Ryan Mullen is the star turn in the Irish team for the upcoming Nations Cup, but some new names have also gained selection onto what is an interesting line up. On Saturday the squad will take in the U23 Tour of Flanders (Photo: Joyce Jackson)
By Brian Canty
Cycling Ireland has named two strong six-man national teams for the upcoming U23 Nations Cup events in Belgium and France; the Tour of Flanders and Le Cote de Picardie respectively.
A third team will be named for the ZLM Tour in Holland on Saturday week on the basis of the form shown by those riding in the first two races.
In the team this coming Saturday for the U23 Tour of Flanders is the An Post Chainreaction trio of Ryan Mullen, Jack Wilson and Eoin McCarthy.
Advertisement
Belgian-based pair Cormac Clarke and Thomas Fallon also get a chance to shine, as does reigning National Cyclocross Champion David Montgomery.
Wilson was best of the Irish in Flanders last year, coming across the finish line in a group 18 seconds down on the winner. Mullen was next, around a minute further back, with McCarthy not far behind him.
The fact all three have ridden the race before should be a major advantage as the Irish hunt for vital points towards qualifying for the U23 road race at the World Championships in September.
Eddie Dunbar on the attack out front up the final climb more 100 miles into the first British Cycling Elite Road Series of the year last weekend. His aggression decided the outcome and he finished 5th to add to his podium places in the UK earlier in the season. His inclusion in the Nations Cup team is no surprise, having won a Junior Nations Cup stage race in Germany last season (Photo: Larry Hickmott – VeloUK.net)
Wilson, Mullen and McCarthy also know the importance of the race from a professional development point of view.
Clarke and Fallon have spent much of the winter with the high performance track squad and are back on the road now with Belgian club teams.
Fallon was a late call-up for Dylan Foley who had to cry off with illness.
Montgomery, who rides for Belgian Continental Team 3M, gets his chance. He is a very strong athlete and while best known for his exploits in MTB and cyclocross races, he has the engine to become a regular for Ireland on the road.
Related News
Four days later a different team comprising Mullen, Wilson, Eddie Dunbar, Daniel Stewart, Sean McKenna and Javan Nulty will start Le Cote de Picardie; a hilly race in the north east of France.
McKenna was a shoe-in after a stunning season on the home front so far and his win in the Kerry Group Rás Mumhan at the weekend made it impossible to leave him out.
David Montgomery on the front at a recent Team 3M training camp. He got a call from the Belgian Continental-ranked team after winning the National Cyclocross Championships back in January and has postponed college to give full time road racing a go. Now he has secured a place with the Irish U23 team for the Nations Cup (Photo: Team 3M)
Similarly, Eddie Dunbar may only be in his first year at the U23 grade but the young Corkman will have no fear of the competition.
He has looked among the very best on the UK pro scene in recent weeks and can catch the eye of major pro teams with a good ride in France next Wednesday.
And if he went well there and secured a ride in the ZLM Tour, he would have a further two days of international competition to show what he can do having introduced himself very successfully last year with a junior Nations Cup stage race win in Germany.
There are more events to collect points towards World Championships qualification before the cut-off point later in the summer.
But next week’s races will be where many countries will look to lay down a marker, meaning the competition will be intense.
The Irish riders also have a better chance of gaining points next week rather than hunting for them at races with their trade teams while competing against elite pros.
Topics
