Rory Townsend hoping to make up for Nicolas Roche's absence at Worlds

The Irish team for tomorrow’s elite men’s road race at the UCI World Championships in Yorkshire are a tried and tested bunch of riders at the top level - with the exception of Rory Townsend.

But having impressed in the recent Tour of Britain, the 24-year old was drafted into the six-man team in the absence of Nicolas Roche who was ruled out with a broken kneecap sustained at the recent Vuelta A Espana.