Omega Pharma – Quick-Step Cycling Team performed reconnaissance of the UCI World TTT Championship course in Florence on Saturday. The 57.2km race takes place on Sunday. Riders and staff offer their thoughts on the race in the comments below.
"It's a really nice parcour," Tony Martin said. "There are three points you really have to know, especially at the finish where it gets tricky. There are small roads there. It's tricky and you have to find a good balance between taking risks and not losing time. I think it will be a really nice Worlds. It's pretty fast. I think BMC and Orica are the top teams, but for sure we are as well. We are the defending UCI World TTT Champions. For me, we are one of the best teams, but we still have to consider other teams are working hard for the success here. To win is not sure, but we are pretty confident in our abilities."
"This is a really good parcour that is absolutely not boring," Peter Velits said. "After the first part there is a climb, then there are a long stretches that are completely flat. But then there are also roundabouts and small corners, so you have to always stay focused. Also it is really nice when you are arrive in the final and enter the city of Florence. It is quite technical. It will be important to switch the mind from long distances of flat and not very technical to a technical final."
"It is a super fast parcour," Niki Terpstra said. "Probably the difference will be made in the first part, in the climb, and the last part in the city. In the middle of the course it is simply a question of maintaining the momentum."
"As for the equipment and material, it is the best we can have for this moment," Sport and Development Manager Rolf Aldag said. "We checked every little detail, and not only the bike but the clothes — like the high quality skinsuits by Vermarc. We are really 100 percent. This is not something you want to take risks on. You can always have good luck or bad luck, and for sure we don't want to take any risks with new equipment. We will try to also take advantage of the data collected in Zolder a few weeks ago, in the tests we did with Specialized. We think the great work of Specialized and our mechanics in Italy in the last two days has prepared us very well, so thanks to them for their effort."
Good luck on Sunday guys!