|
|
|
Last Updated: 2 Apr 2018 - 8:45:17 PM |
IRISH PARACYCLING DEVELOPMENT SQUAD BRING HOME THE POINTS FROM COLOGNE
By CyclingIreland.ie
27 May 2015,
|
Email this article
|
PARACYCLING COLOGNE CLASSIC 2015
23-25 May 2015
The Para Development squad pulled a massive haul of 38 points towards Ireland’s pool of qualification points for Rio over the weekend. The squad flew out Thursday to the Cologne Classic Europa Cup held in conjunction with the German Championships. With a points system in place and no times being carried through to the RR the attitude of acting Manager Jerry Towey who took the reigns from Development Manager Cathal Miller for the weekend was "what we have we will hold".
Starting with a technical 20K TT on Saturday in Elsdorf, Terra Nova Forum, Cologne the tandem pairings of Martin Gordon/Ian Inglis (Tipp Wheelers CC) were 6th, Damien Vereker/Martin Kirwin (Comeragh CC) placed 7th, the handcycles of Declan Slevin (Rosemount CC) H3 taking 8th position and fellow handcyclist Seamus Wall (Barrow Wheelers CC) H4 placing 10th. On the solo bikes C5 rider Tojo Lazzari (Castlebar CC) finished in 8th position with Jerry Towey (Western Lakes CC) taking 4th in the C4 Category.
On Sunday a 2.2K RR loop with 30 laps through the town of Longerich, Cologne the pace was always going to be hard and fast with huge crowds on the streets for the bank holiday weekend event. Gordon/Inglis took up the pace early, their move saw the race to split on the 4th lap with them the right side of the break with 6 bikes away. As the race unfolded Vereker/Kirwin shook of any threat of their overall position with the results of the TT staying the same in overall GC for both tandems.
Following this on Monday the same 2.2K loop with 19 laps for handcyclists and 22 laps for the C category. In the handcycles Declan Slevin moved up 2 places to finish 6th and take 7th place in overall GC in H3 cat, with Seamus Wall coming 9th in the RR and taking his first top 10 in GC at an International event at this level.
In the solo bike category Tojo Lazzari took 6th in the RR in his cat with Jerry Towey wondering what might have been as he was away in a break from the 5th lap of 22 only to puncture luckily inside 3k to the finish to get the bunch time and take 4th in GC.
It has been a huge result for the paracycling development squad thanks to the efforts put in by all the riders. The work of the Paracycling development committee and coach is beginning to bear fruit in providing a conveyor belt of Irish Para Cyclist for the future.
|
|
|
|
