Erviti "saw worlds snub coming"

Normally one of national team coach José Luis De Santos' first names on the team sheet for World Championships, Movistar's ever-reliable Imanol Erviti was left out of the selección this time around. The Pamplona-native isn't too down-beat, though, saying it was inevitable he wasn't going to be among the nine chosen ones for the Limburg worlds.

"I saw it coming. I knew it would be difficult to get into the team even though I finished (the Vuelta) well", the 28-year-old, who's done the last two World Championships road races, told Spanish sports daily Marca. "Two crashes at the Tour and at the Vuelta didn't do my chances any favours."

Spain will field a star-studded team, even by their standards, at the road race, with quintet Contador, Sánchez, Rodríguez, Valverde and Freire among the starters. On a course seemingly adapted to every single one's characteristics, an ugly fight for leadership duties might not seem out of the question - for Erviti that's not likely to happen though.

"We've got a really great team with Freire, Samuel, Purito, Valverde and Contador. With them on the team, there's not much place for workers. I think it's more correct to say they're candidates for the win rather than favourites though. We've got a lot of big riders, so one of the keys to success will be that De Santos manages the group well. To avoid a fight for the captain's role between the riders, I think it's important to have a clear strategy from the start and, later on in the race, that everyone of them are honest, direct and clear on the fact that eventually it's the team that wins."

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