The Cycling Ireland women’s talent team were the first riders on the track at the European Championships in Glasgow today – competing in heat one of the Women’s Team Pursuit. Their time of 4.57.325 was not enough for the development squad to progress to the next round of the event tomorrow. The multi-sport Elite European Championships run from the 2-12 August.


“We got to be the first athletes to step on the track – that was an honour,” said Hilary Hughes following her major championships debut today. The Irish team competing today also included Alice Sharpe, Orla Walsh and Mia Griffin.


The women’s talent team who are competing this weekend are a development squad who have been introduced to cycling and track cycling over the past couple of years, and they are relishing their experience – “It’s incredible to be here and to be competing with the greats, it’s a dream of all of ours. We are absolutely chuffed to be here.”


Hughes was ‘man four’ in the team pursuit, and though disappointed with their performance, quickly focused on learning and moving forward –


“Things don’t always work out how you want them to, but that doesn’t mean you stop. It just means you get back, regroup and work even harder.”


“We are a new team, this is our second big event,” the Dublin rider noted, “we have high hopes, we have big plans, and we will continue to work towards them best we can.”


The 32-year-old has been based in Majorca, the Irish track cycling base, for the past number of weeks with specific focus on the European Championships – “We have put in really solid work. We worked as if we were racing every day in terms of our mindset, our preparation, the effort, the work ethic. Our coaches have been on the ball, and they have worked with us to get the absolute best from us.”


Over the six days of track racing the twelve-rider Irish team will compete in fifteen events in the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow. Tomorrow Shannon McCurley and Felix English start in the Scratch Races. McCurley is making the switch back to endurance racing after competing in the Keirin at the last Olympic Games.


History is made this week when Glasgow and Berlin host the inaugural European Championships, an exciting multi-sport event bringing together some of the continent’s leading sports, including the existing UEC cycling championships.


RESULTS


Team Pursuit Qualifying:

1 Great Britain 4.19.330

2 Italy 4.21.928

3 Germany 4.25.187

4 France 4.27.310

5 Poland 4.27.786

6 Belgium 4.31.147

7 Russia 4.31.382

8 Ukraine 4.32.314

9 Belarus 4.34.097

10 Ireland 4.57.325