Doha worlds: Phinney, Guarnier headline U.S. team

USA Cycling named 30 riders Monday who will wear the Stars and Stripes in Doha, Qatar at UCI World Road Championships, October 9-16.

Taylor Phinney will headline the men’s road race and time trial selections, having recently raced the Rio Olympics and finished 11th in the Tour of Britain’s stage 7a time trial. He’s also currently racing the Eneco Tour in the Netherlands. Phinney will be joined by Eric Marcotte and Kiel Reijnen, who are both known to have a fast turn of speed at the end of long, difficult races. Reijnen completed the Vuelta a España earlier in September where he had two top-10 finishes in the bunch gallops. That said, the Americans lack a pure sprinter for a course that’s widely believed to favor the fast men.

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The elite American women’s team looks to be centered on Megan Guarnier, winner of the inaugural Women’s WorldTour this season. However, Guarnier favors hilly, harder routes, such as the Giro Rosa, which she won in 2016. Perhaps the U.S. squad will rely on Coryn Rivera’s sprinting talents in Qatar. In the time trial, national champion Carmen Small might be one of the U.S.’s best bets for a medal in the elite races.

An all-Axeon affair, the under-23 U.S. men’s team has ample talent but like the elite men’s squad, lacks an obvious sprinter to be the protected rider. In the time trial, Neilson Powless may be capable of challenging for a top-10 result.

Elite men’s road race

Robin Carpenter (Holowesko – Citadel)
Chad Haga (Giant – Alpecin)
Eric Marcotte (Team Jamis)
Taylor Phinney (BMC Racing)
Kiel Reijnen (Trek Factory Racing)
Joseph Rosskopf (BMC Racing)

Elite men’s individual time trial

Taylor Phinney (BMC Racing)*
Alexey Vermeulen (Lotto NL – Jumbo)

Elite women’s road race

Allie Dragoo (Twenty16 – Ridebiker)
Megan Guarnier (Boels Dolmans)*
Amber Neben (BePink)
Coryn Rivera (UnitedHealthcare)*
Alexis Ryan (Canyon – SRAM)
Carmen Small (Cylance Pro Cycling)
Lauren Stephens (Tibco – Silicon Valley Bank)

Elite women’s individual time trial

Amber Neben (BePink)
Carmen Small (Cylance Pro Cycling)*

U23 men’s road race

Adrien Costa (Axeon Hagens Berman)*
Geoffrey Curran (Axeon Hagens Berman)*
Gregory Daniel (Axeon Hagens Berman)*
Colin Joyce (Axeon Hagens Berman)
Justin Oien (Axeon Hagens Berman)
Neilson Powless (Axeon Hagens Berman)

U23 men’s individual time trial

Geoffrey Curran (Axeon Hagens Berman)*
Neilson Powless (Axeon Hagens Berman)*

Junior men’s road race

Cameron Beard (Specialized Racing – NCCF)
Ian Garrison (Holowesko – Citadel)*
Gage Hecht (Hot Tubes)
Bjorn Larson (Holowesko – Citadel)
Brandon McNulty (LUX – Stradling)*
Tyler Stites (El Grupo Youth Cycling)

Junior men’s individual time trial

Ian Garrison (Holowesko – Citadel)
Brandon McNulty (LUX – Stradling)*

Junior women’s road race

Hannah Arensman (Twenty16)
Megan Heath (Frazier Cycling)
Summer Moak (Twenty16)
Skylar Schneider (ISCorp Cycling – SmartChoice MRI)*

Junior women’s individual time trial

Hannah Arensman (Twenty16)*
Skylar Schneider (ISCorp Cycling – SmartChoice MRI)

*Automatic nomination