Big battle in store between top men at first Irish UCI CX race

Darnell Moore is the reigning Irish men's cyclocross champion and he tops the bill at tomorrow's first ever Irish UCI-ranked cyclocross race in Belfast (Photo: Toby Watson)

A mouth-watering clash is in store in Belfast on Sunday when Ireland’s first ever UCI-ranked cyclocross races are down for decision.

Unfolding at Mallusk Playing Fields, the event has been made possible largely due to the efforts of top rider and race promoter Glenn Kinning.

Not only has the racing secured UCI status, it is also sponsored by a number of commercial backers. They include Trek, Challenge Tyres, Bioracer and Atlassian.

The senior men’s race promises to be a great battle, with many of the best known names of the Irish cyclocross scene set to go head-to-head.

And with UCI points on the line, not to mention the kudos of a winning a UCI-ranked race, the competition should be fierce.

Topping the bill is the national champion Darnell Moore of Caldwell Cycles. He claimed the national title at the start of the year and since then his star has continued to rise.

He was the hill climb champion when he won his ‘cross title back in February. More recently he’s won the hill climb title again, the Irish U23 road title and taken silver in the elite road championships.

On the face of it, it will take something special to beat him tomorrow in the main event. But one man who will feel he has that edge is off-road specialist David Conroy.

The Scott-Eurocycles rider has been junior Irish cyclocross champion. He has represented Ireland up to and including World Championships level.

Conroy has gained considerable experience competing off-road in Britain and Continental Europe in recent years.

And he will rightly feel that on his day he can bring that experience and skill, not to mention his obvious class, to bear to beat Moore to victory tomorrow.

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While Moore and Conroy are two obvious contenders to win, this is not a two-horse race. There are others in the field who can press for a podium finish and even victory.

Chris McGlinchey (Chainreaction Cycles) is an interesting name on the start list. Like Moore this year, McGlinchey got among the medals against the pros at the National Road Championships in 2017.

He claimed silver behind WorldTour pro Ryan Mullen. McGlinchey then took some time out to travel and missed most of the 2018 road racing season as a result.

However, he has returned of late and just last weekend showed his legs are coming back when he was 3rd in the National Hill Climb Championships in Donegal.

Coming from a downhill background, where he was one of the best in the country; if McGlinchey's legs show up tomorrow he can go a long way.

Others who can press hard include Glenn Kinning (Kinning Cycles Cycling Club) and Graham Boyd (McConvey Cycles).

Also in the field is Ireland’s off-road legend Robin Seymour. The Team Worc man dominated the sport for decades.

And while he has eased back on the throttle a little in recent years, don’t rule him out of being at the pointy end and causing problems tomorrow.

Seymour’s class is without question and he is the best MTB and cyclocross rider the country has ever produced by a very long way.

Could the veteran pop up and claim a victory tomorrow or even make the podium? Anyone thinking of betting against that outcome would be best advised to keep their money in their pocket.

Thomas Creighton of McConvey Cycles is also in the field. A winner of the Irish junior cyclocross title earlier this year, the cyclocross and MTB international would dearly love a big result tomorrow.

Other interesting names in the field, and who have proven cyclocross winners on their day, include Kevin Keane (St Tiernans Cycling Club), Paul O’Reilly (UCD Cycling Club) and Richard Maes (Killarney Cycling Club).