Top Gun: His season wearing the rainbow jersey may have been derailed by crashes, but Martyn Irvine has been preparing well in the US of late to defend his scratch race world title in Colombia next week.
It may be a small line-up compared to the biggest track cycling nations in the world, but the three riders who will represent Ireland at the upcoming World Track Championships in Colombia make up perhaps the best national track line-up ever assembled.
Martyn Irvine is going to Cali looking for more silverware, having won the scratch world title in Minsk 12 months ago and taken a silver in the individual pursuit on the same afternoon.
Caroline Ryan took bronze in the scratch race in Melbourne two years ago, was 5th in Minsk last year and is currently the World No 1 individual pursuiter in the UCI’s official rankings.
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Ryan Mullen is the baby of the team, but is one of the best young talents Ireland has had for decades and has already taken two medals at a major championships.
The one name unfortunately missing from the line-up is that of sprinter Eoin Mullen, who has not qualified this time around.
However, with three very strong talents pulling on the green of Ireland in Colombia, hopes are very high that we can take something from the championships which unfold in the Alcides Nieto Patino Velodrome in Cali from the February 26th to March 2nd.
The Irish trio will ride a total of six events. Irvine takes in the scratch race, points race and individual pursuit. Ryan rides the same three events while Mullen takes in the pursuit only.
Caroline Ryan has taken medals on the world stage before and is looking for more of the same in Cali
The team has already landed in Cali in recent days, from where Cycling Ireland head coach Brian Nugent sounded in bullish form.
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“Preparations have been going really well,” he said.
“Caroline and Ryan have been here all week, settling in and getting used to the track. Martyn arrives in today from Denver.”
While the destination of the medals was hard to predict, Nugent said the team had enjoyed a very good World Cup campaign this season.
“It will be a tough World Championships; the worlds is always a different level. The best riders in the world will be here, and in their best form. But we’re looking forward to that. It’s what we’ve been building up to all year. We’re ready for the challenge, and we’re here to compete for medals.”
Irvine has suffered two bad crashes since his amazing day at last year’s worlds.
He has spent most of the past 12 months come back from the effects of those crashes but has also won points race gold at the UCI World Cup in Manchester in November and took a bronze medal at the European Championships in the omnium last October.
Caroline Ryan took a bronze medal in the pursuit at the UCI World Cup in Mexico in December; the first woman to make the podium at a World Cup.
And last summer Ryan Mullen won two bronze medals at the U23 European Track Championships in the scratch race and individual pursuit.
As ever, we’ll keep you posted on their progress.
Ryan Mullen (right) took two bronze medals at the U23 European Championships last summer and is capable to scaring some of the big names in Colombia.
