On Monday, Mark Cavendish was included in the British long list for the UCI World Championships road team. However, his participation remains uncertain due to a recent accident during the Tour de France that forced him to withdraw.
The roster is loaded with talent including Geraint Thomas, victor of the 2018 Tour, and Lizzie Deignan, the 2015 world road champion. Thomas has been confirmed for the time trial already.
The ability of Cavendish to compete hinges on the speed and degree of his recovery from a collar bone fracture sustained during his Saturday crash. This unfortunate event seemed to ruin his chance to claim a 35th Tour stage victory, which would have set a new record, surpassing the one he currently holds jointly with Belgian legend Eddy Merckx.
A comprehensive medical update from Cavendish’s Astana Qazaqstan team is eagerly anticipated by British Cycling. Also on the long list is Tom Pidcock, a teammate of Thomas’s at Ineos Grenadiers, who is currently engaged in the Tour.
After welcoming her second child into the world in September of the previous year, Deignan has been chosen to compete. She will be accompanied by Pfeiffer Georgi, who has previously secured the silver medal in the under-23 road race at the world championships.
The road and time trial races are part of a comprehensive 11-day schedule featuring 13 world championship events. These will be held in Glasgow and various other locations throughout Scotland, from the 3rd to the 13th of August, 2023.
“We have a really exciting team who I can’t wait to race with. I feel like form is gradually returning after the birth of Shea in September last year, and it will be good to be back on familiar roads in Glasgow where I’ve had previous success at nationals and the Commonwealth Games, lots of happy memories so I look forward to returning.”
Lizzie Deignan
Women’s Great Britain 2023 World Championships squad
- Lizzie Deignan
- Pfeiffer Georgi
- Anna Henderson
- Lizzie Holden
- Elinor Barker
- Anna Shackley
- Elynor Backstedt
- Alice Towers
- Claire Steels
- Becky Storrie
Men’s Great Britain 2023 World Championships squad
- Geraint Thomas
- Fred Wright
- Ben Swift
- Mark Cavendish
- Ethan Hayter
- Tom Pidcock
- Luke Rowe
- Connor Swift
- Ben Turner
- Ben Tulett
- Jake Stewart
- Owain Doull
- Sam Watson
- James Shaw
- Lewis Askey
- Dan McLay
- Mark Stewart
- Ethan Vernon
- Sean Flynn
