Rachel Kaye Mellor is one of the girls riding for Ireland at the Youth Tour of Scotland (Photo: Brendan Culleton)
By Caroline Martinez
A team of four girls has been selected to compete in the Girls Youth Tour of Scotland this weekend following the unveiling of a boys’ Irish team for the boys’ event.
The four selected riders are: Hayley Priestley (Lanterne Rouge), Rebecca Heaney (SERC) and Rachel Kaye Mellor (Orwell Wheelers) – all of whom are U16 riders – along with Emily Birchill (Fermoy) who rides U14. The reserve rider is U14 Roisin Carter (North Pole CC).
Like the four-rider boys team selected for this weekend, the girls who have made the Irish team have been selected from the Talent Team 2020 panel drawn up by Cycling Ireland during the off season. The new set-up aims to mentor talented youth riders as they make their way into the junior ranks.
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Following recent trials in Corkagh Park, west Dublin, team managers Orla Hendron and Nicola Oldham are confident the best girls have been selected for the event.
Based around the Perth region of East Scotland, the girls’ race gets underway tomorrow, Friday, with a 1.8km morning time trial. In the afternoon there follows a 4.5km team time trial. The first road stage is a 55km flat circuit race on Saturday, followed by the concluding 30km hilly stage on Sunday.
The team will be aiming at the general classification. They will be racing against strong competition, chief among these being the Great Britain girls’ talent team. Neenan Travel and SprintDesign.Inc are sponsoring the Irish team for this event.
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