With the U23 Men’s Time Trial run and won today by no other than Americas’ Taylor Phinney, attention now turns to the coming days of racing in Geelong, Australia. Thursday will see the world’s strongmen of cycling fight it out for the World Time Trial Champion stripes, this time in the Elite division.

Favourites for the event are the recognizable names of; Fabian Cancellara, Gustav-Erik Larson, Tony Martin and young Tasmanian, Richie Porte. Although not speaking too highly of his chances of clinching victory in the race against the clock, Porte did comment on his workings alongside Australian Coach Neil Stephens...

"I've looked at the climbs and I've spoken with Stephens; he's been awesome for me. I'm just going to have to use those hills to my advantage”. The 25 year old SAXO BANK recruit also suggested that jetlag may play against the Europeans that have come to his neighbourhood to play, and even hopes for the weather to “stay crappy like this” – a comment that suggests he may feel more confident than he originally let on to be…

In a recent cyclingtribe.com interview with Bradley McGee, the topic of Porte came up in conversation, with McGee saying Porte is showing the effects of “a lot of hard work” and had a high opinion of the young neo-pro. Spectators will just have to wait for the event itself to unfold, before they themselves can form their own opinions of who the clear favourite will be.

After the Time Trial, viewers will be treated to the spectacle of seeing the World’s best Elite Men wage war on the roads of Victoria this Sunday. With 260km of tarmac ahead of them, the pro peloton will have over 5 hours to fight it out for the win – quite impressive when you consider the AFL Grand Final totals only 240 minutes, even when they play the deciding match twice…

With a very undulating course snaking its way toward and around Geelong, many top riders have commented on the severity of the route profile, with the likes of Mark Cavendish saying “it’s just too hard”, with the aforementioned Manxman ruling out his chances of claiming the Elite World Champ titles, even before the field has rolled out.

It may be advisable to wear a heart rate monitor come Sunday’s race. With names like Oscar Freire, Rodriguez, Filippo Pozzato and the obvious Cadel Evans being thrown around in conversation; there’s no doubt the race will come down to the wire! And let’s not forget the inside scoop in McGee’s recent interview – Phillipe Gilbert. Keep an eye on him.

With no shortage of excitement on offer, cyclingtribe will be keeping you all up to speed with what’s going on behind the scenes. And what’s more, there will also be an interview with one of the Sky Pro Team riders next week - more to come!

- PUBLISHED ON CYCLINGTRIBE.COM