Conroy Ready as World’s Best Gather in Heusden - Zolder
The Irish cycling team of David Conroy and David Montgomery will be competing in the 2016 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium this weekend, 30-31 January. Junior rider Conroy kicks off the action on Saturday in the junior men’s category, while Montgomery competes on Sunday in the U23 event. Both riders will compete on the same course, a fast and technical lap, with several tough climbs. The junior event takes approximately 40 minutes, with the U23 race lasting just over an hour.
First up is Wicklow rider Conroy, who will be competing at 10am Irish time on Saturday. Conroy has been dominant in the junior category in Ireland, topping off his season with a convincing win at the National Championships in Tollymore Forest Park earlier this month. Conroy’s Coach and Team Manager Andy Layhe is happy with the course, and happy with the his preparation saying:
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“Both riders did four laps of the course today, and went through a few sections several times to have a look. It’s a very friendly course, and will become quite compact, as it’s mostly clay or sandy, not like the courses at home. It’s a strong rider’s course, and is very technical. This will suit David (Conroy), he’s a technical rider, especially on the tricky descents. His legs feel good and he’s been tapering since Sunday.”
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“It’s great to see the sport flourishing back home. Cyclo-cross is great for young riders, I love helping them come through. It’s not only about intervals, but about technical riding. With kids if you can teach them the technical stuff early on, they can still go on to compete on the road, or wherever. It always frustrates me when I see riders with the physical strength but lacking the technical skill. Cyclo-cross is great for learning it. It’s also a family friendly sport, where you can have the younger riders competing in the morning, and the parents in the afternoon.”
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Irish Team:
JUNIOR MEN:
David Conroy (Scott Eurocycles.com)
U23 MEN:
David Montgomery (An Post-Chainreaction)
TEAM MANAGER
Andy Layhe (Trail Demons CC)
ASSISTANT MANAGER/MECHANIC
Simon Curry (Banbridge CC)
Junior Men's Race:
U23 Men's Race: