The European Track Championships get underway today, Wednesday, in Zolder, Belgium. The selection for these Europeans offers real insight into Ireland's most likely qualification path towards the next Olympics.
We have gotten used to seeing the same riders representing Ireland - Mia Griffin, Kelly Murphy, Alice Sharpe and Lara Gillespie - on the track at elite level in recent years. But the composition of that group has already changed before the first serious racing gets underway in 2025.
Murphy and Sharpe do not feature in this selection, but there is now a group formed behind them looking to step up and be on the team at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. There are four obvious new riders in contention and at least four more who may yet come into the line-up.
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Up for grabs - at a minimum - are places to join the likes of Gillespie and Griffin in the team pursuit. That is a big prize for any one of the eight new hopefuls considering the Irish team pursuiters are very like to qualify for LA.
Gillespie and Griffin have just come out of the UAE Tour, which they rode for their World Tour teams; UAE Team ADQ and Roland respectively. Griffin told stickybottle last week that, at these Europeans, her and Gillespie would effectively trial riding a major track meeting straight after a pro stage race.
She believed the condition they'd likely carry out of the UAE Tour would be most beneficial for bunch races and other endurance events, rather than the team pursuit, which is a short and more specialised flat out team effort.
It comes as no surprise, then, that the duo are selected for European Championship events other than the team pursuit; scratch race, elimination race, madison, points race and omnium.
It's the team pursuit selection - a completely new one - that is perhaps more interesting. It is comprised of Erin Creighton (McConvey Cycles), who was reserve for the Paris Games, along with U23 road and track international Aoife O'Brien (DAS-Hutchinson), now stepping up to the elite set-up.
Also in the team pursuit selection for the Europeans are Esther Wong (Hess Cycling Team) and Emma Jeffers (Liv AlUla Jayco Conti). Both previously rode under a British licence, Wong as a junior international, and have recently declared for Ireland.
As well as those four named for the Europeans team pursuit line-up, there are four more who, at present, would also have time - and talent - on their side in pushing for a place in the set-up towards the Olympics.
Irish road race and TT champion Fiona Mangan (Winspace Orange Seal) and a certain junior European points race champion from last year, Lucy Bénézet Minns (Lotto Ladies), could be two big assets going forward.
Aliyah Rafferty (Tofauti Everyone Active Majoco) and Rhiannon Dolan (TC Racing Team), though currently very young, could feature towards 2028, as could others.
So, in terms of the national endurance team for the LA Games, it's not all about the riders picked for these Europeans, far from it.
After all of the investment in the team pursuit set-up, which made it to the Paris Games and rode so well, a process is now starting to bring in new faces to keep that success going, and hopefully make even further progress.
Creighton, O'Brien, Jeffers and Wong - and the others - are now all competing for a place in what will inevitably become the 'A team'; the first four riders to be selected for the team pursuit going forward.
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However, there is also a chance all of the riders will remain part of the line-up, meaning the squad could be rotated as they travel the world trying to score qualification points.
That is something most strong nations are able to do, ensuring a small group of four or five isn't flogged by the demands of travel, training and racing - and repeating that with their road teams.
If the endurance group was bigger, it would also mean more of our top female cyclists benefiting from the support of the Cycling Ireland high performance unit. That support, coupled with the experience of repeated training camps and international track racing, could also help develop their road careers; as it has done for Gillespie and Griffin.
Jeffers and Creighton will also ride the Kilo at the Europeans, offering them a new opportunity. It will also offer Cycling Ireland comparative data about how quickly they get away from the start and up to speed over such a short distance. O'Brien will ride the individual pursuit.
There is a very long way to go to the LA Games and the period starting now will be the most experimental. It is about giving more riders a go in the national team; getting the right selection in place for qualifying, and then going onto the Games.
The Europeans selection strongly indicates the team pursuit will be the main vehicle, once again, to qualify for LA. And team pursuit qualification would also bring places for Ireland in other events, including the omnium and madison.
Recently, Cycling Ireland also sent an Irish male junior team - including a team pursuit line-up - to race in the Netherlands, which was a really positive development.
Max Fitzgerald (JEGG-DJR Academy U19), Luca Holmes (Wp Molenspurters Meulebeke), George Sevastopulo (Sundrive Track Team) and Elliott McKeegan (Madigan CC) flew the flag. But the LA Games will likely come too soon for them given their ages at present. For example, McKeegan and Sevastopulo are only just out of the U16 ranks.
For now, it appears to be all about the women's endurance team for LA. And the next six to 12 months should determine what the team team pursuit 'A team' line-up will look like. The major upsides are that the staff, and some of the riders, know how to qualify, having done it last year, while the pool to select from is bigger than ever.
Team Ireland | European Champs
February 12th
- Women's Team Pursuit Qualifying - Emma Jeffers, Erin Creighton, Esther Wong, Aoife O’Brien
- Women's Scratch Race - Mia Griffin
February 13th
- Women's Team Pursuit Round One - Emma Jeffers, Erin Creighton, Esther Wong, Aoife O’Brien
- Women's Elimination Race - Lara Gillespie
- Women's Team Pursuit Finals - Emma Jeffers, Erin Creighton, Esther Wong, Aoife O’Brien
February 14th
- Women's Omnium - Lara Gillespie
February 15th
- Women's TT Kilo Qualifying - Erin Creighton, Emma Jeffers
- Women's Individual Pursuit Qualifying - Aoife O’Brien
- Women's TT Kilo Final - Erin Creighton, Emma Jeffers
- Women's Points Race - Lara Gillespie
February 16th
- Women's Madison Race - Lara Gillespie & Mia Griffin
