There was mixed emotion for Ireland’s best riders youth riders in recent days as the Youth Olympic selections were named but another international outing was cancelled.
The good news for
six of Ireland’s best U16 riders is that they secured selection for the European
Youth Olympic Games in Baku, Azerbaijan, in July.
Those selected
will represent Ireland in the road races and TTs; in an international
multi-sport championship.
Selection for
these Games is the biggest of the year and the selected riders have secured
their places on the basis of performances in qualifying events on the home
scene.
In the girls team is Caoimhe May (Scott Orwell), Aoife O’Brien (Lakeside Wheelers) and Erin Creighton (McConvey Cycles).
The reserve ride
in the selection, and who will travel if any of the others is unavailable for
any reason, is Katie Neill (Carn
Wheelers).
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Ireland will be
represented in the boys’ events by Darren Rafferty (Island Wheelers), Adam Gilsenan (Bohermeen CC) and Mark McGarry (Dungarvan).
The reserve for the boys’ line-up is Ronan O’Connor of south Dublin club Scott-Orwell.
Points for qualification
were collated at the PJ Logan, Rás na n’Og and the Kanturk Two Day.
The three riders
named for the girls and boys team for Baku, and the reserves for each team,
came out on top; the leading four in the standings on the basis of the
qualification races.
Those four and
two more U16s on both the boys and girls teams – who were next in the rankings –
were due to race for Ireland in a series of events this week in Shrewsbury,
England.
Unfortunately,
that trip to England has been cancelled and so the girls and boys six-rider
teams don’t get to represent Ireland this weekend.
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Ben Murphy (Sliabh
Luachra) and David Shine (O'Leary Stone Kanturk CC) were both due to join the Baku selection
and reserve rider on the Irish U16 team in Shrewsbury this weekend.
And Annie
Roche (Scott Orwell) as well as Emma Smith (Navan RC) were due to join the girls Baku team and reserve rider as the U16
girls team this weekend.
As well as the
U16 Irish teams due to ride in England this weekend, there was also set to be
two U14 Irish teams in action; a boys selection and a girls selection.
The U14 girls’
team that had been picked for England this weekend was made up for the
following riders:
Aine Doherty (VC
Glendale), Shauna Finn (Newcastle
West CC), Lucy Browne (Phoenix CC), Katie Reilly (Orwell
Wheelers), Mia Smith (Waterford RC) and Hannah Hayes (Comeragh
CC).
And the U14 boys’
Irish team who had been due to race in Shrewsbury this weekend was:
Quillan Donnelly (O’Leary
Stone Kanturk CC), Ryan Fox (Orwell Wheelers), Sean Tarrent (O’Leary Stone Kanturk CC), Ewan McConville (O’Leary Stone
Kanturk CC), Darragh Doherty (Inishowen CC), Stephen Sheehan (O’Leary
Stone Kanturk CC) and Hayden
Power (Comeragh CC).
Cycling Ireland
announced the cancellation of the two U16 Irish teams and two U14 Irish teams
for Shrewsbury, citing problems with the organisation of the races on the
English end.
“The race organiser contacted us this morning to inform
us that entries had been adversely effected by a rescheduled round of the
Midlands MB league, which now clashes with their event,” it said midweek.
“Due to low numbers of pre-registered riders in some of
the events we couldn't risk taking teams to race in weaker fields and so have
decided to call off the trip.”
The national governing body added it was hopeful of
organising another trip abroad for the teams after upcoming school exams are
over.
If that proves to be the case, it would mean those who
have gained national selection would still get to race in the green of Ireland
this season.
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