Cycling Australia has named its team for the Bergen World Championships later this month with Michael Matthews headlining the nine-man squad. BMC's Rohan Dennis has been selected but will only ride the time trial.
Matthews, who won two stages of the Tour de France and green jersey in July, has finished fourth and third in his last two appearances at the Worlds. The 2010 U23 world champion has enjoyed a successful first season with Sunweb since moving across from Orica-Scott and will be the team's protected rider for the 276.5km course in Bergen.
Despite recording just eight race days in 2017, Heinrich Haussler is a surprise selection in the team. The Bahrain-Merida rider reconned the course with Matthews earlier in the season and has done enough in his recovery from a knee injury to earn his sixth green and gold jersey at the Worlds for Australia.
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"These selections are all made with performance perspectives in mind," said High Performance Director Simon Jones. "We have good chances in both the elite men's and women races. The men's team is focused on providing Michael Matthews 100% commitment in the road race and we believe we have prioritised selections to ensure the best possible outcome on race day.
"Also in the time trial, I'm looking forward to seeing how Rohan and Katrin performs, as they are both strong contenders who are no doubt hungry for success. In the women's selections, the selected riders have proved themselves throughout 2017 and we are confident they will be in the mix to get near the podium."
Mat Hayman (Orica-Scott) and Simon Clarke (Cannondale-Drapac) will be key captains on the road for the Australian squad. Rory Sutherland (Movistar) adds further experience and will be crucial in setting the tempo when Australia are called upon to work. Orica-Scott trio Mitch Docker, Luke Durbridge and debutant Jack Haig will also be key domestiques for Matthews. The team is completed by Jay McCarthy (Bora-Hansgrohe) who is expected to with Matthews for the final.
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