The announcement yesterday of the Irish national team for the UCI Cyclocross World Cup in Dublin on Sunday week brought good news for many riders, including confirming debuts in a green jersey for some of our up and comers.
And one interesting feature of the team was the inclusion of a rider who has been racing for Great Britain over the last couple of seasons, including at major road races in Europe and at the World Road Championships in Zürich in late September.
Esther Wong, an 18-year-old road and cyclocross rider, has decided to declare for Ireland and has now gained her first place on an Irish team based on her very strong results.
As well as riding very well on the British cyclocross scene in recent weeks - including top 10s in the elite races at the National Trophy Series - Wong has impressed on the road this year.
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She gained selection for the Great Britain team to ride the junior road race at the Worlds in Switzerland, which was won by her team mate Cat Ferguson.
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And Wong also rode for Great Britain in the Nations Cup race - Watersley Ladies Challenge - in the Netherlands in August, when she was 3rd and 5th on stages and 3rd overall.
She was also 7th on a stage of the Bizkaikoloreak Nations Cup stage race, 12th in the junior Tour of Flanders and was 4th in the elite Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix in Britain in May.
In the early part of the road season, she also took 5th on a stage of Tour du Gévaudan Occitanie, a Nations Cup stage race in France. She also finished 7th in junior Gent Wevelgem as well as taking 12th in Piccolo Trofeo Alfredo Binda, a one-day Nations Cup race in Italy back in March.
Her presence now in the U23 women's Irish group - alongside riders like Lucy Bénézet Minns, Aine Doherty and others - will really strengthen that group.
We'll have more on Wong to come.
