The National Cyclocross Championships will be hard fought this weekend at Palace Demesne, Armagh City, where established names will seek to see off emerging riders in the battle for the medals.
In this piece we'll cast our eye over the runners and riders for the main events, which are all set to be settled on Sunday after a day of youth racing on Saturday.
Elite women
Let's take the senior women's race first. In that event, the reigning champion, Maria Larkin (Donkey Label p/b FK Law), looks like the stand-out name. But she definitely won't have it all her own way and, of course, anyone can be beaten on the day.
Larkin took the title in 2020 in Sligo and while she didn't get to defend it last year, as the events were cancelled due to Covid-19, she has looked in great form in recent weeks.
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Based in the US, she has been back in Ireland racing since late last year and has taken recent victories at McCrystal Park in Co Louth on New Year's Day and in Watergrass Hill just before Christmas.
She will definitely be hard to beat on Sunday in Armagh but one of her biggest rivals, Grace Young, knows how to win national titles and she is capable of adding another in these early days of 2022.
Young is a former Masters national cyclocross champion, has been 4th a couple of times in the elite race and is a former elite national criterium champion; beating Eve McCrystal and Lara Gillespie from a breakaway in Galway at the end of 2020 for that coveted title.
Of late she has been very successful on the Munster scene, though was beaten by Larkin when they went head-to-head in Watergrasshill last month.
Apart from Larkin and Young, Michelle Geoghegan (VeloRevolution) has a lot of international experience under her belt from the Continental European scene and she could medal on Sunday.
Stephanie Roche (Scott Quanta Racing) has also been been impressive this season and is no stranger to taking victories in the cyclocross discipline; the Leinster title among several of her wins this season.
Two other young guns, Roisin Lally (Scott Quanta Racing) and Ulster elite champion Darcey Harkness (VC Glendale) represented Ireland at the Europeans late last year and they too can impress this weekend and take home a medal of any colour.
Elite men
Numbers may be down in the senior men's race, but it will still be very competitive. One name absent from the start sheet is that of Darren Rafferty - who recently won the Ulster title - as he is in Spain preparing for his first season on the road this year withHagens Berman Axeon.
David Conroy (Scott Quanta Racing), who won the elite men's title two years ago, is also absent. He has not raced at the same level as before this season and a bout of illness has also impacted him of late.
Chris McGlinchey (Spectra Wiggle p/b Vitus) has a great chance this time around to take gold. He is an incredibly versatile rider. Coming from a downhill background, he turned to road in 2014 and within weeks he was an A1 and was in the yellow jersey in the Tour of the North; an incredible rate of progress.
Since then he has represented Ireland on the road many times and took silver in the elite men's race at the National Road Championships in Wexford in 2017 behind Ryan Mullen, then Cannondale-Drapac Pro Cycling Team. He also claimed silver in the cyclocross nationals two years ago.
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Early last year he became the first ever rider to represent Ireland at the UCI eSports World Championships and will be one of the favourites to win the upcoming inaugural first virtual national championships. Sunday is a huge chance for him to claim a national title, but others will go into the race in the same frame of mind.
Dean Harvey (Spellman Dublin Port) took victory on New Year's Day in Co Louth and though he has just moved up from the junior ranks - after a standout year on the road in 2021 - he can take a medal on Sunday, possibly gold.
Another man who will also look to take a spot on the podium is Sean Nolan. The EvoPro Racing man has just returned from a racing stint on the European cyclocross scene and has more racing in his legs in recent weeks than any other rider.
Richard Maes (All human-VeloRevolution) has been in great form on the Munster scene in recent months, winning the men's series there. It is hard to gauge his form off riders from other parts of the country as he has not raced against them very often of late, but he looks in great condition and can be confident of mounting a strong challenge for a medal.
Others who can do plenty of damage include Lee Harvey (VC Glendale), Darnell Moore (Caldwell Cycles), David Montgomery (Dromara Cycling Club), Timothy O’Regan (All human-VeloRevolution), Niall Davis (Biking.ie), Richard Barry (St Finbarr's CC), Glenn Kinning (Kinning Cycles) and Darragh McCarter; the Spellman-Dublin Port man who went on an incredible winning run earlier this season.
Junior women
In the junior women's race, there may be only five riders but it will be a competitive event and it is a full national title race.
Hannah McClorey will be closely watched by the other riders in the field - who will race for their own junior title within the elite race. She is based in the UK but as both of her parents are Irish - from Rostrevor and Warrenpoint - McClorey (RFDA) has decided to declare for Ireland.
We've only had a very brief look at her so far in Ireland but what we have seen suggests she's made of the good stuff; taking wins in the elite races in Louth and Portadown on consecutive days in early November.
The other four riders in the junior women's field are Aoife Mooney (Navan Road Club), Ellen Murray (TC Racing), Emma Smith (Navan Road Club) and Katie Reilly (Orwell Wheelers Cycling Club).
Reilly in particular has impressed on the road so far and in her fledgling career on mud. She has been the most consistent of the five on the domestic scene during the current cyclocross campaign. Smith will also put up a strong challenge for a medal.
Junior men
The junior men's race should be an interesting battle and Liam O'Brien (Fermoy CC) is the fancied rider. He won the U16 criterium title on the road last year and when he stepped up to junior level at the start of this cyclocross season he enjoyed success immediately. That ensured his selection for the Europeans, where he finished 19th.
Like O'Brien, Travis Harkness (VC Glendale) was also selected for the junior race at the European Cyclocross Championships in November, though a bout of Covid-19 meant he could not travel. He will be out to prove himself this weekend and can do plenty of damage, and come away from the venue with a medal.
Adam Gilsenan (Club Ciclistico Canturino) is also capable of a medal of any colour. He was selected for the European Road Championships last year and is one to watch. He was U16 road race champion in 2020 and last year won the A3-Junior Shay Elliott race so is clearly a man for the big occasion.
Others to watch include Oisin Ferrity (Island Wheelers), Curtis Neill (Carn Wheelers), Niall McLoughlin (Westport Covey Wheelers Cycling Club) and Sam Bolger (Killarney Cycling Club).
The course features plenty of climbing, including an uphill finish on gravel. There are also two sets of steps each lap, a set of hurdles, running sections and cambers.
It is a very physical course that will suit powerful and versatile riders, with the volume of rain of late set to make the going very challenging.
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