Bogota (AFP)
The Colombian winner of the last Tour de France Egan Bernal will not participate in the World Road Cycling, scheduled for 29 September in Yorkshire, England, announced Monday the Colombian Federation (FCC).
In addition to Bernal, Poland's Michal Kwiatkowski and Italy's Vincenzo Nibali also dropped out of the Worlds on Tuesday.
"Bernal had been incorporated by coach Carlos Mario Jaramillo to (the list) of the eight incumbents," unveiled Sunday, the FCC said. This Monday, day of closing of the inscriptions, the rider of the Ineos team "decided to decline its convocation", continued the Federation, without giving any reason for this fixed price. Bernal, 22, will be replaced in the selection by Carlos Betancur (Movistar).
In the absence of the hero of July, the most experienced rider of the Colombian selection will be Nairo Quintana, winner of the Tour of Italy in 2014 and the Vuelta two years later.
He will be assisted, besides Carlos Betancur, Fernando Gaviria, Álvaro Hodeg, Sebastian Molano, Sebastian Henao, Esteban Chaves and Daniel Martinez.
The 285-kilometer course, hilly without being excessively selective, seems more suited for fighters than for Colombian mountain specialists.
Among these punchers, the Polish Michal Kwiatkowski, crowned in 2014, has also announced his package.
"I feel too much respect for this jersey and for the Polish eagle to compete in the 2019 Worlds. After the Tour, my body needed rest, a real break," Bernal's teammate told reporters on Tuesday. Ineos.
The reasoning is the same for Vincenzo Nibali, who waited for the two races last weekend in Canada to make his decision, ultimately negative.
"The blue jersey is sacred to me and I have to respect it, I'm not at the top and it would be unfair for me to take the place of one of my teammates," said the Italian, quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport.
© 2019 AFP