No go for Camenzind and Dufaux

Dufaux and Camenzind will both be sitting out next week's championships Keystone Archive

The Swiss road cycling team will travel to next week's world championships without two of their most experienced riders, following the late withdrawals of Oscar Camenzind and Laurent Dufaux.

Camenzind, who won the world championship title three years ago, has decided not to compete in Lisbon because of his current lack of form. After making a great start to the season with victory in the classic Liège-Bastogne-Liège race, the 30-year-old from canton Schwyz has struggled in the second half of the year.

Camenzind’s last race was at the Zurich championships in August, since when he has been complaining of unusual tiredness. Having pulled out of the Tour of the Spain during the early stages, the Swiss rider has now decided to put a premature end to the season.

Dufaux’s withdrawal has been enforced by an inflamed prostate. The 32-year-old from Montreux has one stage win to his name this season, with victory on the third day of the Giro del Trentino.

Swiss coach Jean-Claude Leclercq has called up Daniel Schnider and Felice Puttini to replace the two absent riders. In the absence of Camenzind and Dufaux, Beat Zberg will lead the otherwise relatively inexperienced Swiss team.

Zberg, whose brother Markus is also missing the championships through injury, appears to be in good shape after celebrating a stage win on the recent Tour of Spain.

Two other high-profile Swiss riders had been ruled out of the world championships before last week’s squad announcement. Former world number one Alex Zülle was left out due to current poor form, while young Bernese rider Sven Montgomery has only just returned to training following a nasty crash on the Tour de France.

swissinfo with agencies