Cycling Magazine Subscriptions

Exclusive offers to cyclingnews.com

The German team warm up in Mendrisio.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

view thumbnail gallery

Cunego, Valverde, Boonen and Schleck check out the Mendrisio course

Sunday will see the final rainbow jersey of the 2009 World Road Championships awarded - the elite men's title. Italy and Spain have been installed as favourites for the event, with their respective captains, Damiano Cunego and Alejandro Valverde, expected to figure prominently at the business end of the race.

As part of their final preparations for Sunday's race, both squads have been out-and-about on the Mendrisio course. Joining them on the Swiss roads are the other nations that will compete for glory in the blue riband event. Italian photographers Roberto Bettini and Fotoreporter Sirotti have been on hand to capture all the pre-race action.

Click here for an image gallery of the teams pre-Worlds preparations.

Follow Cyclingnews on Twitter for the very latest coverage of events taking place in the cycling world - twitter.com/cyclingnewsfeed.

Spanish teammates Samuel Sanchez and Alejandro Valverde ride together in Mendrisio, Switzerland.

The blue train of the Italian squad rides over the names of their Spanish rivals on the World Championship course. They'll be hoping to ride over the Spaniards on Sunday, too.

Belgian captains Philippe Gilbert and Tom Boonen get their eye in on the World Championship parcours.

Click here for an image gallery of the teams pre-Worlds preparations.

Back to top

• Back to top
• Send this page to a friend
• Share this page with others
• Print this page