The Irish U16 team has been in action in the TTs and MTB race at the European Youth Olympic Festival in Skopje, North Macedonia, with Caleb McGreevy and Emer Heverin leading the Irish charge, taking fantastic results.
In the TT, Ireland was represented by Aoife Craig (VC Glendale), Emer Heverin (All human-VeloRevolution) and Katie Turner (Orwell Wheelers) in the girls' event. Tom Lane (Dan Morrissey Pissei), Rían McCrystal (Bear Group) and Caleb McGreevy (VC Glendale) were in the boys TT.
McGreevy, a busy man on his first racing trip abroad for Ireland, was also in action again on Wednesday, as he was Ireland's sole representative in the MTB races.
He put in a fantastic performance in the boys five-lap race - which took an hour - and finished in 8th place, from a truly international 32-rider field of the best U16 off road riders in Europe.
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The U16 boys MTB race was won by Lars Peers of Belgium, in a time of 59:06, a really strong win with the youngster clinching the title solo by over one minute. France's Lucas Rodriguez was 2nd, at 1:03, with Slovenia's Lenart Dejak winning bronze, at 1:20.
McGreevy, who has now shown he is already able to compete at international level on the mountain bike, was 8th at 3:22. Also an accomplished rider on the road, he began his season this year by clinching the U16 boys Irish title at the National Cyclocross Championships in Ballinasloe, Co Galway, and has clearly timed his run to perfection once more.
Another young Irish rider who also won gold at the U16 cyclocross Nationals back in January was Emer Heverin (All human-VeloRevolution). And she has also peaked again for these Youth Olympics as she was best of the Irish in the TT on Tuesday.
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Heverin took 7th place in the girls U16 TT, taking that placing from an 83-rider field, nothing short of an immense result especially as, like McGreevy, these Games are her first international assignment with an Irish team.
The U16 girls TT was won by Karolina Hajdukova of Slovakia in a time of 14:06, rounding the course in an average speed of 41.067kmph. She took European Olympic gold by two seconds from Poland's Magdalena Polanska.
Winning bronze was Edda Bieberle of Germany, three seconds down on the winner in what was a very tight scrap for the medals. Heverin was 7th in a time of 14:25, meaning she was just 16 seconds off a medal.
Along with Heverin, Aoife Craig and Katie Turner were also in action in the TT. Craig placed 46th, at 1:14, and Turner was 59th at 1:36.
In the U16 boys TT, Yanis Berthoud (Switzerland) won gold in 12:22, racing the course in an average speed of 48.477kmph. Sander Willems of Belgium was 2nd at six seconds while Tommaso Cingolani (Italy) claimed bronze at 11 seconds.
Ireland's Tom Lane placed 23rd - of a 98-rider field - and at 43 seconds. Caleb McGreevy was 28th, at 49 seconds, and Rian McCrystal was 35th at 57 seconds.
All of the riders have the road races to come.
