Ireland miss out on one road place at Olympics as UCI reveals allocation

Will the 2011 Worlds team be repeated at the London Olympics? (Photo: Gary McIlroy)

The Irish men’s team at the London Olympics next year will see three riders take in the road race with just one to compete in the time trial (TT), according to the UCI’s newly published allocations.

Ireland was one of handful of countries effectively denied its full compliment of riders thanks a UCI rule designed to prevent so-called weaker nations qualifying full teams based on the UCI ranking points of just one or two riders.

Ireland’s Dan Martin finished 9th in the end of season UCI world rankings. This pushed Ireland into 13th place in the nations’ rankings.

On the basis of that placing, Ireland should have qualified four places for the Olympic road race; the top 10 nations get five places and those nations 11th to 15th are awarded four places.

However, there exists a UCI rule that states a nation cannot secure more places in an Olympic road race than the number of riders from that nation currently with UCI ranking points.

So, even though Ireland should have gotten four places, because only three Irish riders – Martin, Nicolas Roche and Philip Deignan – scored UCI ranking points during the 2011 season, Ireland’s places in the road race in London have been capped at three.

Other nations similarly caught out include Luxembourg and Norway.

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Ireland has qualified one place in the men’s TT on the basis of its end of year UCI nation’s rankings position.

It would appear the Irish team will consist of Dan Martin and Nicolas Roche on the road, to be joined by either Matt Brammeier or Philip Deignan.

Brammeier is also likely to ride the TT, though David McCann definitely cannot be ruled out.

The field in the men’s Olympic road race is limited to 145, with just 40 to ride the TT.

The allocations for the women’s TT and road race will not be made until next May.

The men’s allocations have just been revealed by the UCI. The maximum number of places any nation can qualify for the road race is five, meaning the racing will be difficult for one nation to control.