Daniele Bennati is going into the World Championships as one of the veteran members of the Italian team. The Tinkoff-Saxo sprinter refuses that his country is one of the favourites for the race.

The big tactical playbook has been written, the riders are focused and the material is ready for tomorrow morning, when the World Championship Road Race gets underway on a 255-kilometer route in Ponferrada, Spain. Tinkoff-Saxo’s locomotive Daniele Bennati represents “the Azzurri“, the Italian national team consisting of 9 riders, which makes them one of the biggest teams at the World Championships. But, according to Bennati, they’re not favorites to take the win.
 
“There are other teams that are bigger favorites than us. We’re big team, because Italians have performed well in 2014, but we’re not the team to beat. So there’s less pressure on us than previous years. With that said, we’re not planning to take it easy tomorrow. We’re ready to try our very best – we always have to try. And a lot can happen at the World Championship. It’s a strange race, so if you make a move at the right time you can suddenly find yourself in a very good position”, says Daniele Bennati.

The Italian Tinkoff-Saxo rider has had a long season since his season started in February. He embarks on the 255k route of the Men’s Road Race with 12.839 race-kilometers in the legs, but Daniele says that he’s still feeling fresh and ready to support Italy’s chances.
 
“I’m still in good condition. I have recovered pretty well from the Vuelta and a long season in general and I felt that I had a lot of power at the TTT last Sunday”, Bennati adds and continues:
 
“I’m here to help Nibali but I also think that Sonny Colbrelli is a potential outsider. He’s a strong finisher and his current shape might be better than Vincenzo’s, since he peaked at the Tour. I will try to save energy for the last two laps, where I can set a high pace on the flat sections. The last climb on the circuit is not very long, but after 250 kilometers it will be difficult just like the spring classics”, Bennati concludes.