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Last Updated: 2 Apr 2018 - 8:45:17 PM |
Irish squad finish final day of 2011 UCI Paracycling World Championships in style.
By Denis Toomey
11 Sep 2011,
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The fourth and final day of the 2011 UCI Paracycling Road World Championships in Roskilde, Denmark saw a number of good performances including another Top 10 finish from the Irish.
Best Irish result of the day came from Female Tandem pairing of Catherine Walsh and Fran Meehan when the finished in a great 7th place in today’s Road Race. In fact they were joined in the sprint for the medals by the second Irish pairing of Katie-George Dunlevy and pilot Louise Moriarty who finished just behind in 11th place overall. The race was won by the American tandem with the Nederland’s taking both silver and bronze.
Ireland also had two tandems competing in the Male race where James Brown piloted by Con Collis and Andrew Fitzgerald piloted by Damien Shaw finished in the main bunch with James and Con secured 12th place and Andy and Damien finished 18th. A three man breakaway on lap 5 of the 7 laps stayed away with the French tandem claiming Gold from the Polish in Silver with Slovakia getting the Bronze.
Also in action in this morning’s Men’s C5 Road Race was Artane man Cathal Miller. Cathal was looking comfortable in the peloton right up to the last lap when with just 2km to go he clipped a kerb which damaged his front wheel. Cathal still managed to hold on for 14th position overall. The race was won by Spain with Brazil taking both Silver and Bronze.
A fine finish to a remarkable World Championships for the Irish Paracycling Squad. The best ever medal tally of any Irish cycling team from a World Championships. A total of 3 Gold and 1 Bronze medals will be a feat very hard to beat in the future. The big hope now is that the squad will maintain their form right up to the Paralympic Games in London next year. The ranking points gained from the marvellous performances this week in Denmark will hopefully help qualify the biggest Irish squad ever for the games.
There is one more Europa Cup road race in Serbia in 2 weeks time that the squad will compete in before preparations turn to the track in advance of the World Track Championships in Los Angeles in February 2012.
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| Mark with his Road Race medal |
Mark Rohan makes it two World Championship Crowns in 2 days
By Denis Toomey (10 Sept)
Athlone Paracyclist Mark Rohan kept the Irish flag flying again today when he won the H1 Handcycling Road Race in style at the UCI Paracycling Road World Championships in Roskilde Denmark this morning. This gave Mark his second rainbow jersey of the week after he won the Time Trial on Thursday.
Having been part of a group that attacked in the very first lap Marl and five others opened up a good gap on the rest of the field. By lap 2 the lead group was down to four and with 2km to go in the 3rd and final lap Mark attacked again and pulled away from the challengers to hold them off and cross the line on his own. The silver medal was taken by the French rider 12 seconds adrift with the Israeli rider a further 14 seconds back in the Bronze medal slot.
This left Mark back on the Podium being presented with his second World Champion’s Rainbow Jersey and Gold Medal in two days. The Irish medal tally now stands at 4, 3 Gold and 1 Bronze and by far the best position on a World Championships Medal Rankings ever by any Irish Cycling Team.
The Irish Squad recorded a further 2 Top Ten finished at the championships today. Colin Lynch followed up his Gold Medal win in Thursday’s Time Trial with a fine 6th place in the C2 Road Race.
Enda Smyth also rode a great race to get his best ever Road Race finish of 8th place at the World Championships in the C3 category. It was great to see Enda back on form following a bad crash earlier in the season.
Trix Schwedler was just outside the Top Ten finishing in 11th place in the Female C5 category.
In tomorrow’s final day of competition Cathal Miller competes in the C5 Road Race. Andrew Fitzgerald with Pilot Damien Shaw and James Brown with Pilot Con Collis take to the road in the Male Tandem Category. Catherine Walsh and Pilot Fran Meehan will be hoping to match or better their Bronze Medal finish in the Time Trial and will be joined in the Road Race by Katie-George Dunlevy and Pilot Louise Moriarty.
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