Lavery, Downey & Bennett have all scored points towards U23 World Champs qualification
There’s promising news for the Irish U23 squad in the latest just-published UCI U23 European rankings, with Ireland having climbed to 21st place and now well inside the U23 World Road Race Championships qualification spots.
While participation in the U23 Worlds in Holland in September is still not guaranteed for the Irish, their position is looking a lot more promising now than when the previous rankings were published by the UCI in June.
The top 26 in the UCI U23 European Nations rankings on August 15th will qualify a team for the World Championships in Valkenburg in September. Last month when the rankings were published Ireland had slipped to 26th slot, the last wrung on the qualification ladder.
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However, since then a number of Irish U23 riders have scored points and their tallies have lifted Ireland from 26th to 21st spot in the latest rankings.
Barring a major successful run over the next three weeks by riders from some of the nations just below Ireland, we should have a team on the line in Valkenburg in September.
A total of five U23 Irish riders – Sam Bennett, Philip Lavery, Sean Downey, Aaron Buggle and Jack Wilson – are in action in the Kreiz Breizh three-day stage race in Brittany, France, this weekend.
All bar Lavery are on an Irish team for the event, along with elite riders Ronan McLaughlin and Peter Hawkins. Lavery is riding in France for his Node4 Giordana trade team.
If any of the U23s can get placings and secure more points in the UCI 2.2 event this weekend it would make Ireland’s position even stronger in the rankings and guarantee participation at the Worlds.
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Nations who fill the first 15 slots in the rankings on August 15th will get to start five riders in the U23 Worlds Road Race. Those ranked 16th to 20th get to start four riders, while any nations ranked 21st to 26th get to start three riders.
If the Irish riders enjoyed a really good run this weekend it is not inconceivable that Ireland could climb into 20th slot or higher and thus secure four rides in the Worlds road race. However, it looks more likely Ireland would remain in the 21st to 26th band, thus securing three rides at the Worlds.
Meanwhile, three Irish U23 riders are now featured in the UCI European Tour rankings; which include both U23 and elite riders, excluding those on WorldTour teams.
Lavery has scored 46 points and is in 229th place. Bennett has scored 23 points and is 410th in the rankings. Downey has 10 points and is in 653rd place.
It is that trio’s 79 points combined that accounts for Ireland’s 21st position in the U23 European nations rankings.
Elite Irish riders in the UCI European rankings include: Martyn Irvine (17 points in 481st place); Connor McConvey (14 points in 550th place); Michael Hutchinson (8 points in 699th place); Paidi O’Brien (6 points in 796th place); Damien Shaw (3 points in 925th place); Adam Armstrong (2 points, 981st place).
UCI U23 European Nations Rankings
(In brackets is each nations position in the rankings when they were last published last month)
1 (1) ITALY 978.6
2 (2) NETHERLANDS 746
3 (3) BELGIUM 616
4 (4) FRANCE 506
5 (5) GERMANY 400.63
6 (8) RUSSIA 349
7 (6) LATVIA 293
8 (7) DENMARK 277
9 (9) LUXEMBOURG 274
10 (12) SLOVENIA 183
11 (10) AUSTRIA 181
12 (11) NORWAY 168
13 (13) SWEDEN 125
14 (28) ROMANIA 114
15 (17) POLAND 106
16 (18) BELARUS 102
17 (20) TURKEY 101
18 (15) CZECH REPUBLIC 95
19 (15) ISRAEL 93
20 (19) SWITZERLAND 81
21 (26) IRELAND 79
22 (22) UKRAINE 72
23 (22) GREECE 69
24 (21) SERBIA 64
25 (27) GEORGIA 59
26 (33) AZERBAIJAN 58.5
27 (24) GREAT BRITAIN 57
28 (25) SLOVAKIA 50
29 (14) MOLDOVA 49
30 (29) SPAIN 33
31 (30) ESTONIA 13
32 (31) HUNGARY 8
32 (31) PORTUGAL 8
34 (34) LITHUANIA 2
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