Led by the adventurer Audrey Cordon Ragot and by the climber Juliette Labous, 5th in the Tour de France Women, the French women’s team is betting on a team with heterogeneous profiles at the World Championships in Glasgow, announced coach Paul Brousse.
Victoire Berteau, Aude Biannic, Cédrine Kerbaol, Marie Le Net and sprinter Clara Copponi are the five other runners selected for the online event contested on August 13 on a very technical course of 154.1 km.
“We will start in an outsider position but we will find in Glasgow a very special route with a bump of just over five kilometers where the climbers will want to express themselves and we will arrive at the final on a very technical urban circuit in Glasgow”, declared Paul Brousse at the microphone of France 2.
“We will have to be opportunistic, very technical and it is our collective that will ensure that we can get a good result”, he added.
In the time trial, contested on August 10, coach Paul Brousse presented a list of three riders made up of Audrey Cordon Ragot, Cédrine Kerbaol and Juliette Labous.
But only two of them will be selected, in particular according to their performances during the last stage of the Tour de France Women “given that there are very few international level time trials all year round” , he explained.
In Pau, Juliette Labous finished sixth at 1’17 from Marlen Reusser, Audrey Cordon Ragot 11th at 1’33 and Cédrine Kerbaol at 2’31 from Switzerland.
For the mixed time trial, the coach of the French men’s team Thomas Voeckler has chosen to field the French champion Rémi Cavagna, Bruno Armirail and Bryan Coquard alongside Audrey Cordon-Ragot, Cédrine Kerbaol and by Juliette Labous.
For the first time in history, the World Championships will take place in an expanded format. Usually dispersed, all the disciplines of cycling, from mountain biking to the road via the track, BMX and disabled sports will thus be brought together in the same place and on the same dates, from August 3 to 13.
These Super Worlds will now take place every four years, in the pre-Olympic year. In 2027, they will be organized in Haute-Savoie in an even larger format (19 disciplines).
In Glasgow, Victoire Berteau, Clara Copponi and Marie Le Net will also line up on the track in the endurance events.
The women’s selection for the Road Worlds:
Online event: Victoire Berteau (Cofidis), Aude Biannic (Movistar), Clara Copponi (FDJ Suez), Audrey Cordon Rogot (Human Powered Health), Cédrine Kerbaol (Ceratizit-WNT), Juliette Labous (DSM), Marie Le Net ( FDJ Suez).
Individual Time Trial: Audrey Cordon Ragot (Human Powered Health), Cédrine Kerbaol (Ceratizit-WNT), Juliette Labous (DSM)
Mixed Team Time Trial: Rémi Cavagna (Soudal-Quick Step), Bruno Armirail (Groupama-FDJ), Bryan Coquard (Cofidis), Audrey Cordon Ragot (Human Powered Health), Cédrine Kerbaol (Ceratizit-WNT), Juliette Labous (DSM)
