Six Irish riders strike gold at National Track Champs | Videos | Sticky Bottle

Lara Gillespie (left) won the Irish elite women's scratch race title at the National Track Championships from Emily Kay (right). That 1-2 was reversed in the omnium, held as part of the Dublin International GP (Photo: Bryan Keane-Inpho)

In-form riders Lara Gillespie and Aaron Wade were among six Irish cyclists to strike gold at the National Track Championships today on the Sundrive Road Velodrome in Eamon Ceannt Park, Crumlin, Dublin.

Gabriella Homer, Orla Walsh, Andre Grennell and Harvey Barnes were also on the mark, winning coveted national titles in the first of two days of racing in what is a combined National Track Championships and Dublin International GP meeting.

Gillespie, who won the final round of the Cycling Ireland National Road Series in Dromore, Co Down, last weekend was on the mark early this morning when she claimed victory in the women's scratch race.

The battle for gold and silver was very tight at the front of a nine-rider group, with Gillespie leading it around the last bend but being pushed all the way by Olympian Emily Kay (Torelli-Assure-Cayman Islands). However, while it was tight on the line; Gillespie held off her track international team mate. Gaby Homer (St Piran) took bronze a little further back.

The men’s scratch race was also a tight affair, with a breakaway going clear and surviving to fight it out for the medals. In the four-up sprint from that breakaway group, Andre Grennell (Spellman Dublin Port Cycling Team) put in a great final gallop to beat national criterium champion John Buller (Amicale Cycliste Bisontine).

Stephan Caulfield-Dreier took bronze, making it a 1-3 for Spellman Dublin Port Cycling Team. Paul Antoine Hagan, the Banbridge CC rider who has broken into the national road team set-up this year, was 4th of the four-man group fighting it out at the finish.

Lara Gillespie sprints to glory in the Scratch race (National Championships) ahead of Emily Kay and Gabriella Homer 👏 pic.twitter.com/9LPhAgB2IB

— Cycling Ireland (@CyclingIreland) August 27, 2022

Even before the women's and men's scratch races had been decided this morning, the elite men's and elite women's individual pursuit qualifiers had been held on the track on Friday evening, when the match-ups for the medal rides today were decided.

In the women's title race, the gold-silver ride-off was between Gaby Homer (St Piran) and Keela MacHale (Sundrive Track Team) while the fight for bronze was between Claire Ní Reachtagáin (Sundrive Track Team) and Jennifer Neenan (Sundrive Track Team). Today it was Homer who prevailed over MacHale, with Neenan taking the bronze after beating Ní Reachtagáin.

In the men's individual pursuit title race, the gold-silver ride was between Aaron Wade (Team U Cube 17) and Sean Lenehan (Spin11-Chain Reaction RT), with the bronze between Michael Phelan (Spellman Dublin Port) and Seán Landers (UCD Cycling Club). In the end, Wade won the title from Lenehan with Landers seeing off Phelan for bronze.

Moving to the power specialists on the start list today, Orla Walsh (Nopinz Motip Race Team) took the gold medal in the 500m TT in a time of 36.13, which was a track record. Deirbhle Ivory (UCD Cycling Club) took the silver in a time of 38.41 while Orla Mary Harrison (Arcane Cycling Team) won bronze in a time of 39.88.

In the men’s Kilo, it was Harvey Barnes taking another gold medal for Spellman Dublin Port in what was a very tight contest between the winner and runner-up. Barnes, who also won the title last year, was victorious in a time of 1:07.565 from Eoin Mullen (Black Line), who clocked 1:07.604. Aaron Wade added a kilo bronze to his pursuit gold, with a time of 1:10.047.

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Walsh's win in the 500m TT and Barnes's victory in the Kilo also counted as UCI C2-ranked victories as both of those events were Dublin International GP races, as well as part of the National Championships. There were also a number of events held today that were Dublin International GP races only, meaning there were no national medals down for decision in those.

In the women’s omnium it was Emily Kay (Torelli-Assure-Cayman Islands) – the only Irish Olympian racing today -who took victory ahead of Lara Gillespie (UCD Cycling) and South African Kerry Jonker (Andy Schleck CP NVST). And in the men’s omnium, Aaron Wade (Team U Cube 17) won from Danish rider Andres Fynbo (Spellman Dublin Port Cycling Team) with Stefan Caulfield- Dreier (Spellman Dublin Port Cycling Team) in 3^rd.

A junior men’s scratch race was also held today – again, part of the Dublin International only, and not for an Irish title. National champion Patrick O’Loughlin (Panduit Carrick Wheelers) won that event from Christopher Marshall (Pinergy Orwell Wheelers) and Luke Bernie (Navan Road Club).