Simon Gerrans of Orica-GreenEDGE has told the Herald Sun newspaper that he believes his dreams of becoming World Road Race Champion are now over, thanks to unattractive courses in the next two years. The emergence of faster-finishing Michael Matthews has also made Gerrans second in command for Australia.

“I guess if there’s one race I would have dearly loved to have won it would have been a world title,” Gerrans said. “I probably won’t race the world championships next year in Qatar because it doesn’t really suit me at all. After that is Norway and, from what I understand, that’s not an overly demanding circuit either.”

With two top tens in Worlds before, Gerrans has experience. He was second in 2014 behind solo rider Michal Kwiatkowski, a race which haunts the 35 year old.

“I think 2014 was a really good opportunity that slipped through my fingers,” he said. “So whether it’s an opportunity that’s gone past me, I’m not sure. But if I could have won a world title I would have had a pretty complete palmares.”

Gerrans has two Monuments (Milan-Sanremo and Liege-Bastogne-Liege) to his name, as well as stages in all three Grand Tours and multiple national titles and Tour Down Under GCs.