Cycling: With the countdown continuing to this month's world road race and time trial championships in Salzburg, Austria, Irish riders around the world have been showing promising form.
Last weekend David McCann won the Tour of Indonesia, a nine-day, 2.2-ranked event. The Giant Asia rider showed excellent consistency throughout, ending the race a comfortable two minutes and 45 seconds ahead of Vyacheslav Dyadichkin. Compatriots Stephen Gallagher and Paul Griffin were second and eighth on stages, respectively, with Griffin taking fifth overall.
In France, Philip Deignan had his best result of the season yesterday when he finished second to Rémy Di Gregorio in a two-up sprint at the end of stage eight of the Tour de l'Avenir. He will be greatly encouraged by what is a sudden upswing in form after a season blighted by injury and illness.
Nicolas Roche came home seventh and remains a fine sixth overall, just one minute off the race lead. Today's penultimate stage is a mountain time trial.
Meanwhile, Irish road race champion Siobhán Dervan and Louise Moriarty placed 17th and 19th respectively on yesterday's third stage of the Euregio Ladies Tour. Both came home in the main bunch. Dervan is a strong 16th overall, with Moriarty 41st.
Last weekend, Daniel Martin triumphed on the final stage of the Giro della Valle d'Aosta in Italy. He dominated the concluding 10.1 kilometre uphill time trial, finishing a full 43 seconds ahead of runner-up Alessandro Bisolti and placing second overall to him.
Elsewhere, Tarja Owens was second in the Class 1 MTB XC race in Ankara, Turkey.
Meanwhile, a team of Irish riders will begin the Paralympic world championships in Aigle today. Enda Smith, Cathal Miller, Michael Delaney, Mark Kehoe and Andrew Fitzgerald plus tandem pilots David Peelo, Kevin Forde and John Lynch are hoping to perform with distinction there. They will ride races on road and in the velodrome.
WEEKEND FIXTURES
Saturday: National hill climb championships, Broadford, Co. Limerick, 6.30 pm; ABM Construction Ras na Mban two-day, Balbriggan. Sunday: Downpatrick NPS round six, White Horse, Waterford; National senior two championships, Kanturk, Co Cork, 10.30am. National junior and veterans championships, Broadford, Co Limerick, 2pm. Final round of Ulster MTB championships, Glenarm Forest Park, Co Antrim. First races at noon.
