Evans will not want to give up the rainbow jersey easily and certainly not in front of his own people. He has had an up and down year, but the home crowd could be just what he needs to give him a boost.
Fabian Cancellara is also looking to put on a good show after winning a record fourth time. The Swiss rider announced his intentions before the championship to go for the road race. His compatriot Michael Albasini has also been on good form recently winning the Tour of Britain despite having dysentery during the race.
Bunch Sprint Seems Likely
The sprinters seem to be the favourites for the rainbow stripes this year with the high possibility of a bunch finish. The relatively flat course will allow the men who are normally dropped in the hills to stay in contention until the end. There are two hills toward the end which could cause problems for anyone whose legs are spent. This is the first year that the road race has started in one city and finished in another, but it will allow for many more fans and a bigger variety of terrain.
There is a stack of sprinters who will be jostling for a position if it comes down to a sprint for the line. Mark Cavendish is certainly top of that pile after winning the green jersey at the Vuelta a Espana and five stages at this year’s Tour de France. His only problem is that he seems to take a couple of stages to get in to form so far this year which could prove an issue on a one day race.
Scores to Settle
His HTC teammate for a couple more months Andre Greipel will be waiting in the wings if Cav falters. The German will want more than ever to beat him after the comments made earlier this year about his sprinting skills. Tyler Farrar will also want to settle a score after losing out several times to Brit this year.
Thor Hushovd has not had the best of times when it’s come to an all out sprint for the line. He has, however, shown that he is one of the better climbing sprinters. This could prove handy with the two tricky hills towards the end. If he can pull out an advantage over these he might win against lesser sprinters.
Filippo Pozzato has been saving himself for several months for the World Championships. The Italian revealed to the media he has been abstaining since the Giro in May. His work might be in vain with opponents like these, but anything can happen on the day. Borut Bozic and Greg Henderson could prove to be the dark horses in the race, though, if it comes to a mad dash for the line. They had good performances in the Tour of Britain finishing in second and third respectively.
Potential Surprises
The final 500 metres of the route are a gradual incline which could catch out any rider who has not examined the course properly. Philip Gilbert will like the end to this race as he won both of his Vuelta stages in similar circumstances. His explosive style is well suited to the short sharp burst required to get up the final incline.
Other surprises could be Carlos Barredo, who is known for long breakaways and finally made one stick during the Vuelta. Frank Schleck has been riding himself back in to form since breaking his collar bone during the Tour de France.
The race will start at 10am local time in Melbourne and travel down to Geelong where the riders will complete 10 laps around the host city.
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