IrishCycling.Com

Cycling Round Up

Archives: December 2003

POWER, SCANLON LOOK TO 2003: (By Shane Stokes Dec 26) Following news that new Irish professional Mark Scanlon will line out in the Tour Down Under in Australia, it has been confirmed that the promising young rider will take part in some of the other big races of the early season with the AG2r team. Scanlon, who is due to make his pro debut with the French squad after his strong trial this autumn, will begin racing in the six-day Tour Down Under on January 21st, and then go on from there to line out in the Grand Prix Ouverture La Marseillaise on February 4th and the Tour of the Mediterranean from the 12th to the 16th.

The 22 year old is also a possible starter for the one-day semi-classics Het Volk, Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and Gent Wevelgem in early March. ‘I have asked to do those races, although things won’t be confirmed until closer to that time’, he said.

Scanlon recently completed a nine-day training camp with AG2r in the South of France, and states that he is pleased with both his current form and the team itself. ‘I was going grand at the camp, there were no problems riding with the (established) pros’, he said. ‘I have already done some training and am in good shape. We did 1100 kilometres in eight days and so the camp was pretty useful for building form. The atmosphere was also good – the guys know me from my trial with them and know what kind of performances I am capable of. I have a good relationship with them.’

Scanlon has also impressed the team manager Vincent Lavenu and team-mate Christophe Angnolutto during his time with the team. Indeed the latter tipped the 1998 world junior champion in a recent interview. ‘Mark Scanlon will be a very good rider’, predicted the former Tour de France stage winner. ‘He is very complete: he climbs, rides fast and sprints well’.

Meanwhile, Navigators professional Ciarán Power is currently at home in Waterford preparing for his second season with the US based team. The 2002 FBD Milk Rás winner has been training hard on the bike and in the gym with an emphasis on improving his strong finishing sprint, and is looking forward to the year ahead.

‘Ciarán is in good shape’, said his agent Frank Quinn. ‘He has been doing a lot of work building his strength, in order to give him a bit more in his sprinting. We have not yet got a schedule from the team, but should soon know what his first races will be.’ Power is likely to begin racing in February on the US circuit, before lining out with the squad in some European events later this spring. He is expected to be one of the Navigators team leaders for 2003, particularly after his strong showing this year.

KEEGAN WINS ORWELL HAMPER RACE: (By Shane Stokes Dec 22) Mark Keegan was the winner of today’s Orwell Wheelers Christmas Hamper race in Clonee, which was held in memory of the late Kieran Hammond. The St. Tiernans cyclist started the 20 mile handicapped event as part of the semi-scratch group, some six and a half minutes behind the first riders, and after they overcame this deficit by the halfway point, Keegan forged ahead alone in the closing stages to reach the line 20 seconds clear.

Staggs Lucan riders John Herety and Jim Maguire were second and third, outsprinting Derry McVeigh (Usher IRC) in the finishing sprint, while Cian Lynch (BH Raleigh) and Eamon Finn (Orwell Wheelers) crossed the line just ahead of the main bunch to complete the top six. The scratch group – who started the race with a 9 minute handicap – made initial inroads into their deficit but ultimately failed to close the gap to those ahead.

‘We were delighted with the turnout today, especially as the race was held in memory of Kieran’, said Orwell Wheelers’ Dave Tansey afterwards. ‘The racing was very competitive and we had a worthy winner. There was also great support for the prize draw held, the proceeds of which will go toward’s Kieran’s family.’

Orwell Wheelers’ Kieran Hammond Christmas Hamper race, Clonee (20 miles): 1, Mark Keegan (St. Tiernans); 2, J. Herety (Staggs Lucan) at 20 secs; 3, J. Maguire (Staggs Lucan); 4, D. McVeigh (Usher IRC) both same time; 5, C. Lynch (BH Raleigh) at 35 secs; 6, E. Finn (Orwell Wheelers) same time

SEYMOUR LOOKS TO 2003: (By Shane Stokes Dec 14) Fresh from a double success in the Irish cyclo-cross championships and the national cross series last weekend, champion off-road rider Robin Seymour has begun planning the route towards his second Olympic participation in Athens 2004. A professional this year with the Mapei MTB team, Seymour has decided not to seek a similar deal for next season in order to have full control over his racing programme. He will instead use Ireland as his base and travel from there to world-ranking events around the world, chasing the UCI points necessary to climb back into the world’s top 50 and thus qualify for Athens.

Although a number of MTB riders would love to ride the 2004 games, Seymour is clearly Ireland’s best bet for the men’s cross country event. He has been the dominant off-road rider in recent years, winning the MTB national championship nine times in succession and last weekend taking his twelfth straight Irish cyclo-cross title in the grounds of Powerscourt Waterfall, in Wicklow. Athens may be over a year and a half away, Seymour may be nearing the end of his career, but on this evidence he looks set to remain the strongest of the home riders for another couple of seasons.

Besides earning him his twentieth senior national title in off-road cycling, last Saturday’s cyclo-cross championship win in the grounds of Powerscourt Waterfall brought another success. With the event acting as the final round of the national cross league, Seymour ended the series at the top of the standings, pushing Apollo CT’s Aidan McDonald and Banbridge CC’s Don Travers into second and third places. Their consolation is the medals they earned on Saturday, with Travers taking silver for the third year in succession and McDonald earning bronze. They may not yet have the beating of Seymour, but at least they can claim to be Best of the Rest.

Irish cyclo-cross league, final overall standings (best 5 results from seven races count):

1, Robin Seymour (Team WORC) 147 points; 2, A. McDonald (Apollo CT) 132 points; 3, D. Travers (Banbridge CC) 132 points; 4, R. Aiken (Banbridge CC) 122 points; 5, R. Lamont (XMTB) 100 points; 6, K. Meghen (unattached) 88 points; 7, L. Ferguson (XMTB) 79 points; 8, M. Mulvenna (Ards CC) 74 points; 9, N. Quinlan (Cycleways MAD) 63 points; 10, B. Donnelly (Kilcullen CC) 62 points

SEYMOUR TAKES TWELFTH NATIONAL CROSS TITLE: (By Shane Stokes Dec 9) Robin Seymour further extended a remarkable series of national titles in off-road competition when he took his twelfth consecutive gold medal in the Irish cyclo-cross championships last weekend. As expected, the 2000 Olympian was a level above the rest of those chasing the national title, opening up a large advantage on the technical, rain-soaked Powerscourt Waterfall circuit and eventually crossing the line one minute and 29 seconds clear.

Second place went to Don Travers, the Banbridge CC rider taking silver for the third year in succession, while fellow Northerner Aidan McDonald ended the race 2 minutes and 15 seconds behind Seymour to land bronze. Next home were XMTB team-mates Robert Lamont and Lewis Ferguson, with the latter taking the prize for first junior, while Dave Gill’s sixth place helped ensure that Seymour’s WORC squad took the team award.

The action began with a determined start by Travers, riding strongly to lead Seymour across the line at the end of the first of eight laps, but both riders came off shortly afterwards in the slippery conditions. Seymour got back into his flow quickly, opening up a six second lead over Apollo CT’s Aidan McDonald by the end of the second lap, with Robert Lamont (X-MTB) and Travers in third and fourth position respectively. From this point onwards Seymour continued to pull ahead, while Travers managed to claw his way past first Lamont and then McDonald to move into his now-customary silver medal position.

The day’s other races brought a rare father-and-son double, with Knud Jensen winning the support race for mountainbikes ahead of downhill specialist Jamie Popham (Fiat LCV Racing) and Chris Birmingham, while Chris Jensen bested Nathan McCormack (Banbridge CC) and Apollo’s Alasdair McSorley to take the under 14 cyclo-cross championship title.

Meanwhile Seymour’s win in the junior/senior event also saw him run out best in the national league, with McDonald and Travers finishing next in the rankings.

Irish National Cyclo Cross Championships, Powerscourt Waterfall: 1, Robin Seymour (Team WORC) 48 mins 5 secs; 2, D. Travers (Banbridge CC) at 1 min 29 secs; 3, A. McDonald (Apollo CC) at 2 mins 15 secs; 4, R. Lamont (XMTB) at 2 mins 50 secs; 5, L. Ferguson (XMTB) at 3 mins 48 secs; 6, D. Gill (Team WORC) at 4 mins 14 secs

First junior: Ferguson; Team: Team WORC (Seymour, Gill, Joe McCaul)

Support Race: 1, Knud Jensen (Sorrento CC); 2, J. Popham (Fiat LCV Racing); 3, C. Birmingham (unattached)

Under 14: 1, Chris Jensen (Sorrento CC); 2, N. McCormack (Banbridge CC); 3, A. McSorley (Apollo CC)

Irish cyclo-cross league, final overall standings (best 5 results from seven races count):

NATIONAL CYCLO-CROSS CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW

SEYMOUR GOES FOR TWELFTH TITLE: (By Shane Stokes Dec 6) Beating his main rivals in every cross race he has entered this year, team WORC rider Robin Seymour looks set to add to the haul of national titles he has achieved in recent years when he lines out in the national championships tomorrow afternoon. The picturesque surroundings of Powerscourt Waterfall are the setting for his bid to take a twelfth straight cyclo-cross gold medal, which when combined with his ten mountainbike titles (nine consecutive cross-country wins and one downhill gold) make him one of the most dominant home performers in Irish sporting history.

Seymour´s formidable record and recent fine form means that there will be only one favourite tomorrow. Indeed it seems only a crash, puncture or mechanical problem can deny him victory, yet a number of rivals will be psyching themselves up beforehand with dreams of being the one to finally depose the king. Don Travers took silver in 2000 and 2001 and is one of the possible dangers, as are fellow northerners Aiden McDonald and Roger Aiken, who have all been riding well in recent weeks.

Upping the pressure is the fact that the next weekend´s seventh round of the national league in Bangor has had to be cancelled due to flooding, meaning that the nationals will double as the final event in the series. With each rider´s best five results counting towards their final overall points ranking, a win - or high placing - by Seymour would also net him the national league. Thus far he has taken three wins and one second place in the four races he has contested, and with no handicap system in place tomorrow, he will be clear favourite to take maximum points once more.

Entrance to the course is via the Powerscourt Waterfall main gate, with admission free for all those connected with the racing. The program will start at noon with the hosting of the underage event plus a mountainbike race, while the main championships will follow at 1 pm.

* Prizes will be provided by the Cycle Superstore, who over the past few years have been one of the main retail outlets for cross equipment. ´We are very happy to help support the national championships´, said John Donnelly of the Superstore. ´The race is going to be a fantastic event, even more so as it will be run off with the impressive backdrop of the Powerscourt Waterfall.´