World championships lineups "can turn out to be catastrophic for many countries" Spanish national team coach says amidst issues
Cycling
The World championships will be a route suited to many riders, and that has opened up some discussion within many teams. Spain's coach is sure that several teams will have serious difficulties in selecting their lineup, with the Iberic country being one of them.
Spanish national team selector Pascual Momparler revealed to MARCA that "many teams refuse to give up riders and this can turn out to be catastrophic for many countries," Spain included as there are many variables to which to choose a lineup for the hilly Wollongong World championships in which the nation should have several quality riders to represent it.
For now I can only select three riders with certainty: Juan Ayuso and Marc Soler for the road race, Oier Lazkano for the time trial. Ion Izagirre and Jesús Herrada are normally also part of the selection, but it is still unclear whether they will be allowed to start. The participation of Alejandro Valverde is also still uncertain. I hope we find a solution soon," Momparler concluded.
This comes due to the need for many teams to chase UCI points - despite those available at the Worlds being significant, but also in calendar choices as the trip to Australia will cost a lot of energy and time on several riders, whose teams are eyeing bigger goals at the moment.
“I already know how some teams are. I know what's going on and understand that the teams want to secure their place in the WorldTour rankings because that's what the sponsor pays for," he explained. "In addition, there are also teams like INEOS Grenadiers who will not let their riders go because they want to win the WorldTour ranking. They want to bring the riders to the start of the Italian autumn classics as fresh as possible. It will be an atypical World Championship".
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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