PREVIEW: DUTCH AND BELARUSIANS AMONG FAVOURITES IN ROAD CYCLING
JUNE 20 2019
MINSK – Belarus will be out to defend two titles when the road cycling events begin at the Minsk 2019 European Games, but Dutch riders pose a major threat to host nation hopes.
On Saturday, Belarusian Alena AMIALIUSIK will defend the women’s road race title she won four years ago in Baku, then on Tuesday veteran Vasil KIRYIENKA (BLR) will aim to win his second consecutive men’s time trial gold at the Games.
With its start and finish at Oktyabrskaya Square, the road race course will lead the riders through the heart of Minsk.
The 15km circuit is almost completely flat, which favours sprinters over climbers. Teams with strong sprinters will try to control the race to set up a bunch sprint, but with a maximum size of five riders per team, controlling the race will be difficult.
The crowd will see the riders pass by twice on the final straight, as they must race both ways along the 1.1km Nezavisimosti Avenue, with a U-turn in between.
The women will complete eight laps for a 120km race, with the estimated average finish time being about three hours.
AMIALIUSIK (BLR) and her four team-mates face a tough challenge in holding off the Dutch.
The Netherlands will start with reigning world and Olympic champion Anna VAN DER BREGGEN, three-time world champion (2006, 2012, 2013) Marianne VOS, and 2017 world champion Chantal BLAAK.
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The men will complete 12 laps for a 180km race on Sunday, with the estimated race time being four hours and 15 minutes.
Among the favourites are Italy with Dario CATALDO (ITA), who won a stage in this year's Giro d'Italia, and the Netherlands, who with Moreno HOFLAND in their ranks will probably try to keep the peloton together for a mass-sprint.
Belarus will be spearheaded by Vasili KIRYIENKA, who will celebrate his 38th birthday five days after the road race.
The time trial also starts and finishes in Oktyabrskaya Square. Men and women will complete two laps of a 14.3km route for a total race distance of 28.6km.
The course is relatively flat and straight, with a 3.1km stretch on Timiryazeva Street being completed twice with a U-turn in between. Technically it is not the most challenging circuit, however riders will not take the final few turns lightly.
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In the women’s time trial next Tuesday (25 June), three-time world championship silver medallist VAN DER BREGGEN (NED) is the favourite.
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In the men’s time trial later that same day, all eyes will be on KIRYIENKA. The 37-year-old, who was time trial world champion in 2015, lived up to his billing as favourite to win this event at the first edition of the European Games in Baku in 2015.
Other favourites in the men's field include 24-year-old Irishman Ryan MULLEN, Jan BARTA (CZE), and Nelson OLIVEIRA (POR).
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