The Main Men: Michael O'Loughlin and Eddie Dunbar were the first names on the World Championships team sheet, with Dunbar the leader of the line-up for Spain next week (Photo: Stephen McMahon - Sportsfile)
Irish junior development coach, Neil Delahaye has said the five-man team for the junior road race at the World Championships next week is the strongest possible line-up he could have selected.
Delahaye, who took up the role of overseeing the country’s junior riders last year, added the team was not picked exclusively on talent.
“It was important for us to pick the right team and those lads we’ve picked have been the same ones there throughout the course of the year,” he explained.
“There were some hard decisions but we’re lucky to have that dilemma because it shows we’ve strength in depth. Really, it’s about making sure we have the right crew on the day that’ll give us the best chance of getting on the podium.
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"It’s the first time in a long time that there’s a genuine chance of a big result and we want to make sure we have the right guys around Eddie Dunbar,” he added.
Daire Feeley has had a fantastic year - from the start of the campaign to the end - and gets another Irish cap at the Worlds (Photo: Pawel Sadowski – Shutterstills.com)
Dunbar and Michael O’Loughlin were certainties for the team, with selection for the remaining three road race places much more open.
When asked to explain why he went for Daire Feeley, Stephen Shanahan and Dylan O’Brien, Delahaye pointed to their ability to perform regularly and on request.
“In their own right they’re all very strong and have been getting results on the domestic scene," he said
"And any time they’ve been recruited into the national setup they’ve played a big role in any success we had. They contribute to the camaraderie and the ambiance in the team.
"Each of those guys are very strong, they all have the capacity to win races and they’ve earned their places. There’s no passengers; we were very lucky to get a five-man team for the road race and everyone there can win a race and put in the type of effort we need.
Very talented against the watch, Dylan O'Brien will ride the road race at the World Championships (Photo: James Wright Photography)
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“It was a tight call between some of the others who were knocking on the door but the lads we’ve picked have been doing the job all year. We’re sticking with a bunch of lads we’ve worked with from the start and we know what to expect from them and I’m confident they’ll deliver.
“The lads who didn’t make it played a key role, though. They’re nipping at the heels all the way, especially Craig (McAuley). He came in for the Trofeo Karlsberg and had a good ride.
"He has a big physical capacity and slotted in nicely at that event and he played a very important team role when Eddie had a crash on the last day.
"And Matthew Teggart as well. He’s come back on the scene late so from that point of view he’s a man which a huge capacity, considering how much of the season he missed.
"He came back from a potentially career-threatening injury and has done exceptionally well. I’d really like to see him develop, Craig the same; I want to see them all develop at espoir level.”
A really classy young rider, Craig McAuley is very unlucky to miss out on a ride at the Worlds (Photo with thanks to Rik Masil)
The only rider – outside of Dunbar - to actually ride the World Championships is Mark Downey, and he was another who came close to getting the call for the road race.
“Mark was a consideration and he did show in events like the Newry Three Day that his road legs are still there. But the main focus for him this year has been timed events.
"You saw what he did with that silver medal in the Europeans, which was an exceptional performance. He followed it up with the national time-trial gold and he’s been setting some phenomenal times.
"He wasn’t part of events for the road heretofore and I’d be reluctant to bring someone in who didn’t have a few races under their belts with the lads. It’s about cohesion and about everyone knowing their place and what they have to do and rolling it out one more time.”
Downey, who won silver at the Europeans, rode both the time trial and road race at the World Championships last year. And while not selected for the road this time out, he at least has the consolation of making the team for the time trial, where he and O'Loughlin will be Ireland's representatives.
Stephen Shanahan has already said he'll put it all on the line in the service of team leader Dunbar (Photo: Stephen McMahon - Sportsfile)
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