Italy may be one of the most successful countries in the history of the World Road Race Championships but this year the team is no longer a real favourite. One of their key domestiques Manuel Quinziato admits that the team is more of an outsider but thinks that the versatility of the roster could be an asset in a race that is going to be very hard.

With 19 gold medals, Italy is second on the list of most successful countries at the World Road Race Championships. Only Belgium has done better and when it comes to the total number of medals, Italy actually tops the list.

However, the team hasn’t won the race since Alessandro Ballan made it three in a row for the Italians on home soil in Varese in 2008. Since then the team has not taken a single medal, with Vincenzo Nibali narrowly missing out one year ago in Florence.

This year the team is again an outsider for the title. Vincenzo Nibali leads the roster but the Tour champion is no longer in his best condition and is not perfectly suited to the course. Instead, the team will try to use its strength in numbers and versatility to come away with the title.

One of the key doemstiques is veteran Manuel Quinziato. With no radios in the race, the BMC rider will play a key role in guiding the troops and make sure that things go according to the pre-race plan.

With years of experience, Quinziato is perfectly capable of predicting what kind of race to expect.

“I saw the course for the first time in July,” he told CyclingQuotes after his recon today. “It’s going to be a really demanding course because you don’t have much room for recovery. It’s always up or down and there are a lot of corners on the flats. You need to always be in good position. It’s going to be hard.”

Nibali will be joined by climbers Fabio Aru, Damiano Caruso, Giampaolo Caruso, Alessandro De Marchi and Giovanni Visconti while Daniele Bennati and Sonny Colbrelli will be protected in case of a sprint finish.

“We don’t have a top favourite like Australia or Germany with Gerrans and Degenkolb,” Quinziato said. “We have a strong team, very consistent. Sonny is really fast and in good shape. Bennati is also a fast guy. We have a lot of really strong climbers. We can try to do something good.”

Quinziato confirms that the team will go into the race with a two-pronged attack.

“For sure,” he said when asked whether Bennati and Colbrelli will have a protected status. “The other guys will attack.”

Quinziato last did the road race in 2011.