The Irish endurance track team has taken six podiums, including wins, at the Australian National Track Championships as they continue their preparations for their final races towards qualification for the Paris OIympics.
Having competed in the Adelaide round of the UCI Nations Cup - the key qualifying series for the Games - the Irish riders have stayed on in Australia for an extended training camp.
That involved being allowed to race in Australia's National Track Championships in recent days as part of their preparation for next week's UCI Nations Cup in Hong Kong, where they could seal their qualification of the Olympics with plenty of time to spare.
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The main event, of course, for these riders is the team pursuit, which they rode the Australian nationals and recorded the fastest time. They stopped the clock at 4:17.670, less than one second outside their national record of 4:16.877, which they set just over a year ago in Jakarta.
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Lara Gillespie also won the scratch and elimination races at the Australian nationals, as well as bronze in the points race. Kelly Murphy won the individual pursuit - in a new national record time subject to ratification - with Mia Griffin 2nd, Alice Sharpe 5th and Erin Creighton 8th.
The team pursuit line-up at the Australian nationals was comprise of Gillespie, Griffin, Sharpe and Murphy, which will likely be the first choice in the final push for Paris, with Creighton substitute have broken into the national elite set-up straight out of the juniors.
Ireland will commenced their Nations Cup in Hong Kong in the early hours of next Friday morning, which have squeezed in some more preparation in Brisbane between the Australian nationals and their departure for Hong Kong.
