Rhiannon Dolan, the Co Louth teenager riding for TC Racing, has put in a spirited display the UCI World Junior Track Championships in China, showing confidence in against the best in the world.
Dolan (17) was the sole Irish rider at the Worlds in Luoyang after Mya Doocey was also picked but then ruled out due to injury. However, the fact Dolan was a one-rider team did not dampen her approach to what was a very busy few days on the boards.
Her campaign ended in a crash, in her last event of the championships, though she banked invaluable experience and showed she wasn't afraid - and had the legs - to have a go off the front.
Dolan first competed in the scratch race qualifiers, placing 8th, which sent her into the final of the event where she was 17th. She was next up in the elimination race; placing 8th in the morning qualifier before going on to 13th in the final.
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And on the final day of competition it was clear she had found her feet, and had gained in confidence in a World Championships setting; her first major event in the green of Ireland.
Dolan took on the four-race omnium, first getting through the 40-lap, 10km, qualifying race to earn her place in the world title race proper.
In the opening scratch race she was 22nd before going on to the tempo race, which proved a game of two halves for Dolan but also offered a glimpse at what she may be capable of in the future.
She went out hard and won the first four sprints, taking an aggressive approach and not being afraid to press on early in the hectic 5km event.
And though she was caught, then lost a wheel and lost a lap, the fact she was able and willing to impose herself was a very good sign for the future. She was then 20th in the elimination race before a crash ended her participation in the points race, the final event of four in the omnium.
