Team Sunweb have named the 12 riders that they hope will defend their double team time trial world titles in Innsbruck. Last year, Sunweb surprised when they won both the menīs and womenīs competitions on a dream day for the German-registered squad. This year will be the final running of the trade team time trial World Championships, which began in 2012. Former individual time trial world champion and three-time European champion Ellen van Dijk will headline the women`s team, while current individual champion Tom Dumoulin is the star name in the men`s squad. The menīs line-up sees just one change from 12 months ago, while the womenīs squad has two alterations. Canadian time trial champion Leah Kirchmann and US road champion Coryn Rivera both rode last year and will join Van Dijk, as will Amstel Gold runner-up Lucinda Brand. Former junior European road race champion Liane Lippert and, former under 23 European TT and road race champion, Pernille Mathiesen will make their elite debuts at the World Championships.ADVERTISEMENT Last year, the Team Sunweb womenīs team beat pre-event favourites Boels-Dolmans by 12 seconds to take the title. This season they have continued that success, winning team time trials at the Giro Rosa, the Ladies Tour of Norway and most recently at the Madrid Challenge, where Van Dijk went on to take the overall title. In Innsbruck, the team will face a sterner test to Bergen but they remain confident. `The course is longer than last year at 53.8 kilometres and mainly flat through the valley. It will be a long, hard race but we`re looking forward to it,` said coach Koen de Haan. `We`ve done lots of good TTT training sessions throughout the year and made some really good steps. After last year`s victory we`ve decided to invest even more to develop this discipline - organising several good TTT sessions throughout the year to work on the dynamics and we`ve made some really good steps. It`s always hard to defend a title but whatever happens, th ...
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