Balance, that’s the big word on the Mixed Relay. Three super-fast men don’t make a winning team, and the other way around. It does not pay off if the women win 2 minutes and the men lose 3. Both teams have to be equally strong.
The Suisse are well equiped in that regard, with Küng, Bissegger and Reusser in their ranks. Same story for Germany with Martin, Walscheid, Brennauer, and Klein.
On paper, the men of Italy – Ganna, Affini, Sombrero – look unbeatable, while the same applies for the women of the Dutch squad – Van Dijk, Van Vleuten, Markus -, as they all finished top 10 in last Monday’s ITT. Balance, that’s the thing. Cavalli, Cecchini and Borghini round out the line up of the squadra azzurra and Mollema, Van Emden and Bouwman are the men in orange.
Recently, at the European Championships in Trento, Italy took the spoils 21 seconds ahead of Germany with the Dutch 5 second further behind. In Flanders, the Italians subsitute Affini for De Marchi, the German field the same six, while the the female supertrio is all-new for the Dutch. Switzerland did not take part in the Mixed Relay in Trento.
Favourites 2021 World Championships Mixex Relay
*** Italy, Switzerland, Netherlands
** Germany, USA, Denmarken
* Belgium, France, Great Britain
Another interesting read: starting times of the Mixed Relay at the Worlds in Flanders.