Paul Birchall, Cycling Ireland's cyclocross coordinator, has praised the performances of the three riders who represented at Ireland at the UCI Cyclocross World Championships in the Czech Republic at the weekend.
He said the results taken by the trio - juniors Greta Lawless and Conor Murphy as well as U23 rider Dean Harvey - proved progress was being made at the high performance end of the cyclocross discipline in Ireland.
Three junior riders - Aliyah Rafferty, Aine Doherty and Joseph Mullen - were noted omissions from the team, though Birchall has said the riders that were selected gained invaluable experience.
And he believes the results - Harvey 33rd, Murphy 38th after a persistent mechanical and Lawless 33rd - provided evidence the domestic cyclocross scene was making gains on the world stage.
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“What a brilliant weekend at the Cyclo-cross World Championships in Tábor. The supporting crowd and the atmosphere were electric," he said.
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"This was the largest ever entry in its 75-year history with a crowd of over 60,000 spectators visiting during the weekend.
“Our three riders, Dean, Greta and Conor put in great performances and will have gained invaluable experience from racing at the very top level.
“Their results clearly display steady improvement at world level. All three fought from the back of their respective races passing many to achieve their great results.
“Tábor offered one of the toughest courses where competitors were challenged in every aspect of cyclocross racing. Very worthy winners prevailed in all races.
“Thanks to everyone who travelled out to support the riders and create such a great atmosphere. This means so much to these youngsters. It was amazing to see banners flying around the course for each of them.
“We’re already looking ahead to the next cyclocross season. Well done to all the riders involved in the cyclocross development programme this year.”
