Martyn Irvine is gearing up to get back on the road in Korea
Olympic-bound Martyn Irvine is not hanging around following his qualification for the London Games in the summer, having flown out to the Tour of Korea which begins tomorrow, Sunday.
Irvine is part of the RTS Racing Team line-up that includes David McCann.
Both are using the eight-stage 2.2 race as a build-up for the An Post Rás, but the team will also be hoping to target stage wins and even a GC win.
Irvine told stickybottle it felt strange to be back on the road circuit again after being wrapped up for so long with his efforts to qualify for London on the track.
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“I feel like I'm starting all over again; a Fred again! It’s a good job I seem to suffer well because that’ll come in handy over the next few days.”
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He said he had enjoyed the past week at home in north Co Dublin with his partner Grace. And while relaxing after his return from the World Track Championships in Melbourne he had the chance to thank a number of people who had helped him to qualify for London.
That qualification has also generated a lot of media interest on both sides of the border, with a photo shoot for an Electric Ireland project being one such engagement in recent days.
“It was totally new for me and I loved it, watch this space! My face will appear in some random places.”
Irvine and McCann will take in eight stages in Korea from tomorrow to next Sunday. The course appears to be relatively flat, although there are a few climbs thrown in. And with some of the stages up to 197km it will be a tough encounter.
McCann has the added goal of trying to amass some results that would score him points towards Olympic selection under Cycling Ireland’s scoring system for those hoping to ride the road and TT in London. It would be his third Games if he makes it.
Only Nicolas Roche and Dan Martin have scored points under Cycling Ireland’s criteria so far, meaning the race to get to London is still very much wide open.
The Tour of Korea’s opening stage tomorrow is a 52km short run from Incheon to Seoul.
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