Rohan Dennis set to return to racing and wants to defend time trial title after being named in Australia’s team for the Yorkshire world championships

Rohan Dennis will return to racing for the first time since his dramatic Tour de France exit when he starts the Vuelta a Espana this month en route to defending his time trial crown at the world championships. Dennis was on Monday named in Australia’s eight-rider team for the UCI Road World Championships to be held in Yorkshire, UK, from September 22-29. He has not raced or even spoken publicly since quitting the Tour de France midway through Stage 12 last month, amid an ongoing dispute with his team Bahrain-Merida. But the 29-year-old from Adelaide has continued to train and last week was in Japan to inspect the time trial course that will be used at next year’s Olympics. Cycling Australia high performance director Simon Jones confirmed Dennis would start both the time trial and road race in Yorkshire and he was confident the world champion would be able to perform at his best. Despite speculation Dennis could be on the move from his professional team when cycling’s transfer window opened on August 1, he is expected to start the Vuelta with Bahrain-Merida on August 24 and tune up for another tilt at a rainbow jersey. “Rohan wants to defend his title and he will be starting the road race as well,” Jones said. “I haven’t spoken to him (since the Tour de France) but he is with Brad (McGee) in Tokyo. “I’ve got no issues about Rohan’s head space.” CA has filled its quota of riders in both men’s and women’s elite teams and will also contest the newly introduced teams time trial event featuring three riders in each. The notable omission from the men’s team is gun sprinter Caleb Ewan who is coming off three stage wins at his Tour de France debut last month. Jones does not believe the Yorkshire course will suit a pure sprint finish and Australia is expected to throw its support behind Michael Matthews, while Amanda Spratt — who won a silver medal in Innsbruck last year — is tipped to lead the women’s team. Jones said Richie Porte had expressed interest early in the year in riding the world championships but it had not materialised and he was not considered for the team. “It’s a 295km one-day bike race and our selection criteria is quite clear, we prioritise selection to athletes who have demonstrated ability in one-day bike races,” Jones said. “Caleb has had a terrific Tour but this is a one-day race and we are prioritising riders with that history, we had quite a mixed criteria before but in our analysis it shows we are looking for one-day specialists who can deliver on the day. “And on that course it’s too high a risk to go in with a sprinter because it’s going to be difficult to control.” Asked whether Ewan’s performances in the 294km Milan-San Remo where he has finished second and 10th were considered, Jones said the world championship circuit would produce a very different race. “We don’t think it’s a real sprinter’s course,” he said. “You need someone who is a proven winner or performer in single day bike races, 290km for men, 150km for women, crosswinds are going to play a factor, it will be a difficult bike race to control. “The women will be a bit more intense because it’s shorter and with the climbs and crosswinds and narrow roads the course is pretty technical, and the finishing circuit is quite hard. “We think there will be small groups and a real war of attrition type of course. “There are clearly athletes who have a more proven track record at the moment, but it’s fair to say we do need to have some options on a course like this.” Spratt remains Australia’s top female road cyclist and finished third overall at the women’s Giro d’Italia last month. Her Mitchelton-Scott teammate Sarah Roy hit the winners list last week in the Clasica Femenina Navarra. Jones said selectors also had one eye on Tokyo next year when forming the team for this year’s world championships. “Our main decision making was next year and this is a mini rehearsal to some degree, and we want to be competitive,” he said. “It wasn’t just on this year, we definitely had a bit of a weighting towards next year that will be five men and four women, so that formed part of the decision making. “Next year’s courses will be very, very hard, for the punchy classics bike rider at the limit of their specialised campaign, Tokyo won’t be a sprinter’s course in my opinion.” While Dennis will ride the time trial for the men, Jones said selectors were undecided who would contest the women’s time trial in Yorkshire. Australian team Team for the 2019 UCI Road World Championships in Yorkshire, September 22-29: Men: Simon Clarke Rohan Dennis Mitchell Docker Luke Durbridge Nathan Haas Jack Haig Michael Matthews Rory Sutherland Women: Grace Brown Brodie Chapman Tiffany Cromwell Lucy Kennedy Lauren Kitchen Sarah Roy Amanda Spratt Under-23 men: Kaden Groves Samuel Jenner Liam Magennis Harry Sweeney Nicholas White reece.homfray@news.com.au