After setting his sights on the World Championships Team and Individual Time Trials, Rohan Dennis of BMC and Australia says he doesn’t think it is fair if he is selected for the road race too.
The 25 year old is arguing that as he is doing all the training for the time trials, he wont have the racing in his legs for the 259km road race.
"I got a letter from the Australian selectors, Bradley McGee, to be more specific, and it just asked what our race program and what our progression is leading up to Worlds and what our thoughts were," he said to Cyclingnews.
"I said, 'Look, my two biggest goals are the team time trial and the time trial. One, we want to win that team time trial again, and I want to win that time trial,'" he said. "For the road race I said, 'I think it’s probably not fair that I race the road race.' And the reason for that is I'm preparing for two 50km races, and that's a 250km race."
He says he would be no help in the road race as he would be dropped before the racing got serious, which he did in the 2014 race in Spain.
"The race probably starts after four hours in reality, and I'd be gone by then, just like last year," he said. "My body wouldn't be used to it and I wouldn't have the kilometres in my legs, so I'd be dead after three-and-a-half, four hours, for sure."
"I questioned whether or not I should actually be in that road race and if there's a job early on that I could do, that there is maybe someone else who could do it as well and then still help in the finish."
The Australian team for the World Championships, including reserves, will be announced on September 2.
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