Lydia Boylan has voiced her disappointment at being left out of the Irish team for the European Road Championships, to which no elite women's road race team has been sent (Photo: Sean Rowe)
Having cemented her place as one of the best riders Ireland has ever produced with runner-up slot in An Post Rás na mBan at the weekend, Lydia Boylan has expressed her frustration at not being selected for the European Road Championships.
The events in France, which get underway tomorrow, will play host to a massive 19-riders Irish team.
It is believed to be the largest selection Ireland has even sent to a major road championship.
However, while national TT champion Anna Turvey has been selected to represent Ireland in the TT, she is our only representative in the elite women’s race against the clock.
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And given the size of the Irish team, eyebrows have been raised at the decision not to send any elite women to the road race.
Boylan, left) attacked Rás na mBan and came away with 2nd overall against a very strong field in a race where she crash hard (Photo: Sean Rowe)
Junior and U23 women have been selected as well as elite, junior and U23 men; with just the elite women not represented in their road race.
A multi national champion on road and track, Dubliner Boylan feels it is an opportunity lost to develop Irish women's cycling.
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“For the sake of the development of the sport they should totally send a team,” she said.
“There needs to be a visible pathway for all athletes irrespective of their age.
“I asked a while ago to be considered, especially as the track always gets in the way of Worlds selection,” she said of her Irish national track team duties clashing with the road Worlds.”
While Cycling Ireland has previously said places at major championships need to be earned on the basis of results rather than simply selecting a team for experience, Boylan is based abroad and riders with the Team WNT UK outfit.
She has been national road champion for the past two years and is a seasoned track international well able to handle herself in major events.
Extremely disappointed not to be selected for @UEC_cycling #EuroRoad2016 It is always an honour to compete in Green. https://t.co/TorwcmRR8k
— Lydia Boylan (@LyD_ers) September 13, 2016
This year is the first ever European Championships to include races for elite men and women.
And it seems like an opportunity lost to signal to our best women that the Europeans is a possibility even if stricter criteria would still apply to Worlds selection.
“I was just told my UCI results weren't good enough,” said Boylan, who beat some riders last week who have won elite national titles and ridden major road championships for their countries.
"I'm disappointed not to be selected. I would have loved to been given the chance to represent Ireland especially after what was a great week for me at the Rás.
"My coach and I had planned out my training such that I'd be in good form for next Saturday.
"But I do obviously get a lot of support for riding on the track and my focus now will shift to preparing for track Europeans."
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