Irish teams named for U23 and Junior Euro Champs, World Uni Games & Junior Tour

After making the Irish development team for Kerry Group Rás Mumhan at Easter where he held the yellow jersey, UCD CC's Sean McKenna is among those selected for a busy summer of international duty (Photo: Sean Rowe)

By Brian Canty

Cycling Ireland has just announced details of the national teams that will contest the European junior and U23 road and time-trial championships, the junior and U23 European Track Championships, World University Games and Junior Tour of Ireland.

The absence of Dylan O’Brien, who was ill recently, from the team for the European Junior Championships on Saturday week in Nyon, Switzerland, will be a huge blow to him and the team.

That line-up is led by Eddie Dunbar. He will have the support of Michael O’Loughlin, Daire Feeley and Stephen Shanahan.

O’Loughlin has also been selected to ride the time trial; a fantastic achievement for the Carrick teenager considering he is still on a first-year junior.

Conor Dunne is the only U23 rider selected for both the road race and time trial and the European Road Champs (Photo: Lydia Van de Meerssche)

Craig McAuley, who was drafted into the Irish set-up for the recent Trofeo Karlsberg Nations Cup race in Germany when Dylan O’Brien’s chest infection forced him out, has not been named for Switzerland despite riding well in support of eventual runner-up Dunbar in Germany.

The U23 team for the European Road Race Championships, also on the same weekend as the junior title race, will likely lead to raised eyebrows as new national senior road champion and U23 time trial champion Ryan Mullen is not selected.

He has been saved for the European Track Championships later in the month, where he is tipped to take at least one title.

Eddie Dunbar leads the Irish junior team into the European Road Championships. There are high hopes after some strong international rides by him in recent months (Photo: Toby Watson)

The team for the U23 Euros road race is made up of Jack Wilson and Conor Dunne (both An Post-Chainreaction) Daniel Stewart (East Antrim Audi), Felix English (Rapha Condor JLT), and Eoin McCarthy (Terra Safety).

They are hoping for a top 10 result on the road, with Conor Dunne the only one entered into the time trial.

While man of the moment Ryan Mullen plays not role in the European road championships, he will be the star turn for their track equivalent when they unfold in Portugal from July 22nd to 27th.

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Cormac Clarke, sprint star Eoin Mullen, Dylan Foley, Thomas Fallon and Javan Nulty as well as Australian-based Shannon McCurley make up that selection.

As well as the individual pursuit, which Mullen will look to win, there will be a team pursuit squad with Nulty, Clarke, Foley and Fallon all battling for three places to join Mullen.

While Ryan Mullen had a massive weekend on the road at the National Championships, he is focused on the U23 European Track Championships where he will be a favourite to take home a title.

There is also a very promising junior track team entered into the championships made up of Mark Downey, national road race champion Fintan Ryan, Declan Mulholland, Sean Grimes, Autumn Collins and Josie Knight.

The team national team for the Junior Tour of Ireland is Daire Feeley, Eddie Dunbar, Michael O’Loughlin and Stephen Shanahan.

Finally, the team for the World University Games, which features a road race and time trial, has also been selected. Alistair MacAuley (Phoenix CC), Sean McKenna (UCD CC), Danny Bruton (AC Bisontine) and Marc Potts (Omagh Wheelers) will ride the road race while Ian Richardson (UCD CC) takes in the time trial

We’ll have reaction and loads more on this later.

Australia-based Shannon McCurley is among a small group of emerging female riders to gain selection for the Track European Championships where she will compete in the U23 events.