Marcus Christie (above) has perhaps gained the upper hand in the battle to ride the U23 World TT Championships for Ireland, though his rival of the slot, Conor Dunne, is a quality road rider and tester who has been in some very good form in Belgium in recent weeks; we wouldn't like to be making the call between the two of them (Photo: Toby Watson)
The fight for the final place in the Irish team for the U23 World Championships Time Trial saw its latest battle played out on the roads of Wales at the weekend, with Marcus Christie getting the better of his only rival to make the team, Conor Dunne.
Christie, a Foyle CC rider having a sensational season against the clock after coming back from injury, took third place in the Port Talbot Open 25 Mile TT yesterday, Sunday. He clocked 46mins 41secs.
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That time was some 37 seconds quicker than Dunne, an Irish U23 international based in Belgium with the VL Technics-Abutriek in recent years. His time was quick enough to take 5th place in the race yesterday.
Ryan Mullen, a first-year professional with the UK-based IG Sigma Sport team, clocked an eye watering 46:36, a personal best over the distance. He finished second on the day, some 23 seconds behind British rider Matthew Bottrill (Dragonzero.com).
Mullen is the U23 National TT Champion, having beaten Christie and Dunne in the title race in Carlingford, Co Louth, back in June. Last year he claimed a silver medal in the Junior European TT Championships and finished 9th in the Junior World Championships TT.
Since then he has focussed more on road racing but, as his time yesterday testifies, he is continuing to develop at a very fast pace against the clock. He also won two bronze medals at the U23 European Track Champions in Portugal this summer.
Ireland has not qualified any riders for the U23 Road Race Championships in Florence later this month, because the riders have not scored enough ranking points to get to the start line.
However, the Irish have two places in the U23 TT at the Worlds and because of his form this season, not to mention is pedigree, Mullen has been named as the first rider on that team.
When Cycling Ireland last week unveiled the road and TT teams for the Worlds, the second spot for the U23 TT was left vacant.
The federation said at the time the last place was between Dunne and Christie and noted both riders were competing in the Port Talbot test yesterday, adding it would make its decision after the Welsh outing.
While Christie obviously beat Dunne, the latter has beaten the Foyle CC man already this year, taking silver in the U23 National Championships, with Christie being forced to settle for bronze.
Christie's form appears to have continued to build since then. He has lowered the National 50 Mile TT record by more than five minutes and clocked two 18 minute 10 mile TTs.
However, Dunne is a very experienced campaigner and unlike Christie has ridden the U23 Worlds TT before.
He has also been in some very good form of late, taking second overall in the biggest U23 stage race of the season in Belgium last month, which included a TT stage. In May he won the opening stage of the An Post Rás.
Last, but by no means least, Michael Hutchinson was also in action in the Port Talbot race yesterday.
The best tester on the British domestic scene for well over a decade, the Northern Irish man declared for Ireland a couple of seasons ago and is the reigning elite National TT Champion. He also rode the World Championships last year.
He posted a time of 47:02 yesterday and was beaten by teenager Mullen by a margin of 26 seconds, the first time the younger man has gotten the better of the master.
Ireland has two places to fill in the elite men's time trial at the World Championships. However, Cycling Ireland did not name any elite male riders for the test in its Worlds announcement last week and made no mention of its plans in that regard, so it is not clear if any riders will be sent to contest it.
However, if riders are sent Hutchinson would be first in the queue, with Matt Brammeier (Champion System), Martyn Irvine (Unitedhealthcare) and possibly David McCann (Synergy Baku) also likely to be in the running.
Three-time Olympian McCann has retired from top flight competition and is now a manager with the Synergy Baku team. But he is also registered as a rider with them and took silver in the National TT Championships back in June.
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Brammeier is National Road Race Champion and as well as possibly riding the TT at the Worlds, he is still very much in the running to take the fourth and final berth on the Irish team for the elite men's road race in Florence.
That final slot will be filled after the Tour of Britain, with Dan Martin (Garmin-Sharp), Nicolas Roche (Saxo-Tinkoff) and Philip Deignan (Unitedhealthcare) already named for Florence.
As well as Brammeier in the running for that final slot on the road race team are riders like Conor McConvey (Synergy Baku), Ronan McLaughlin and Sam Bennett (both of An Post-Chainreaction) and Philip Lavery, who is currently on a trial with the French pro team Cofidis.
Cycling Ireland has not named any shortlist; those names represent stickybottle's view of who is in the running.
Peter Hawkins of IG Sigma Sport and Martyn Irvine of Unitedhealthcare, would also always be in the mix.
However, while Hawkins had his best year ever last year and started 2013 in the same manner, he crashed out of the An Post Rás wearing the yellow jersey in May and his top form has perhaps eluded him since then.
Irvine is also coming back from a crash - having broken his hip - and as a well known fast man, World Track Champion and World No 1 ranked rider in the track scratch race, the hilly nature of the road race course in Florence will not suit him.
However, he has a very real chance of being selected for the elite men’s TT at the Worlds. He rode the Belgium Open International track meeting at the weekend, underling his belief that his comeback has progressed far enough to try his hand on the international stage.
We'll bring you any news on the TT Worlds places being finalised just as soon as we get it. And when the final road team member is named after the Tour of Britain we'll bring you that too.
See results from Port Talbot TT below photo.
Conor Dunne in the TT stage on his way to second overall in the biggest U23 stage race of the season in Belgium last month.
Port Talbot Wheelers, Open 25 mile TT
Sunday, September 8th: Port Talbot, Wales
1 Matthew Bottrill www.drag2zero.com 46mins 13secs
2 Ryan Mullen Team IG Sigmas Sport 46:36
3 Marcus Christie Foyle cc – Foreign (UCI registered) 46:41
4 Michael Hutchinson In Gear-Quickfit-Trainsharp-RT 47:02
5 Conor Dunne VL Technics – Abutriek – Foreign (UCI registered) 47:18
6 Rob Pears Bath CC 48:21
7 Jeff Jones www.drag2zero.com 48:24
8 Andrew Wilkinson Port Sunlight Whs 48:42
9 Nick English AW Cycles.co.uk 48:53
10 justyn cannon RAF CA 49:16
11 Adam Gascoigne Pedal Power Loughborough 49:35
12 James Perkins Zenith – Buzz Cycles 49:42
13 Andrew Langdown Hampshire RC 50:06
14 Sebastian Ader a3crg 50:08
15 Simon Harradine Team Echelon – Rotor 50:10
16 Luke Dix Cardiff Jif 50:11
17 Peter Lawrence Team MDT 50:19
18 Tim Ashton Royal Sutton CC 50:51
19 Liam Maybank Twickenham CC 50:52
20 Ben Phillips Bynea Cycling Club 51:02
(Total field of 190 riders, all categories)
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