The Italian national team will be reduced in numbers at the World Championships: instead of 8 elite men, they will bring…

The World Championships in Rwanda, specifically in Kigali, are proving to be a problem for many federations. Several national teams have already announced that they will not bring the maximum possible number of athletes, or that they will not send any young riders to the youth categories at all.

Among these is Italy, which has decided to send athletes in every category, both male and female, but not to field all the riders it would be entitled to line up. For example, instead of the 8 elite men allowed in the road race, there will only be 5 (possibly 6, according to the Federation’s statement, as the final decision has yet to be made). For the women’s elite race, there will be 6 riders instead of 7 (weeks ago, only 4 were expected to take part), while for the U23 category there will be just 1. The junior women’s race will see 3 riders, as will the junior men’s race, and the U23 men’s race will have 4 riders.

Given the similar characteristics between the road race and the time trial, team manager Amodio has stated that athletes may compete in both events, further reducing the number of riders to be brought to Africa. In the same statement, Amodio also addressed the European Championships:

“The continental event features a time trial for specialists and road races for all-round climbers. It will be difficult to imagine a double commitment, and we will act accordingly. The event in France, immediately after a trip like the one to Rwanda, raises several organizational problems that the Federation is addressing, without giving up any opportunities.”

As a result, we are likely to see an unusual World Championships, with far fewer riders at the start than the actual quotas allow, particularly in the youth categories, which risk being overlooked by many federations.

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