a pure climber like Bennett while Bevin, Smith and Williams have been ruled out due to injury or illness.
The elite women’s team is led by SD Worx rising star Niamh Fisher-Black who is currently the best young rider on the Women’s WorldTour.
Fisher-Black has won the white jersey as the best young rider at the Ladies Tour of Norway, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Burgos, while she also placed an outstanding ninth overall at the Giro.
She will be supported by Canyon-SRAM pair Mikayla Harvey and Ella Harris and BePink duo Michaela Drummond and Henrietta Christie in what is believed to be the largest elite women’s squad New Zealand has ever sent to the World Championships.
In the absence of Bennett and Bevin, the elite men’s team will feature veterans Tom Scully (EF Education-Nippo), Shane Archbold (Deceuninck-Quick Step), Jack Bauer (Team Bike Exchange) and newcomer Connor Brown (Team Qhubeka NextHash). Scully will also compete in the individual time trial, after some outstanding recent results over the timed test, including a fourth place in the opening stage of the Vuelta an España.
There is genuine excitement in the men’s under-23 line-up that includes Finn Fisher-Black (UAE Team Emirates) and Reuben Thompson (Groupama-FDJ), who have both recently signed for WorldTour teams, Laurence Pithie (Groupama-FDJ Conti), Logan Currie (Black Spoke Pro Cycling Academy) and Corbin Strong (SEG Academy).
Fisher-Black will have confidence in the time trial after placing third in that discipline in June’s Baloise Belgium Tour which was staged nearby. Mitchel Fitzsimons, Jack Carswell and Lewis Bower will compete in the junior men’s race with Carswell and Bower to also contest the time trial.
“New Zealand has never been able to put up collectively strong and proven professionals across the three categories at the world championships, which is something to celebrate on its own,” Cycling New Zealand high performance director Martin Barras said.
