Ryan going into day two of Omnium in tenth place

SESSION TWO: Irvine Finishes Omnium 17^th, Ryan Lying 10^th Going into Day 2 at Track Worlds

Saturday evening saw Caroline Ryan hold onto a top ten placing going into day two of the Women’s Omnium, following her 16^th place in the Elimination Race at the 2015 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in the Velodrome Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines in Paris. In the Men’s Omnium Martyn Irvine was disappointed with his 17^th place finish, following a season hampered with injury. Ryan was also in action in the Women’s Scratch Race, where she tried to attack several times, with nothing sticking, before finishing an eventual 20^th in a bunch sprint. Tomorrow Ryan will be the last Irish rider racing, with the remaining three Omnium rounds to complete. The World Championships run from the 18-22 February.

LISTEN TO CAROLINE RYAN SPEAKING AFTER ELIMINATION RACE HERE

After getting off to a flying start in the Omnium, with a third place in the Scratch Race, Ryan’s spirits were high and her legs felt good. However, with the Elimination Race being a real lottery, with a lot of focus on sprinting, Ryan was knocked out in 16^th place, when a rider just pipped her on the line. She was disappointed with her result in this event, but happy with her overall performance “Top ten going into tomorrow is deadly. Honestly, I’m disappointed with the Elimination; I made the right move at the start of it, and different things. It’s pretty much like a 500m standing start from the word go. Everyone rides it differently, I need to get to the front and ride there for a while. It’s a tough race and there’s no room for hesitation. I’m disappointed, I’ve been working on the sprint and it is much better, just the legs weren’t there tonight. Looking forward to tomorrow, top ten in a world cup would be great for me in an Omnium going into day two, but I mean it’s World Championships. I have to keep reminding myself. It’s a tough field.”

Ryan also raced in the Scratch Race this evening “For me I need to get a move halfway through, on my own or in a group,the sprint wouldn’t have suited me not today anyway.”

Irvine has had a tough couple of days of racing at these World Championships, at the end of what has been a very tough season, in which he broke his collarbone at the World Cup in Mexico last November.  The 2013 World Champion in the Scratch Race finished 17^th overall following the six events of the Omnium, and was not happy with his result. “I don’t know what to do with it now. Next year I really need to be getting top sixes and podiums in order to qualify for the Olympics.” Irvine qualified for the London Olympics after scoring highly in World Cups in the lead up to the Games, so is no stranger to top performances under pressure, but it doesn’t take from the frustration at the end of a tough season.

Tomorrow Caroline Ryan is the only Irish rider left racing, competing in the second day of the Omnium, the 500m TT, the Flying Lap and the Points Race. While the TT and the Flying Lap are not her strongest disciplines, Ryan has previously proven herself in the Points Race, winning a bronze medal in the stand alone event in the 2012 World Championships. The UCI Track Cycling World Championships take place in the Velodrome de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines in Paris from the 18-22 February.