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Archives: August 2002 SCANLON BEGINS TRIAL: (By Shane Stokes Aug 31) Irish national champion Mark Scanlon begins one of the most important periods of his young career to date when he starts a pro trial with the first division AG2r team this weekend. The former world junior champion will make his debut in the blue and black of the prestigious French squad on Sunday, lining out in the 1.3 ranked French cup race Les Boucles de l’Aulne. His trial continues with seven other world-ranked races in one month, including the 1.1 ranked Coppa Placci on September 7th, Paris-Bruxelles on September 14th and the GP de Fourmies on September 15th. Scanlon will also ride a 2.3 ranked stage race, the Giro della Provincia di Lucca, in Italy from October 1st – 4th. The full schedule is as follows: (French events unless stated)
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Despite his good condition, he is taking a very pragmatic approach. ‘It is hard to know what to expect’, he says. ‘I am sure the team don’t expect me to go out there and win the races, or anything…realistically, what can you do against professionals when you are just 21 years of age? I think the trial is more about showing I can fit in with the team and riding well during the races.’ Is he nervous about the prospect of lining out alongside the world’s top riders? ‘Not really’, he answers, ‘I did a stage before with the Linda McCartney team (in 2000) and so I am not as nervous as I might be. With them I was 78 kilos going into the trial, and not really in great shape as I had only been back on the bike a few weeks after breaking my elbow. Still, I was fine in those events.’ ‘This time, I am four or five kilos lighter and going much better – I won three races in a row recently so I know that I have good legs’, he says. Mark Scanlon 20 questions <click here> IRISH IN SEAT TOUR OF SLOVAKIA: (By Shane Stokes Aug 31) A team of six riders travelled to the Slovakia this week to take part in the 2.5 ranked national tour, which runs from Wednesday until Sunday. The race is seen as a window-shop for the talent of the future; past winners include Theo de Roy (1978), Ivan Ivanov (1987), Pavel Tonkov (1989) and Andrej Hauptmann (1998). Paul Griffin, Kieran MacMahon, Richie Cahill, Timmy Barry, Michael Storan and John Dempsey are competing on a composite Irish team in this edition. Having driven 600 miles from Prague one day before the start, the team were under pressure on the opening leg of the race but still showed their jerseys at the front of the bunch. Griffin and MacMahon came home with the main field, 9 and 16 seconds back respectively from winner Aurelien Clerc (Mapei Quick Step Espoirs), while Cahill went clear for a while early on in the stage, was recaptured and ultimately finished one minute down. Storan had bad luck during the stage and finally dropped out after a puncture. Yesterday’s second stage went to Ukrainian rider Igor Abakoumov (Van Hemert Groep), with Griffin finishing inside the top 12 and Cahill, Barry and Dempsey all in the main field. MacMahon punctured early on in the stage and finished 40 minutes down. The Seat Tour of Slovakia continues today with a 212 kilometre stage from Žiar nad Hronom to Stará Lubovna. (Result service very limited - thanks to Claire MacMahon for details)
World MTB Championships, Kaprun, Austria. Dowhill race, elite men: 1, Nicolas Vouilloz (France) 5 mins 8.53 secs (70.3 km/h); 2, S. Peat (Great Britain) at 0.54 secs; 3, C. Kovarik (Australia) at 5.35 secs; 4, C. Gracia (France) at 5.97 secs; 5, J. Waddell (Australia) at 8.69 secs; 6, M. Pascal (France) at 8.88 secs Irish: 45, G. O’Brien at 32.81 secs; 60, C. Ross at 41.93 secs; 62, A. Yoong at 42.49 secs; 68, J. Lawlor at 45.14 secs Downhill race, junior men: 1, Sam Hill (Australia) 5 mins 22.01 secs; 2, G. Atherton (Great Britain) at 1.61 secs; 3, J. Havukainen (Australia) at 2.61 secs; 4, J. Camellini (France) at 3.77 secs; 5, M. Beaumont (Great Britain) at 7.53 secs; 6, D. McLaughlin (Australia) at 8.89 secs Irish: 37, B. Reid at 38.41 secs; 40, J. Popham at 39.85 secs; 46, J. Scott at 43.74 secs; Cross country race, junior men: 1, T. Lowe (Australia) 21.6 kilometres in 1 hour 17 mins 14 secs; 2, I. Trofimov (Russia) at 1 min 58 secs; 3, T. Longo (Italy) at 2 mins 13 secs; 4, L. Flueckiger (Switerland) at 2 mins 36 secs; 5, J. Kulhavy (Czech Republic) at 2 mins 39 secs; 6, R. Van Houts (Netherlands) at 3 mins 5 secs. Irish: 71, L. Ferguson at 18 mins 17 secs NALLY: GOOD NEWS IS NO NEWS: (By Shane Stokes Aug 29) National under 23 champion Dermot Nally is in the dark with regard to reports that he has secured a contract with the Jazztel-Costa Almeria team for 2003. The news that the Valencia-based rider has been granted a place with the second division team next season appeared on the www.dailypeloton.com website early today, but when contacted Nally stated that he has received no offer from the team. The Irishman has raced this season in Italy with the Maltini Lampadari squad and taken a number of victories, including a stage and the points jersey in the prestigious Giro d’Abruzzo event in May. Expecting to begin racing with the Colombia – Selle Italia team in early Summer, the shockwaves caused by doping scandals in the Giro d’Italia threw those plans into chaos, with riders from the team left unpaid and no budget available to take Nally on. The team did offer him the consolation of a trial for the last two months of this year and, in the expectation that the financial situation would improve, have also promised him a contract for 2003. He is due to begin his stage with them this weekend. ‘The situation is not good with Spanish and Italian cycling after the problems of the Giro this year’, said a downbeat Nally earlier today. ‘A lot of teams are finding it hard to get money together so there is a lot of uncertainty about next season. The Selle Italia team have guaranteed that they will take me on, but until I sign a contract nothing is for certain. I can only hope it works out okay.’
CORRY OUT OF WORLD MTB CHAMPS WITH BROKEN HAND: (By Shane Stokes Aug 28) The Irish Team for this week’s World Mountainbike Championships in Kaprun, Austria, have been hit by a setback after downhill rider Will Corry suffered a broken bone during a training ride. Corry fell on a downhill section and broke the scaphoid bone in his hand, forcing his withdrawal from the races. The remainder of the downhill team will get their campaign underway tomorrow when the elite riders Glyn O’Brien, John Lawlor, Colin Ross and Andrew Yoong, plus junior entrants Jamie Popham, James Scott and Ben Reid all line out in the heats in advance of Saturday’s final. Ross and O’Brien are also due to compete in the inaugural 4 Cross slalom-style event, which has its seeding runs on Friday and the finals one day later. Meanwhile there was also an unwelcome distraction for one of the cross-country squad before his own final this weekend. The nine-times national elite champion Robin Seymour discovered a crack in his racing frame after a training ride and is hoping that his Mapei pro team will be able to rush a replacement to Austria in time for Sunday’s final. Seymour will be joined by John Mason in the race, while women’s champion Tarja Owens and Under 23 title holder Glen Kinning will also compete in their cross-country championship on the same day. National junior champion Lewis Ferguson has his final on Friday. ‘The course is very severe, with a steep climb and a lot of technical parts to it’, said cross-country team manager Geoff Seymour today. ‘If it is dry it will be rideable but if it is wet, as is forecasted, they will have to run a lot of it.’ More details and results on www.uci.ch ‘Most of the riders are very excited by the course. In particular, Robin and Lewis are really looking forward to the technical parts.’ Cross country squad (Manager: Geoff Seymour): Elite men: Robin Seymour, John Mason; Elite women: Tarja Owens; Espoirs (under 23): Glen Kinning; Junior: Lewis Ferguson Downhill team (Manager Eamon Lawlor): Elite men: Glyn O’Brien, John Lawlor, Colin Ross, Andrew Yoong; Juniors: Jamie Popham, James Scott, Ben Reid. Mechanic: Dave Ward CONNOR WINS STAGE, ROCHE FINISHES FOURTH: (By Shane Stokes Aug 26) Ballymena road club’s Ryan Connor today won the final stage of the Junior Tour of Wales, racing clear before the final ascent of the Tumble and climbing strongly up the steep three mile ascent to take a storming win. Team Ireland leader Nicolas Roche had hoped to ride into the yellow jersey today yet instead finished 10th at the top of the climb, holding on to his strong fourth place overall but slipping out of the lead to second in the King of the Mountains competition. ‘It was a hard day for us’, said the Irish junior team manager Tom Keenan after the stage. ‘We had hoped that Nicolas would make a serious attack on the yellow jersey but he just didn’t have his best legs today. He pulled a wheel on the first climb of the day and that messed up the game plan a bit; from then on things didn’t really work out as we had hoped. ‘Nicolas is still riding very well but he has slowed down a little since winning the Junior Tour two weeks ago’, he stated. ‘He is heading back to France now and will do another stage race shortly; after that then he will start to build up for the World Championships.’ Although an Irishman didn’t win the race, as Keenan had hoped, he can still look back on a strong campaign. Roche finished 4th overall and placed 5th, 2nd and 3rd and 10th on stages in the race, while Barry Woods and Theo Hardwick were 2nd and 4th in yesterday's criterium. Hardwick was also 7th in the opening time trial, and another Irish rider Andrew McQuaid briefly held the points jersey.
The US-based rider was in the thick of the action from the start of the mountainous 75 mile race, going clear with a dozen others ten miles into the first of two laps. Local rider Mark Quigley took the King of the Mountains prime at the top of the first ascent of the tough Sheefry Pass, after which the breakaway riders combined forces again to open up a four minute lead over those behind. O’Loughlin made his move on the final ascent of the Sheefry Pass, forging clear with Greg Swinand in tow and then dropping the Usher IRC rider by the top of the climb. The Mayoman showed his time-trialling ability to open up a considerable advantage between this point and the finish line, coming home 2 minutes and seven seconds ahead of Swinand and third-placed Stephen O’Sullivan (unattached). Results: Sheefry GP (Final Leg of Classic League Series): 1, David O’Loughlin (Ofoto Lombari Sports); 2, G. Swinand (Usher IRC); 3, S. O’Sullivan (unattached); 4, S. Coughlan (Donamond Dynamo CC); 5, J. Peppard (McNally Swords); 6, S. Kelly (Galway Bay CC); 7, B. Lennon (St. Tiernans); 8, C. Sweetman (Stamullen M. Donnelly); 9, M. Quigley (Mayo Wheelers); 10, N. Forde (Galway Bay CC) <See Full Classic League Results Here> Kathleen O’Sullivan Memorial, Boot Inn: 1, Brian Ahern (Naas Figrolls); 2, P. Finegan (Cycleways Lee Strand); 3, P. Doyle (Deeside Tyle Choice); 4, R. Whelan (Navan Avonmore); 5, L. Roche (Team BH); 6, S. Whelan (McNally Swords) First Senior 2: Pat Byrne (Dublin Wheelers), First senior 3: Derek Irwin (Team BH), First veteran: Terry Ferris (Dublin Wheelers), First woman: Grace McNally (McNally Swords) IVCA 50 mile TT Championship, Enfield: Race result (age standard): 1, Peter Schweppe (Orwell Wheelers) + 17 mins 55 secs; 2, D. McGrath (Bray Wheelers) + 16 mins 5 secs; 3, P. Davis (Usher IRC) + 15 mins 25 secs; 4, S. Lally (McNally Swords) + 14 mins 34 secs; 5, E. Thackerberry (Newbridge Cutlery) + 11 mins 14 secs; 6, A. Murtagh (Obelisk Wheelers) + 11 mins Handicap: 1, P. Davis; 2, H. Byrne (McNally Swords); 3, E. Thackerberry. Fastest: 1, Shay Weston (Dublin Wheelers) 2 hours 5 mins 48 secs; 2, N. Costello (IVCA) 2 hours 10 mins 46 secs; 3, P. Schweppe 2 hours 10 mins 55 secs ROCHE FOURTH OVERALL IN JUNIOR TOUR OF WALES: (By Shane Stokes Aug 25) Following a string of good placings, Nicolas Roche will head into tomorrow’s final, crucial stage of the Junior Tour of Wales in a fine fourth place overall. Roche finished third in the mountainous third stage this morning and took over the lead in the Best Climber competition, then finished safely in the main bunch in the afternoon criterium. Fellow Ireland riders Barry Woods and Theo Hardwick performed exceptionally in this fourth stage, placing second and fourth in the mass sprint to the finish line. However Andrew McQuaid was caught up in a crash and lost his lead in the points competition. Roche is now 13 seconds off the race lead, and will go all out to try to close the gap on tomorrow’s summit finish to the top of the feared Tumble climb. ‘We will have a good go of it tomorrow’, said team manager Tom Keenan. ‘The plan is for the other guys on the team to keep things together early on, then we will see how things progress from there.’ ROCHE SECOND ON STAGE 2 OF TOUR OF WALES: (By Shane Stokes Aug 24) Irish junior team leader Nicolas Roche performed strongly on the opening day of the Tour of Wales, placing fifth in the 6 mile opening hill climb time trial of the Tumble and then racing clear of the field towards the end of stage 2’s road race. Jumping clear with two miles remaining, Roche and his English breakaway companion Steve Lampier (Team South West) held their gap all the way to the line, where Lampier outsprinted Roche for the stage victory. Irish champion Páidí O’Brien was fifty seconds further back. First year Irish junior Theo Hardwick, who was a fine 8th in the prologue time trial, crashed during the stage and finished in a group which crossed the line a minute and a half in arrears. His team-mates Mark Cassidy, Barry Woods and Andrew McQuaid also finished with this bunch of riders. ‘The stages were very hard’, confirmed Irish junior squad manager Tom Keenan. ‘Nicolas was going well, he was strong today and I think he has a great chance of winning the race overall.’ Roche won the M. Donnelly Junior Tour of Ireland earlier this month, taking two stages and the mountains jersey along the way.
The Waterford cyclist moved to the States early this year after an expected contract with the French St. Quentin team failed to materialise, lining out instead in the colours of the New Jersey-based Navigators squad. Power has found the experience a rewarding one, recording a string of good results while also providing vital horsepower for the successful team. ‘It looks like Ciarán is going to stay in the US next season’, confirmed his agent Frank Quinn this week. ‘The style of racing suits him and he has had a pretty good year over there. In terms of money, there would be little point in him moving back to Europe unless he could get a place on a division one team. But opportunities there are pretty poor at the moment, with the Domo and Lotto teams merging and Mapei stopping.’ Quinn is currently working on securing the best possible deal for Power for 2003. The most likely outcome is that he will re-sign with Navigators, although advances from other teams will also be considered. ROCHE LEADS TEAM FOR JUNIOR TOUR OF WALES: (By Shane Stokes Aug 24) The winner of the 2002 Junior Tour of Ireland, Nicolas Roche, will this weekend lead a strong Irish team in its Welsh equivalent. Roche, national junior champion Páidí O’Brien, Theo Hardwick, Andrew McQuaid, Barry Woods and Mark Cassidy traveled yesterday for the three day, five-stage race, which begins today with a tough hill-climb prologue. ‘Nicolas and the other lads are all in good shape and I am hoping that after this weekend we will have the first Irish winner in this event’, said junior team manager Tom Keenan. IVCA 26 mile DMS, Batterstown: Race 1: 1, John Shortt (IVCA); 2, T. Maolone (Garda Motorway); 3, N. Costello (IVCA); 4, J. Cassidy (Garda Motorway); 5, M. Usher (Usher IRC); 6, M. Burke (Stagg Lucan) Race 2: 1, Francis Murphy (IVCA); 2, P. McDumphy (IVCA); 3, L. Maguire (McNally Swords); 4, H. Byrne (McNally Swords); 5, P. Halligan (Obelisk); 6, B. Monaghan (Newry Wheelers) Race 3: 1, David Blake (McNally Swords); 2, C. Conway (IVCA); 3, C. Cassidy (St. Tiernans); 4, J. Grennell (Dublin Wheelers); 5, J. Duffy (IVCA); 6, D. McCullagh (Usher IRC) POWER 6TH IN EXTRAN PRO-AM: (By Shane Stokes Aug 18) Waterford cyclist Ciarán Power provided another example of his sprinting ability when he finished 6th at the end of the hard-fought Extran Pro-Am Challenge, the warm-up event for the US Criterium championships in Chicago. The Navigators professional finished as part of the main bunch at the end of the high-speed circuit race, crossing the line the same time as winner Mark McCormack of the Saturn pro team. Extran Pro-Am Challenge, Chicago: 1, Mark McCormack (Saturn); 2, C. Dionne (7UP/Nutra Fig); 3, H. Clarke (Schroeder Iron); 4, H. Vogels (Team Mercury); 5, P. Stoyanov (Team Mercury); 6, C. POWER (NAVIGATORS) all same time POPHAM WINS BRITISH NPS DOWNHILL: (By Shane Stokes Aug 18) With just over a week remaining until the world championships in Kaprun, Jamie Popham (Fiat LCV Racing) got a massive boost to his morale when he won his first British National Point Series Race yesterday in Garway, Wales. The win, the first Downhill NPS victory for an Irishman, follows on the 16 year old’s fine ride in the Bray Downhill Challenge last month where he placed 4th and became the youngest rider in the world to hold ranking points. Popham leaves today for Austria to join the rest of The National Downhill Squad, who are already training in Lermoose in preparation for the World Championships at the end of the month. GAMUDA EAGLE TOUR OF MALAYSIA
Their prominence in the finishing sprint means that the squad once again was best team on the day and, more importantly, were top of the 21 teams in the final overall classification. In addition to this, Griffin finished 5th overall and 18 year old Deignan – the youngest rider in the race – stunned the other riders by placing 9th and winning the classification for the best under 23 cyclist. Irish riders also finished prominently in the points ranking, with Paul Griffin and Tommy Evans placing second and third as a result of their persistent high placings. These included a fine win by Evans on stage 2. As expected, the Irish team manager Ian Chivers was delighted with the performance. “It was a great result. Most of the team were made up of under 23 riders, with the exception of Tommy and Paul. Obviously the younger cyclists are coming through now. It was a great event and hopefully we’ll back next year to defend the team title…who knows, maybe we’ll win the overall.’ As for Deignan, he too was over the moon, if not a little confused about his next step. ‘I don't know what's next for me but it's a good start anyway. I'm in my first year as a senior rider and I'll be racing in Europe in the next couple of years. I have to talk with my parents first before I decide about my future. Before coming here my plan was to go to university, but after what I've done in this race, I’ll have to reconsider it. We'll see. It's 50-50 at the moment." See Pictures from Malaysia Here Gamuda Eagle Tour of Malaysia, stage 5: 1 Rune Jogert (Team Krone), 50 kilometres in 1hour 3mins 30 secs; 2, T. Evans (Ireland); 3, M. Matnur (Selagor Sweet Nice); 4, C. Kerschbaum (Austrian National Team); 5, K. Shimbo (Japan); 6, G. Ribolzi (Team Jura Suisse) all same time Other Irish placings: 7, Griffin; 9, Deignan; 19, Lynch; 25, Ahern all same time, Team: Ireland Final overall classification: 1, Simone Mori (Team Jura Suisse) 9 hours 17 mins; 2, G. Mizibani (Iranian National team) at 52 secs; 3, G. Chadwick (Team Down Under) at 1 min 27 secs; 4, S. Tonton (Indonesia) at 1 min 36 secs; 5, Griffin at 1 min 37 secs; 6, A. Knapp (Austria) at 1 min 59 secs Other Irish: 9, Deignan at 2 mins 16 secs; 11, Evans at 2 mins 43 secs; 29, Lynch at 6 mins 59 secs; 76, Ahern at 19 mins 9 secs Under 23 category: Deignan., Points: 1, Jogerty, 57 points; 2, Griffin, 44 pts; 3, Evans, 42., Mountains: 1, Mizbani 24 points; 2, Mori 16; 3, J. Ulzii Orshikh (Team Giant) 11, Other: 5, Deignan, 8 points; 7, Griffin. 6; 8, Evans, 4, Team award: 1, Ireland 27 hours 57 mins 33 secs; 2, Iranian national team at 57 secs; 3, Austrian national team at 1 min 10 secs <See Full Results Here> GRIFFIN 3rd ON 4th STAGE OF TOUR OF MALAYSIA; IRISH HOLD POINTS, UNDER 23 AND TEAM CLASSIFICATIONS: (By Shane Stokes Aug 17) Paul Griffin got yet another top placing for the Irish national team in today’s penultimate stage of the Eagle Tour of Malaysia, sprinting home third at the end of the 134 kilometre leg starting and finishing in Dataran Lang, Kuah. Griffin ended the stage in the same time as winner Rune Jogert of Team Krone and took over the lead of the points classification as a result, while also preserving his impressive fifth place overall. Philip Deignan once again rode strongly to cross the line in 15th place and so continues his lead of the Under 23 classification. The magnitude of this achievement is reflected by the fact that he is the youngest competitor in the race and has limited international experience. "I felt great again today’, he said afterwards. ‘It was very fast but I managed to stay in the front all the time. I came here at the last minute, so I don't have any plan either for the coming races. I think I'll join the Irish team base in Belgium, but I have no idea whether I'll be riding the world championship or not.’ The Eagle Tour of Malaysia ends tomorrow with a 50 kilometre criterium in Kuah. With another bunch finish expected, it looks likely that the Irish squad will carry off the points, under 23 and team classifications in the race, as well as securing 5th place overall in the 2.6 Tour. Similarly, Italian rider Simone Mori is clear favourite to win the race outright. See Pictures from Malaysia Here Eagle Tour of Malaysia Stage Four: Dataran Lang-Dataran Marmar (Kuah) Langkawi: 1, Rune Jogert (Team Krone) 134 kilometres in 3 hours 2 mins 11 secs; 2, P. Redenback (Team Down Under); 3, P. Griffin (Team Ireland); 4, C. Pomer (Austrian National Team); 5, T. Bekken (Team Krone); 6, M. Matnur (Selagor Sweet Nice) all same time Other Irish placings: 15, P. Deignan; 18, T. Evans; 28, B. Ahern; 62, D. Lynch all same time Overall after four stages: 1, Simone Mori (Team Jura Suisse) 8 hours 13 mins 30 secs; 2, G. Mizibani (Iranian National team) at 41 secs; 3, G. Chadwick (Team Down Under) at 1 min 16 secs; 4, S. Tonton (Indonesia) at 1 min 25 secs; 5, Griffin at 1 min 37 secs; 6, A. Knapp (Austria) at 1 min 48 secs Other Irish: 9, Deignan at 2 mins 16 secs; 11, Evans at 2 mins 49 secs; 29, Lynch at 6 mins 59 secs; 76, Ahern at 19 mins 9 secs Under 23 category: Deignan. Points: 1, Griffin, 35 pts; 2, Jogert, 32; 3, Evans, 28. International team: Ireland. <See Full Results Here>
“I was overawed by the company’, admitted Deignan after the stage, ‘in hindsight I could have gone up faster. Still, it is magic to be the leader in the U-23 Category, especially as I only came in to the race as a replacement to David O’Loughlin.’ Deignan’s spirited ride elevates him to the lead of the under 23 classification in the race, while Griffin’s performance jumps him up to 5th overall, 1 minute and 41 seconds behind Mori. The Team Ireland squad were best team on the day and have also taken over the day to day lead in this classification. Tommy Evans, who placed 17th today, is also close to the top of the points table and is aiming to reclaim that jersey before the race ends on Sunday. “I was delighted with the stage win on Thursday and I still have a strong chance of taking the points classification. A week ago nobody would have thought that we would be involved in all the classifications,” he said. The race continues tomorrow with a more straightforward 132 kilometre stage, but the Team Ireland squad must remain vigilant in order to preserve their strong position. See Pictures from Malaysia Here Eagle Tour of Malaysia stage three, Pantai Pasir Hitam - Gunung Raya Hill Climb: 1, Simone Mori (Team Jura Suisse) 70 kilometres in 1 hour 48 mins 41 secs; 2, I. Mizibani (Iran) at 52 secs; 3, S. Tonton (Indonesia) at 1 min 13 secs; 4, P. Deignan (Team Ireland) at 1 min 35 secs; 5, P. Griffin (Team Ireland) at 1 min 36 secs Other Irish: 17, T. Evans at 3 mins 10 secs; 52, D. Lynch at 6 mins 45 secs; 96, B. Ahern at 14 mins 54 secs; 118, T. Hogan at 51 mins 5 secs Overall after three stages: 1, Mori, 5 hours 11 mins 19 secs; 2, Mizibani at 41 secs; 3, G. Chadwick (Team Down Under) at 1 min 16 secs; 4, Tonton at 1 min 25 secs; 5, Griffin at 1 min 41 secs Other Irish: 9, Deignan at 2 mins 16 secs; 12, Evans at 2 mins 52 secs; 29, Lynch at 6 mins 59 secs; 85, Ahern at 19 mins 9 secs; 116, Hogan at 56 mins 28 secs Under 23 Category: 1, Deignan Best international team: Ireland MORIARTY SECOND IN GP ZICHEN REIMST: (By Shane Stokes Aug 16) Eugene Moriarty (Cycleways Lee Strand/Team Ireland) continued gathering good results when he placed an impressive second in the Grand Prix Zichen-Reimst kermesse yesterday. Three days after taking the Belgian-based Team Ireland initiative’s first win, the Kerryman went tantalisingly close to topping the podium once more when his late charge carried him to within ten seconds of Dutch victor John Troisfontaine. Troisfontaine and three others had broken clear of the main field during the 116 kilometre circuit race, with Moriarty leading the pursuit behind in a small chasing group. The Kerryman broke away from his companions and started reeling in the disintegrating lead break, overtaking two riders and joining up with Belgian rider Stefan Wijaandes. Fitness honed from taking part in post Tour-de France criteriums, Troisfontaine was fully committed in his effort and held on to take the win. Moriarty outsprinted Wijaandes ten seconds later to record another fine result, while Gary McQuaid (Emerald/Team Ireland) also finished inside the top 20. McCANN LEADS CHARGE IN CRITERIUM CHAMPS: (By Shane Stokes Aug 16) A strong field is due to line out tonight in the National Criterium Championships in Lurgan, with Irish professional David McCann amongst those expected to take part. McCann will face a number of riders in good form; Stephen O’Sullivan (unattached), Kieran McMahon (Earl of Desmond), Aidan Crowley (Cycleways Lee Strand), Brendan Doherty, Denis Easton (both Totalcycling.com) and Irish Junior champion Páidí O’Brien (Kanturk CC) have all been identified by the race organisers as the ones to watch. Racing takes place on a technical 1 kilometre circuit in the centre of Lurgan, which takes in Union Street, Hill Street, Kitchen Hill and Bridge Street, and includes a slight drag up to the finish line. The programme of racing starts with an underage event at 7 pm, with the main championship to follow at 7.30. ROCHE TO LEAD IRISH TEAM IN JUNIOR TOUR OF WALES: (By Shane Stokes Aug 16) Following his dominant performance in the M. Donnelly Junior Tour, Nicolas Roche has been named to lead a national selection in the Junior Tour of Wales next week. The 18 year old took two stages, the mountains jersey and the overall classification during the recent 6 day and this impressive ride has prompted national squad manager Tom Keenan to believe that he could win the Welsh event. ‘He is very strong at the moment and will be a big favourite’, he said. Roche will be joined on the team by national junior champion Páidí O’Brien, who won the second stage of the Junior Tour, plus Andrew McQuaid, Barry Woods, Mark Cassidy and Theo Hardwick, who was the Best First-Year Junior last week. The race is part of the Irish team's preparation for the Junior World Championships in Zolder, Belgium, in October. The Junior Tour of Wales begins on Saturday, August 24th with a tough prologue hillclimb and continues until August 26th.
He and the other Team Ireland riders rode well throughout the 143 kilometre leg, hauling back dangerous breakaway attempts early on and then going on the offensive towards the second half of the race. Evans made his move as the field raced over the King of the Mountains prime in Kuah, some 20 km from the end of the stage. The French-based cyclist surged ahead with five other riders and then struck for home, alone, as they were about to be reeled in by the main field. Making his move with just one kilometre to go, he reached the line 3 seconds clear of the next rider and five ahead of the rest of the bunch. Evan’s excellent win ensures he takes over the points jersey and also jumps up to third overall. He is now just 10 seconds off the race lead of Team Down Under cyclist Glen Chadwick, and is hoping to use the tough climbs on tommorow’s key stage as a springboard to further improvement. “When the move went, it was an ideal break as everybody was contributing to the pace’, he said afterwards. ‘It suited me as I have good form at the moment and it was important that we set a rhythm. Towards the end they started to slacken off as nobody was aware of each other’s capabilities; with one kilometre to go I realised the pack was chasing us down and I decided to go for broke.’ “I was quite lucky today to get the win as I had gear trouble with about 50 kilometres left in the stage. Thankfully the team mechanic John Keegan was able to adjust it on the move, but it meant that I had dropped to the back of the cavalcade. The entire team went back to help me chase up to the main pack, which took about three or four kilometres. Once back up, I made my way to the front and when the attack came at the foot of the KOM, I was well positioned to move forward’, he said. The other Irish riders also rode well in the closing stages, with Paul Griffin placing a fine fifth and Denis Lynch riding well to take third place overall in the under 23 competition. As for the Australian race leader Glen Chadwick, he had looked set to lose his jersey because of Evans’ aggression but his team were able to bring down the gap sufficiently by the line. Chadwick faces his biggest threat tomorrow when the Eagle Tour of Malaysia continues with a summit finish up to Gunung Raya. The 2.6 ranked international race ends on Sunday. Eagle Tour of Malaysia, stage two (Pantai Cenang to PantaiCenang): 1, Tommy Evans (Team Ireland) 143 kilometres in 3 hours 19 mins 33 secs; 2, K. Shimbo (Japan) at 3 secs; 3, F. Cipolletta (Italy) at 5 secs; 4, A. Nor Rosli (Malaysia); 5, P. Griffin (Team Ireland) both same time Other Irish placings: 9, P. Deignan; 12, D. Lynch; 62, B. Ahern at 3 mins 30 secs; 82, T. Hogan at 3 mins 41 secs Overall classification after two stages: 1, Glen Chadwick (Team Down Under) 3 hours 32 mins 11 secs; 2, G. Rasch (Team Krone) at 10 secs; 3, Evans, same time Other Irish: 9, Griffin, at 32secs; 16, Lynch at 41 secs; 23, Deignan at 1 min 8 secs; 55, Ahern at 4 mins 42 secs; 79, Hogan at 5 mins 50 secs Points Leader: Evans EVANS 10th ON STAGE ONE OF EAGLE TOUR OF MALAYSIA: (By Shane Stokes Aug 14) Team Ireland cyclist Tommy Evans followed up his recent 12th place in the Commonwealth Games road race with a strong ride in the opening prologue of the Eagle Tour of Malaysia in Kuah, Langkawi. The national road race bronze medallist set a time of 12 minutes and 58 seconds for the 9.2 kilometre solo test, 28 seconds off the winning time of Australian Glen Chadwick, and good enough for 10th place on the stage. Paul Griffin was next home of the team in 16th place, while the efforts of Denis Lynch (26th), Philip Deignan (40th) and Brian Ahern (50th) ensured that the Irish squad was placed 5th of the 21 teams competing. The second stage of the 2.6 ranked Tour is a 143 kilometre road race around Langkawi. Eagle Tour of Malaysia stage 1, 9.2 kilometre prologue time trial, Kuah: 1, Glen Chadwick (Team Down Under) 12 mins 30 secs; 2, G. Rasche (Team Krone) 12 mins 43 secs; 3, P. Redenbach (Team Down Under) 12 mins 45 secs; 4, M. Roland (Team Down Under) 12 mins 48 secs; 5, I. Mizbani (Iran) 12 mins 49 secs Irish: 12, T. Evans 12 mins 58 secs; 16, P. Griffin 13 mins 5 secs; 26, D. Lynch 13 mins 14 secs; 40, P. Deignan 13 mins 41 secs; 50, B. Ahern 13 mins 50 secs EAGLE TOUR FULL RESULTS Go Here.. IVCA CP, Batterstown: 1, Seamus Kennedy (Navan Avonmore) 26 miles in 1 hour 5 mins 20 secs; 2, H. Davis (Usher IRC); 3, L. Keenan (Orwell Wheelers); 4, J. Lally (Dublin Wheelers); 5, S. Lally (McNally Swords); 6, B. Monaghan (Newry Wheelers) all same time O’LOUGHLIN OUT WITH BROKEN COLLARBONE: (By Shane Stokes Aug 13) Irish professional David O’Loughlin was forced to pull out of the national team for this week’s Eagle Tour of Malysia after crashing and breaking his collarbone during a race on the US circuit. The Ofoto-Lombardi Sports pro incurred the injury when he fell during the recent Tour of Toona, but hopes to be back racing in time to contest the San Francisco Grand Prix in September. ‘It is a big pity as I had good form and was fourth on the first stage of the race’, he said. The six man Team Ireland squad for the 2.6 race is Paul Griffin, Tommy Evans, Philip Deignan, Denis Lynch, Thomas Hogan and Brian Ahern. The Tour of Malaysia starts tomorrow, Wednesday 14th and runs until this Sunday. MORIARTY AND OTHER IRISH ON FORM IN BELGIUM: (By Shane Stokes Aug 13) Eugene Moriarty (Cycleways Lee Strand) took Team Ireland’s Belgian-based initiative’s first win yesterday when he outsprinted his Belgian breakaway companion at the end of the Grand Prix Theo Heyem at Kotem, near the Dutch-Belgian border. The two had gone clear 24 kilometres from the end of the 112 kilometre kermesse (circuit race) and build a solid lead. A mix up by the race organisers meant that the duo had to do an extra lap at the end of the race, resulting in a farcical situation where the riders ended up sprinting twice for the win. Moriarty was fastest on the first occasion and, crucially, the second so he took a fine victory. ‘This is the first win for us out here and so the whole squad are delighted’, he said. ‘We had got close with some high placings – Simon Kelly was second in a race at the weekend, for example – but we hadn’t yet managed to take a victory. It is a great boost for the morale of everyone out here. Hopefully more wins are on the way.’ Moriarty was also a strong fifth in the Het Zeekanal race near Brussels last weekend, racing home as part of an eight man breakaway group in the 130 kilometre event. The Kerryman had been part of a bunch which was chasing a group of five, but managed to bridge across towards the end of the contest with the Australians Clayton Smith and Michael Clarke. Belgian rider Danny Interven won the race, with Smith and Clarke placing second and fourth and Moriarty next home. Of the other Irish, Gary McQuaid (Emerald) and John Dempsey (Earl of Desmond) finished in a chasing group which was approximately two minutes back. Simon Kelly (Galway CC) and Paul Healion (Usher IRC) came to the line as part of the main field.
‘The initiative is going really well’, says Paddy Moriarty, who recently spent two weeks racing in Belgium. ‘Eugene Moriarty is doing a great job of running things out there in the house, which is located in Sluiven, near Liege. It is also very close to Maastricht so sometimes the lads race in Holland. Considerable praise must be given to Eugene, he is doing a fabulous job out there. With his experience and his knowledge from studying physiology, he is proving extremely valuable to all, especially to the younger members’. The Team Ireland initiative has changed radically since last year, when it funded a small number of riders to spend the year in the South of France. The decision was taken to transfer it to Belgium in order to make the base more central and to increase the number of big events which riders can compete in. Cycling Ireland is currently renting a house there and riders can travel over, stay, and race in the regular Belgian kermesses. Selected teams will also take part in bigger events, including UCI-ranked competitions. One clear advantage of the new system is that it enables a far greater spread of riders to compete in these international events; while a handful of cyclists benefited from last year’s set-up, this season many more are travelling abroad and staying in the house, which can hold up to fourteen at any one time. _________________ BECAUSE OF generous funding by the Irish Sports Council, the scheme works out to be relatively inexpensive for riders. They pay just €20 per week towards their costs, while flights out with Ryan Air typically cost between €30-€60 one-way. The Team Ireland squad have a car to transport them to races, with another vehicle on standby if there are large numbers present. ‘The whole project is working out extremely well’, said Ciaran McKenna of Cycling Ireland. ‘It is proving very popular – every rider I have talked to is delighted about it. Quite a few are heading over there - there were nine over there last weekend, with more again heading out this week and next.’ ‘The aim is that the lads themselves will learn about riding international races. If they are over here for a month or two it means that their standard will rise and they will become better bike riders. That has a knock on effect, too – when they come back home, they are going a good bit better so that means that they end up raising the level here too. So even the guys staying at home are getting some benefit out of it.’ McKenna is quick to praise the backing provided by the Irish Sports Council, who have contributed a total of €60,000 towards the project. ‘They have been really great – they are in touch with us all the time to see how things are going and generally have been very helpful. They gave us €40,000 towards the costs earlier this year, and that has enabled the riders to stay there very cheaply. More recently the Sports Council gave us another €20,000 towards coaching and training equipment…using some of that money, we have been able to buy two SRM Power Meter systems’. ‘One of those is being used by Mark Scanlon as he prepares for the world championships, while the second is there for the other riders and will be used by them to measure their progress. One possibility is that we will use it to do regular physiological tests on the riders – using the SRM meter and a set of rollers, we could test them every three weeks to a month and tailor the training programme around the results. That should in turn make a big difference to their fitness levels.’ Being located just 25 kilometre from this year’s world road race championship course, the base is ideally situated for the junior and under 23 riders who will be competing in Zolder this October. They will be able to travel out beforehand and fine tune their preparation through a programme of training and racing, and will also stay in the Cycling Ireland house during the championship itself. ‘We are hoping that this will make a difference – they should have the best possible preparation and hopefully we will get a good result out of it’, says McKenna. Additional results from recent events: Sunday 4th August, near Luxembourg: 2, Paddy Moriarty; 3, Paul Healion; 5, Tim Cassidy; 7, Philip Deignan; 10, Jonathan Dempsey Friday 2nd August: 25, Sean Lacey; 30, Simon Kelly Wednesday 30th July, St Truden: 11, Paul Healion; 12, Tim Cassidy; 15, Sean Lacey; 35, Paddy Moriarty Monday 28th July, St. Truden: 8, Paddy Moriarty Saturday 26th July: 13, Paddy Moriarty; 16, Tim Cassidy Friday 25th July: 17th, Paddy Moriarty * Those interested in staying in the Team Ireland base and competing on the continent should contact Ciaran McKenna or the High Performance commission. Contact Cycling Ireland at 01 – 8551522.
|
Securing
a trial with a first division squad is a huge boost for a rider who is still
just 21 years of age. Reassuringly, Scanlon reports that his form is very sharp
at the moment and that he is fully prepared for the stage. Two weeks ago the
Sligoman won three races in as many days – the Villeneuve les Avignon event,
the GP des Cevennes and the Souvenir Alexandre Castillo, all 1.12.4 ranked races
which are part of the Ronde du Gard series. Everything seems right for him to
ride a strong trial with AG2r.
Irish
Middle of the Field in Downhill Worlds:
NATIONAL BIKE WEEK PREVIEW
O’LOUGHLIN
BACK IN IMPRESSIVE SHAPE: (By Shane Stokes Aug
25) Irish professional David O’Loughlin displayed a remarkably swift
return to form after breaking his collarbone when he dominated the Sheefry Grand
Prix, the final round of the national Classic League.
POWER
LIKELY TO REMAIN IN US: (By Shane Stokes Aug
24) Following an encouraging 2002 season racing on the US circuit, Irish
professional Ciarán Power is almost certain to remain in America next season
rather than opt for a return to the European peloton.
EVANS SECOND ON FINAL
STAGE, IRISH RIDERS WIN TEAM AND UNDER 23 CLASSIFICATIONS: (By Shane Stokes Aug
18) Tommy Evans today continued Team Ireland’s superb run of results in
the Gamuda Eagle Tour of Malaysia when he placed second on the final stage. At
the end of the 50 kilometre criterium in Kuah, Evans crossed the line in the
same time as winner Rune Jogert, with his Irish team-mates Paul Griffin 7th and
Philip Deignan 9th.
DEIGNAN
4TH ON TOUGHEST STAGE OF TOUR OF MALAYSIA: (By Shane Stokes Aug 16) First
year senior Philip Deignan recorded what was possibly his best ever performance
today when he placed 4th on the toughest stage of the Eagle Tour of Malaysia.
Still just 18 years of age, the Donegal cyclist bridged across to a breakaway
group at the bottom of the 13 kilometre final climb and rode strongly up the
tough ascent to Gunung Raya to finish just outside the podum placings. He
crossed the line 1 minute and 35 seconds behind the stage winner and new overall
leader Simone Mori of Italy, with Irish team-mate Paul Griffin coming home one
second, and one placing, later.
EVANS
WINS STAGE TWO OF TOUR OF MALAYSIA: (By Shane Stokes Aug
15) Following his 10th place in the prologue time trial, national road
race bronze medallist Tommy Evans jumped up the leaderboard to third overall in
the Eagle Tour of Malaysia when he won the second stage earlier today.
Moriarty’s
good result is the latest in a string of good placings for Team Ireland
cyclists. Racing in kermesses, typically flat circuit races of 120 kilometres in
length, the riders compete regularly in fast, testing events against a strong
field. This in turn helps them to progress as competitors, and provides a
valuable schooling for the younger riders on the team.
M.
DONNELLY JUNIOR TOUR 2002 
SCANLON
18th IN UNDER 23 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP ROAD RACE: (By
O'Sullivan
Wins Moriarty Memorial Classic League Race: (By
NO
JOY FOR IRISH IN EUROPEAN MTB CHAMPS: (By