación Puerto.

Also on the list are Valverde's Caisse d'Epargne team-mates Oscar Pereiro and Joaquím Rodríguez, Oscar Freire and Juan Antonio Flecha (Rabobank), Egoi Martínez, Chechu Rubiera and Benjamín Noval (Discovery Channel), Francisco Ventoso and Juanjo Cobo (Saunier Duval), Carlos Sastre and Iñigo Cuesta (CSC), Samuel Sánchez (Euskaltel), Luis Pérez (Andalucía-Caja Sur), Xavier Florencio (Bouyges Telecom) and José Manuel Gárate (Quick Step) for the road race.

For the individual time trial, José Iván Gutiérrez and Luis León Sánchez (Caisse d'Epargne), Santos González (Karpin-Galicia) and Iker Camaño (Saunier Duval) were named to the long list.

The selected riders will have to undergo the obligatory antidoping controls which are established by the Superior Sport Council, and which are held before every big international event.

The cyclists who will participate in the Vuelta a España will undergo those controls in the days before the start of the Vuelta, the others will undergo testing later.