Mixed Day with Crashes for Irish Cyclists in Cali

Mullen Finishes 13^th in Men’s Keirin, Elimination Race Catch out Ryan and Irvine in Cali

Day two of the UCI Track Cycling World cup in Cali was not without drama, with Ireland’s Eoin Mullen and Caroline Ryan getting caught up in crashes in their final race on Saturday. Despite crashing in the Men’s Keirin Repechage Mullen finished in 13^th place overall, and in the Women’s Omnium Caroline Ryan starts day two in 10^th place, after finishing 16^th in the Elimination Race, where she came off the bike in a crash which neutralised the race. Martyn Irvine finished 23^rd in the Elimination Race, which puts him in 18^th place at the start of round four of the Omnium. This is the third and final World Cup on the Track Cycling 2014/15 calendar, with more valuable Olympic qualification points available.

In the Men’s Keirin Eoin Mullen rode a solid opening round, finishing fourth to eventual winner Puerta Zapata from Colombia. With only one rider qualifying to the next round, Mullen then contested the Repechage. Unfortunately the Australian rider, Harwood, took the only qualifying spot on offer in this round, when a puncture took out Mullen and Spain’s Mazquiaran, who crossed the line on foot in order to claim their points.

In the Women’s Omnium Ryan started strong, finishing 9^th in the scratch race and 7^th in the Individual Pursuit. However, the Elimination Race saw drama in the early laps, with a crash bringing down riders, including Ryan. The race was then neutralised and she was able to rejoin the race, where she finished an eventual 16^th place, putting her in 10^th place starting day two.

Martyn Irvine also had a strong start to the day, with a 14^th place in the Scratch Race, and 8^th in the Individual Pursuit moving him into 7^th place overall starting the Elimination Race. Unfortunately, with this being the most unpredictable race, Irvine was one of the first riders out, finishing in 23^rd place, and moving into 18^th place starting day two. In the Elimination Race the last rider to cross the line on every second lap is pulled out, and awarded the lowest points. The eventual winner of this event is the rider who wins the final sprint between the last two remaining cyclists on the track.

Racing continues today, Sunday, with Ryan and Irvine competing in the second day of the Omnium. Eoin Mullen will be in action again, competing in the Men’s Sprint, while Shannon McCurley will compete in the Women’s Keirin. This World Cup does not feature any of the Class 1 additional events that were featured in London last month, meaning the focus is solely on Olympic class events. The World Cup runs from 16^th – 18^th January.  

RESULTS

SCHEDULE SUNDAY

Full Team: