CYCLING:IRISH RIDERS will begin the push towards qualification for the track events at the 2012 Olympic Games when six of them line out in the European Championships in Pruszkow, Poland, over the next three days.

Three out of the quartet of Jennifer O’Reilly, Caroline Ryan, Ciara Home and Mary Costelloe will compete in the team pursuit and will seek to build on recent progress. They have improved each time out, and they broke the national 3km pursuit record twice recently in Apeldoorn, Holland.

They have brought the mark below three minutes 40 seconds and want to step things up in Poland, conscious that progression is needed if Olympic qualification is to be achieved.

O’Reilly will also line out in the Omnium events, while US-based Costelloe will ride the sprint races.

Two men will also compete in Poland. Felix English will use his speed in the sprint, while Martyn Irvine will compete in the various Omnium races.

Cycling Ireland performance director Phil Leigh said Irvine’s discipline is an important one to pursue. “The second track endurance event introduced by the IOC and UCI this year is the six-event Omnium. To line up in this new Olympic event we have a ready-made World Class Omnium rider in Martyn Irvine,” he said.

According to head coach Andy Sparks, “Martyn has been outstanding in training and during his preparation events he is improving with every outing.”

In other news, the An Post Grant Thornton M Donnelly Sean Kelly team has signed promising Irish rider Philip Lavery for 2011. He joins Sam Bennett on the Irish-sponsored, Belgian-based squad.

The team announced eight other new riders this week, while also confirming seven of the squad would head elsewhere. The sole Irish rider to depart is David O’Loughlin, who competed there for the past two years.

FIXTURES– Sunday: Ulster Cyclocross Series, round 2, Lisburn.