Cycling:Irish road-race champion David O'Loughlin will turn his attention back to track racing this weekend when he lines out in the final World Cup event of the 2007-2008 season, being held in Ballerup, Denmark.
The Pezula Racing team rider will compete once again in the individual pursuit, seeking to build on his seventh place in the Beijing round and eighth in Los Angeles. He is ranked 14th in the world and can advance further by putting in a good performance this weekend and in next month's world championships in Manchester.
By his estimation, a top-seven world ranking should earn him a slot in Beijing.
Ireland's Louise Moriarty will also be taking part, most likely riding the scratch and points races, while Dermot Nally, Martyn Irvine, Paul Healion and Brian Kenneally will aim to break the Ireland team-pursuit record of four minutes 15 seconds, as set in the Beijing World Cup.
Meanwhile, Nicolas Roche has been showing good form in the Tour de Langkawi in Malaysia. He was caught four kilometres from the finish of Wednesday's fifth stage, being frustrated in his bid for a solo victory, then was a solid 23rd on yesterday's 182.8km stage to Kuala Rompin.
He had been hoping to get in another long-range break but missed out because of mechanical problems.
He broke a chain early on and had a total of three bike changes, and only rejoined the peloton 35 kilometres into the stage.
By that point the day's break had gone and Jose Perez Serpa (Serramenti PVC Giocattoli) went on to win out of that 16-man group.
Frustratingly, Roche had dropped Serpa during their break on Wednesday.
The Frenchman Matthieu Sprick (Bouygues Telecom) continues to lead overall.
In other news, the Cycling Ireland women's commission have reacted with frustration to the news that female riders will receive just over 5 per cent of the grants announced by the Irish Sports Council this week.
Paralympic athletes Catherine Walsh and Joanna Hickey (tandem pilot) each receive €6,000 out of an allocation of €215,000 to athletes within the sport, while international riders such as Siobhán Dervan, Louise Moriarty and Jenny Fay get nothing.
Women's commission secretary Heather Boyle suggests restrictive criteria within Cycling Ireland's structures are to blame, saying in a letter to Irishcycling.com that both the Irish Sports Council and Women in Sport are extremely supportive of the commission's efforts in developing women's cycling.
"Our top athletes - Siobhán Dervan, Louise Moriarty, and Jenny Fay - who are racing at the top level in the world, walk away with nothing," she stated. "We need athletes competing at this level to pave the way for the future."
WEEKEND FIXTURES
Sunday: MTB XCO Winter League, Bangor Training race, Galway, 10am, contact Nigel at 087-6287874; Connacht MTB League, round two, Brothers of Charity, Clarinbridge, noon.
