Cream of Irish Cycling Set for Sligo
One of the premier events on the Irish road cycling calendar – the Cycling Ireland Road National Championships – takes place this weekend in Sligo. Between Thursday 28th June and Sunday 1st July, the best Irish racers will battle for the coveted champions jersey, with the Time Trials taking place on Thursday and the Road Races being contested on Saturday and Sunday.
The Time Trial course on Thursday is a 17.5km loop in Collooney, Co. Sligo. The route is rolling with a short climb at 6km. The Handcyclists and the Para-cycling solo bikes will complete one circuit of the course, with all other bikes racing over two laps. The first rider will start at 13.31 SHARP.
In the elite women’s race reigning champion Eileen Burns (Ballymena Road Club) will be seeking to defend her title, with strong competition likely to come from Eve McCrystal (Garda Cycling Club) and Kelly Murphy (Chapter 2). However, relative newcomers Hilary Hughes (VC Ériu) and Imogen Cotter (VC Ériu) are likely to be in the mix, fresh from a training camp with the Irish track cycling team.
European bronze medallist Ryan Mullen (Trek Segafredo) will have his sights set on defending the elite men’s national title he won last year and will be a favourite for the title once more. His main competition for the elite title will likely be from 2017 bronze medallist Marcus Christie (Performance SBR) who finished 7th in the Commonwealth Games earlier this year. Last year’s silver medallist, Nicolas Roche, will not be competing in the Time Trial.
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In the handcycling races MH3 rider Declan Slevin (Rosemount Cycling Club) will be tough to beat, with Seamus Wall (Barrow Wheelers) and Darrell Erwin (Ballymena Road Club) presenting the biggest challenge this year. However, all eyes will be firmly on double Paralympic Champion Mark Rohan when he takes to the start line – Rohan switched his focus to work after his tremendous success at the London Paralympic Games and is a welcome addition to the race.
Ronan Grimes (Scott Orwell Wheelers) will be favourite in C1-C5 solo event at the Paracycling Time Trial Championships, fresh from his bronze medal at the World Cup in Belgium last month. Defending champion and Paralympic silver medallist Colin Lynch will not be competing, leaving the top competition coming from Steven A. Workman (Ballymena Road Club) and Thomas Murphy (Clonard RC).
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The Road Races take place at the weekend, with the elite women and junior men racing on Saturday, and the senior men and junior women competing on Sunday. The 17.56km circuit will be a testing one which is anticipated will lead to close racing. At the 7.5km point on the circuit there is a significant climb that lasts 1.5km with an average gradient of 12%.
“I think the hill will eventually take its toll, but it mightn’t be the deciding factor,” said Cycling Ireland Performance Coach Neill Delahaye, “I think that everyone will be apprehensive of the hill, and it will grind people down and have a wearing effect. But I think that on the last lap if you can crest the hill and have a gap, then you have a good chance of winning.”
Racing starts on Thursday with riders being sent off in waves. The start times CAN BE SEEN HERE - note the first rider starts at 13.31 sharp.
Timetable Cycling Ireland
Road National Championships
Thursday 28th June
Throughout the afternoon – Start Times TBC
C1 – C5 Solo Bikes – 17.5km
H1 – H5 Handcycling – 17.5km
Tandem Bikes – 35km
Elite Women – 35km
Junior Men – 35km
U23 Men – 35km
Elite Men – 35km
Saturday 30th June
10.00
Junior Men’s Road Race – 122.5km
13.00
Elite Women’s Road Race – 105km
Sunday 25th March
09.00
Junior Women’s Road Race – 70km
13.00
Senior Road Race incorporating the U23 Championships – 175km