Dan Martin and Nicolas Roche have been the prominent faces in Irish jerseys for years. But now a new wave is also rising.
Number of Irish riders eligible for Innsbruck Worlds is confirmed
Ireland has qualified six places for the elite men’s road race at the World Road Championships in Austria next month.
Irish riders also have a maximum of five places to fill in the U23 road race. And in the elite women’s race Ireland can enter three riders.
In the junior races; Ireland can enter four in the men’s race and four in the women’s race.
As well as the 22 road race places secured, Ireland can also enter two riders in each of the TTs, or ten berths in all.
The U23 and junior road race places are allocated based on the rankings of nations in the junior and U23 Nations Cup competitions.
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The UCI's 'nations rankings' are used to allocate places to each country for the elite men's and women's road races.
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Those nations highest in the rankings are awarded most places; up to a maximum of eight. The top 10 ranked nations are awarded eight places.
And those nations ranked 11th to 20th - including the Irish elite men this time around - are awarded six places.
It means the elite Irish men have secured the second highest allocation of places possible for the Innsbruck road race.
If countries are outside the group of nations to whom places are allocated in any of the road races, a smaller number of places is awarded to each of those nations.
It is under that mechanism that Ireland has been allocated places for Austria in the elite women's road race and the two junior road races.
However, in the elite and U23 men's races Ireland has earned its quota of places through the results of the riders all year.
Last year Ireland had 31 places available for the Worlds in Bergen, Norway. There were 21 rider berths for the elite, U23 and junior road races.
The elite men qualified six places for the road race. There were three places available to Ireland for the elite women's road race.
The U23 men qualified five road races places in Bergen. The junior men and women and had three and four places available respectively for their road races.
More to follow.
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