CYCLING:FOLLOWING A strong display in the recent European Championships, Martyn Irvine will today line out in the first round of the UCI World Cup determined to continue his push for Olympic qualification.
Irvine will compete in the six-event Omnium competition and said yesterday he was encouraged by how things went for him in Apeldoorn two weeks ago. He won the scratch race round of the Madison there and finished fifth overall in the competition.
“It’s a great boost,” he said yesterday. “When you train and train your head starts tell you all sorts of things you don’t want to hear. That result is proof that hard work works.”
The omnium will begin this afternoon with qualifying, then the flying lap, 30km points race and elimination races will follow. Tomorrow concludes the events with the individual pursuit, 15km scratch race and kilometre time trial taking place.
“The target is top six and some personal bests,” Irvine said. “They will keep me on track.” In this and the following three rounds of the World Cup to secure qualification, he prefers to keep his goals simple.
“Basically beat the nations just in front of me. At the minute though I’m just focusing on doing the best I can and I’m sure the rest will follow. . . ”
Three Irish women were in action yesterday; Caroline Ryan, Ciara Horne and Sinéad Jennings rode the individual pursuit for the Cunga Bikes team but were hit by bad luck. They had a false start, and then punctured after getting underway again. That ruled them out of the competition.
Ryan and another Cunga Bikes rider David O’Loughlin will continue in the World Cup, riding the women’s omnium and points race respectively.
In other news, the Grant Thornton M Donnelly Sean Kelly team yesterday announced that Ronan McLaughlin and Connor McConvey would continue with the team for an additional season, while Belgians Roy Jans and Stijn Ennekens are coming on board.
FIXTURES: Saturday: Supercross Cup round 3, Corcaigh Park. First race at 11.30. Sunday: Ulster Cyclo-cross round 4, Moira Demesne, sign on from 9.30; IVCA AGM, West County Hotel, starts 2.30
