Rohan Dennis heads to Doha wanting to avenge Rio Olympics disappointment

ROHAN Dennis didn’t plan on being at the UCI road world championships in Doha next week but the devastating end to his Rio Olympic campaign in August changed his thinking.

Australia's Rohan Dennis cycles at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

ROHAN Dennis didn’t plan on being at the UCI road world championships in Doha next week but the devastating end to his Rio Olympic campaign in August changed his thinking.

“I initially said ‘look I don’t want to go’, it was going to be in mid-October which is two weeks later than normal and I started in January going full gas,” Dennis said this week.

“And it was probably going to be windy and the worst-case scenario was that I’d get blown off my bike like I did in Ballarat (three years ago).”

But then Rio happened.

Dennis was in the silver medal position and looked headed for the podium during the individual time trial when he snapped his handlebars and had to swap bikes mid-race which saw him finish fifth.

“The plan was to win in Rio and I didn’t really care what would happen after that, I thought that would just make my season,” he said.

“Especially after being sick early in the season I thought if I could just win in Rio I wouldn’t care if I got dropped in every race after that.

“But when the bar broke and I lost that silver medal — Fabian Cancellara was out of reach at that stage — I thought ‘well I want to get something out of this season, I don’t want it to end with it being on a bad note’.

“That’s when I went to Tour of Britain and Eneco Tour and wanted to go out really well.

“Now it’s time trial at worlds and a world title is a world title isn’t it.”

Dennis in Rio.

Dennis put aside his disappointment to finish second overall in Britain and he led the Eneco Tour until the final stage when he crashed out in the wet conditions.

It continued a run of bad luck for the BMC rider who finished sixth in last year’s world championships after a mid-race puncture.

But as well as trying to avenge that disappointment in Qatar on Wednesday Dennis is also shooting for three wins in a row with BMC in the trade teams time trial.

“It hasn’t been the most smooth running season for me so I just have to keep going,” he said.

“I’ve gone nine more days and 80km of racing to go so I’ll do everything as if nothing has happened this year and hopefully it goes well.”

The 26-year-old said his physical condition and form was as good if not better than before the Rio Games.

“Everything has been pretty good, surprisingly my form feels like it’s better than before Rio,” Dennis said.

“I don’t know if it’s because that stress is gone but I’m not going to question is too much, I’m just riding the wave for hopefully the next week really.”

2016 UCI ROAD WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, DOHA, QATAR

OCTOBER 9-16

October 9 — men’s & women’s team time trial

October 10 — women’s junior time trial, men’s under-23 time trial,

October 11 — men’s junior time trial, women’s elite time trial

October 12 — men’s elite time trial

October 13 — men’s under-23 road race

October 14 — men’s & women’s junior road race

October 15 — women’s elite road race

October 16 — men’s elite road race

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Originally published as Rohan Dennis heads to Doha wanting to avenge Rio Olympics disappointment