US star Lawson Craddock refused visa to race at Australian world championships
'There’s still a couple options and alleyways we’re pursuing to work it out.' Craddock chasing the paperwork to take top Vuelta a España form to worlds.
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TALAVERA DE LA REINA, Spain (VN) – Lawson Craddock is in the form of his life at this Vuelta a España, but he may not be able to take that talent to the Wollongong road world championships.
Red tape crosses the U.S. rider’s path to the Australian worlds later this month.
“Thursday I got refused – my visa was denied which was a bit of a shock,” Craddock told reporters Friday. “I applied for it almost a month ago. It feels like I’ve spent every day of the last week during bus transfers trying to figure it out. Yesterday I got the bad news.”
Craddock is one of a number of riders rumored to be struggling with the paperwork required for the long flight to Wollongong.
“There’s still a couple more options and alleyways we’re pursuing to work it out,” he said. “I feel great on the bike and I feel like I could have a good run at the worlds. I’d be disappointed to miss out on a chance to be there.”
Also read: Craddock plays ‘only card’ with long-range attack from Vuelta a España breakaway
Craddock is currently selected for both time trial and road race events in the middle of this month.
With Neilson Powless, Quinn Simmons, and Brandon McNulty all opting out of the long journey to Australia, Craddock would be a key rider in the USA’s hunt for a rainbow jersey.
He’s convinced the U.S team can still pull a surprise with riders like Magnus Sheffield and Kyle Murphy.
“Losing those guys won’t change much in terms of how we race and how we conduct ourselves,” Craddock said. “The U.S. has a lot of talent that’s very deep and I have full faith that USA Cycling will put together the best possible team they can.”
Craddock is currently pursuing paperwork with as much a frenzy as he is hunting after breakaways for BikeExchange-Jayco in the closing weeks of this Vuelta a España.
The 30-year-old uncorked a series of long-range attacks out of the day’s major move in a bid to upset the climbers with a perfectly tuned Texan engine.
“I’m very happy with the work I’ve done for this Vuelta,” he said.
“Me and my coach Jim Miller did some great work to put me in great form at the right time. It would definitely help me go into the world championships in Australia with high hopes and expectations.”