The Chilean rider from Movistar Team takes part in both Copenhagen races with the aim of approaching the top places in the ITT, as well as shining against the world's best in the RR, where he aspires to finish for the very first time Carlos Oyarzun is opening a short series of interviews in which the riders from Movistar Team representing their national squads in the upcoming Copenhagen World Championships will tell us about their feelings before two of the most important races of the season. In his first year into a top-ranked squad, Oyarzun lines up at the Worlds with the goal of improving his remarkable 14th place in last year's individual time trial in Geelong and starting the final part of the season where he became the first ever Chilean to participate and finish in the Giro d'Italia, and which will have another shot at the end of the World Champs with the Panamerican Games being held in mid-October.
This is a really big opportunity for me, and also a pride to represent my country in such a World Championships. This is the third time on a row I’ll be racing it, but I didn’t go to the previous two in good condition. This is my first season with a strong squad behind, good material… I’ll be racing it with more security than the two others. The Worlds are one more classic in the calendar, but with an even better participation field. So similar to the last races I did, it does remind me of the Eneco Tour, which seems like seven consecutive classics rather than a stagerace. Those are races with crazy pace, really intense and nervous, riders always fighting for position… For me it’s super important to finish my first season at the top of cycling competing with the best. Sporting-wise I’m happy with my season. I think I was into my place, but the year was really difficult for the team with all disgrace surrounding us, and I’d like to do a good Worlds and dedicate it to Xavi and Mauricio.
My last race was the Eneco Tour in mid-August. I finished the race in 20th overall and really strong, I was feeling like coming into form. Since then, I did a 22-day solo camp in Sierra Nevada with power training, much intensity, but also long recovery rides. The final tests were quite positive and now there’s only a hard session riding after the car before travelling to Copenhagen on Saturday. As well the RR as the ITT are a bit of the same, but it’s true that in the last three weeks, since I have the TT bike with me, I have spent many hours on it to improve my position a little bit.
Last year I was 14th in the ITT after breaking the tri-bars before finishing the first lap and doing the rest of the race with the handlebar broken. That’s why my goal for the race is improving that result. I feel good and if I perform at the level I did during the last tests, I should be doing quite a better ITT. Everything that comes under that 14th place would be a bad result for me. At the road race, I don’t have a clear idea on how to tackle it. There are two options: on the one hand, trying to get into the early break, and on the other hand, waiting for the finale and fighting with the favourites. I’ll decide there as I develop and taking the final route into account. In any case, I would like to finish the race, because I had a mechanical problem in Mendrisio in 2009, and last year I crashed and had to give up in the penultimate lap.
I don’t know the ITT route, but I did study it quite a bit through some videos on the Internet, and it seems like a tricky route through a park, but really flat overall. It’s a race for powerful riders where you’ve got to keep a very high speed for a long time. I would have liked it to be like last year, with some slopes that eliminate the power riders, but this is what you get. The RR route, I only now it from impressions from other people, but it seems it’s quite flat and with an uphill finish, but at the end of such race, the best will be on front for sure.
For the ITT, my only favourite rider is Tony Martin. After seeing him outclassing Cancellara by a minute in the Vuelta, my bet is clear. I don’t think that the Swiss is having a bad season as many say, but that not all seasons are the same and there are riders that progress better. My shot for the RR is Gilbert. I have seen many races this season and what Philippe is doing is amazing. Every race he enters, he wins it with an exhibition or is close to winning it.
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS APPEARANCES
2010: (14th ITT, ABN RR)
2009: (ABN RR)