Attacking Riding by Irish on Day Two of 2016 UEC Track European Championships - Paris

8^th for Ryan and 14^th for Boylan in Aggressive Racing at European Track Championships

Fintan Ryan and Lydia Boylan were dominant in the bunch races on day two of the 2016 UEC European Track Championships in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome in Paris, with Ryan finishing 8^th in the Men’s Elimination Race and Boylan 14^th in the Women’s Scratch Race. Ireland finished 8^th in the finals of the Women’s Team Pursuit Ireland with 4.43.802, and the new pairing of Eimear Moran and Robyn Stewart in the Women’s Team Sprint finished 9^th with a time of 36.638. With this being the first competition in the new Olympiad for track cyclists, the squad is made up of many new names of talented cyclists, who will use Paris as an opportunity to gain valuable experience. Racing runs in Paris from 19^th – 23^rd October, with Irish riders competing across both sprint and endurance events.

The Elimination Race is a tactical race whereby on every second lap the last rider to cross the finish line is eliminated. Ryan rode towards the front of the field for much of a race that involved much battling for position. Cycling Ireland Technical Director Brian Nugent was impressed with the 20 track rider saying “Fintan handled himself incredibly well in a tough race. He’s committed to the international track scene this year and has made huge progression. He rode in a good position throughout, and took control of the race from the front at the halfway point. He was unfortunate to come out when he did, when things were starting to get very tight. This was a big step up for Fintan; he has a big future ahead of him. All credit to him and his coach David Muntaner who has really led him well and guided his progression to perfection.”

Boylan was also impressive in the Scratch Race, attacking the race early and establishing the main break of the race. Once caught Boylan continued to ride aggressively. Nugent believed Boylan’s 14^th place did not reflect her performance saying “That was a great race by Lydia. She made the move of the day by attacking the group. It took a lot of work from riders like Kirsten Wild to pull them back, and Lydia continued to move forward once they were caught. At these Championships Lydia is one of the more experienced riders, and today she led by example.”

The Women’s Team Pursuit finished in 8^th place after qualifying for the second round today, and the for the first time at an international race Ireland fielded a Women’s Team Sprint with Tullamore’s Eimear Moran and Belfast born Robyn Stewart, both of whom were competing for the first time for Ireland at a major championship this week. Nugent said “Today was the first time we competed in a team event in a sprint discipline – it’s a big first for us. It was a learning experience and I’m happy with how it went.”

Racing continues tomorrow with the next round of the Eoin Mullen in the Men’s Sprint and Felix English in the Men’s Omnium. Yesterday English was 5^th in the Men’s Scratch Race. Fresh from her Olympic experience Shannon McCurley will be competing in the Women’s Keirin, alongside Eimear Moran. In the Women’s Individual Pursuit Eileen Burns and Anna Turvey will be testing their strength, and Lydia Gurley will be competing in the Women’s Points Race.