An Irish team will compete this weekend against many of the best riders in the world at the UCI Cyclocross World Cup. In the Irish selection is the in-form Glenn Kinning (Photo: Toby Watson)
With the cyclocross season north and south well underway and the riders whipped into racing shape, a national team has been entered to ride the UCI Cyclocross World Cup in the UK this weekend.
The event takes place tomorrow, Saturday, in Milton Keynes.
The team entered is a mix of youth and experience and features David Montgomery (Chain Reaction Cycles-Vitus Bikes), Glenn Kinning (Kinning Cycles), Andrew McCullough (Kinning Cycles), Darnell Moore (Caldwell Cycles) and Tim O’Regan (DID Dunboyne).
Claire Oakley (XMTB McConvey) is entered in the women's event and David Conroy (DLCO Scott) is down to ride the junior race.
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The riders are self funded and their entry was only confirmed in the last week.
As a result, it appears some have been unable to travel, though Kinning, Montgomery and O’Regan are expected to be in the elite men's race.
David Montgomery has been in some good form in England in recent weeks and is all set for Milton Keynes (Photo: Toby Watson)
Kinning has been strongest of the UK-bound riders, having won several rounds of the Ulster Cyclocross Series in the past two months.
He has also pushed Robin Seymour (Expert Cycles) close in the Fixx Supercross Series down south.
It will be interesting to see how he performs in what is a really strong international field including some of the biggest names in the sport.
Similarly, Moore has enjoyed some very strong performances of late, including two wins in the Ulster series.
The current campaign has turned into a breakthrough period for him, though he has not been able to take up his place in the UK this weekend.
It would have been a fantastic opportunity for Moore, but a young rider like him is perhaps hardest hit by the fact the trip is self funded.
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Set for World Cup action, Tim O'Regan leads Peter McConville in Ballawley, south Dublin, last month (Photo: Sean Rowe)
Similarly Oakley, who has ridden strongly in the Ulster series this year and rode the mountain bike race at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow during the summer, has been unable to take up her place on the start line.
O’Regan and Montgomery have both ridden cyclocross races in the UK in recent weeks.
O’Regan has competed in the National Trophy Series and also the Central Cyclocross 2014 League, where he took 3rd in a recent event.
Montgomery is currently studying in the UK and recently took victory in round 9 of the Nottingham and Derby County League.
Tomorrow’s race is the first time the UCI World Cup has left mainland Europe, with round three set for Campbell Park.
The 2.6km long course on rugged terrain in the city park includes four run-ups.
David Conroy is the sole Irish rider entered in the junior race in England this weekend (Photo: Sean Rowe)
Kevin Pauwels (Sunweb-Napoleon Games) heads to Milton Keynes with the top form that earned him second place at last weekend’s World Cup round in Koksijde.
His main challengers for the overall classification are Telenet-Fidea riders Tom Meeusen and Corné van Kessel.
Several national champions will likely try to bounce back from a poor result in the sand of Koksijde, including Belgian champion Sven Nys, French champion Francis Mourey (FDJ.fr) and US champion Jeremy Powers.
The junior race featuring Conroy, which is not a World Cup event, gets underway at 10am while the elite men start their race at 2pm.
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