Rigley leads Stewart and Clarke during an Irish camp speed session at Corkagh Park, Dublin
Cycling Ireland has named a strong four-man team for the Junior Tour of Ireland. It has also revealed a shortlist of eight riders, from which six will be selected for a three-week racing programme in Europe and the European Road Race and TT Championships.
The team for the Junior Tour, which starts next week, includes: Ryan Mullen (Planet X), Cormac Clarke (Newry Wheelers), Dylan Foley (St Finbarr’s) and Sean Hahessy (Iverk Produce Carrick Wheelers).
Mullen has been in great form of late, breaking the Irish and British junior records for both the 10 mile and 25 mile TT. Clarke has similarly enjoyed a very strong patch, winning two stages and the GC in the Dhun na nGall Three-Day last month and finishing second overall and second in the climbers’ classification in the Newry Three-Day last weekend.
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Foley and Hahessey will also very much be forces to be reckoned with during the Junior Tour, with both having enjoyed wins this year while riding against seniors. They are both first year juniors and will most likely ride the Junior Tour in support of Mullen and Clarke, who are now in their second year at junior level.
After the Junior Tour, the national junior squad’s attention will turn to the European Championships, which take place in Holland in mid August. The Junior team will take in three weeks of racing in Europe ahead of those championships.
Cycling Ireland has named an eight-rider panel, from which six will be selected for the European Junior Championships in Goes, Holland, and to race in Europe for the three week period leading up to those championships.
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Those eight are: Mullen, Clarke, Hahessey, Foley, Shaun Rigley (South Dublin CC), Daniel Stewart (East Antrim Audi), Jack Sadler (Mountivation), Thomas Fallon (Seven Springs CC).
These will be whittled down to six in the week after the Junior Tour. They will then leave Ireland for their three-week race preparation abroad ahead of the Euros in Holland; taking in two criterium races in Holland, kermesses in Belgium and the Three-Day International Niedersachen Rundfahrt in Germany, starting on July 27th.
The European Championships will then run from the 7th to the 12th of August, with the Junior TT on Thursday the 7th and the road race on Saturday 12th.
The eight riders still in the hunt for Euros selection were informed in recent weeks that they were on that shortlist.
They also took part in a recent four-day training camp which took in endurance sessions in the Wicklow Mountains and on the roads of Kildare as well as some speed and skills sessions on the new purpose-built race track in Corkagh Park, west Dublin.
The riders were also addressed by new U23 national champion Philip Lavery and Olympic-bound Martyn Irvine, who imparted their knowledge around preparing for races and also used the opportunity to inspire and motivate the riders.
The junior riders were joined in that training camp by Irish female squad members from the junior and U23 ranks.
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