2003 MTB Early Season News |
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In the four-cross events, Colin Ross was best in the combined senior/junior race, while the underage contest was won by Stephen McKintock of Donore Racing. Cycling Ireland NPS round 4, Butter Mountain: Elite: 1, John Lawlor (Fiat LCV Racing); 2, C. Ross (In Touch Solutions); 3, D. McMullen (Plush) See Pictures of Newbridge CC NPS Downhill Here... Seniors: 1, David Egan (AB Racing); 2, E. Bjorsel (unattached); 3, N. Hunt (AB Racing) Juniors: 1, Jamie Popham (Fiat LCV Racing); 2, B. Reid (Plush); 3, A. Sweeney (Anci Uotti) Women: 1, Michelle McCartney (Chain Reaction) Masters: 1, Declan Halton (unattached); 2, C. Young (Henley BMX) Veterans: 1, Peter Popham (Fiat LCV Racing); 2, D. Cowen (Plush); 3, P. McGinn (unattached) Under 16: 1, Darren Quille (Newbridge CC); 2, M. Nugent (Cyclone); 3, M. Lee (unattached) Under 14: 1, Niall Wolfe (unattached); 2, L. Jones (Imprisal Racing); 3, P. Cummins (UCT) Four cross: senior and junior: 1, Ross; 2, A. Yoong (In Touch Solutions); 3, G. O’Keefe (O21 Race technology) Underage: 1, Stephen McKintock (Donore Racing); 2, M. Nugent (Cyclone); 3, S. McGinn (SMG Racing)
Owens dropped her rivals on the first of three laps in the women’s race to take her ninth consecutive win. Second-placed Jenny McCauley was forced to drop out due to mechanical problems, clearing the way for Maeve Baxter to take the runner-up position Besides extending their winning sequence, Seymour and Owens took valuable world-ranking points which will help in their bid to reach Olympic qualification. They must figure highly in the world rankings by the end of the season if they are to stand a chance of landing two places for Ireland in Athens 2004. In other categories, Lewis Ferguson was a clear winning of the junior title while there was a rare family double at the championships, with brothers Thomas and Chris Jensen winning the under 16 and under 14 events. Irish mountainbike championships, cross country, Castlewellan Park: Men: 1, Robin Seymour (Team WORC) 2 hours 18 mins 29 secs; 2, J. Mason (Cycleways Lee Strand) at 9 mins 5 secs; 3, D. Travers, same time; 4, R. McCauley (unattached) at 10 mins 20 secs; 5, R. Aiken (Banbridge CC) at 13 mins 40 secs; 6, J. McCall (WORC) at 18 mins 56 secs; 7, J. McCluskey (WORC) at 20 mins 29 secs; 8, T. Egar (XMTB) at 21 mins 54 secs Women: 1, Tarja Owens (CMC Aigle); 2, M. Baxter (unattached) Juniors: 1, Lewis Ferguson (XMTB) 1 hour 49 mins 27 secs; 2, B. Nolan (Sorrento) at 8 mins 59 secs; 3, M. Mulvenna (Ards CC) at 13 mins 6 secs; 4, P. McSorley (Apollo CC) at 19 mins 6 secs; 5, S. Curran (Banbridge CC) at 20 mins 36 secs Masters: 1, David King Smith (WORC) 1 hour 53 mins 12 secs; 2, P. McConville (Newry Wheelers) at 19 secs; 3, J. Doris (Sorrento CC) at 6 mins 38 secs; 4, E. Guilfoyle (unattached) at 13 mins 51 secs; 5, P. Anderson (Banbridge CC) at 24 mins 16 secs Veterans: 1, Peter Buggle (Apollo CC) 1 hour 14 mins 32 secs; 2, W. Mulligan (Banbridge CC) at 4 mins 40 secs; 3, J. McCabe (Chuchulainn CC) at 5 mins 16 secs; 4, K. Jensen (Sorrento CC) at 8 mins 39 secs; 5, P. McCann (Banbridge CC) at 9 mins 32 secs; 6, A. Ryan (Sorrento CC) at 9 mins 59 secs Sports: 1, Gareth Blair (XMTB) 1 hour 20 mins 56 secs; 2, A. McManus (unattached) at 1 min 48 secs; 3, K. Byrne (IMBRC) at 1 min 49 secs Under 16: Thomas Jensen (Sorrento CC) 1 hour 12 mins 32 secs; 2, A. McCullough (XMTB) at 3 mins 55 secs; 3, M. Ferguson (XMTB) at 4 mins 15 secs Under 14: Chris Jensen (Sorrento CC) 40 mins 10 secs; 2, N. McCormack (Banbridge) at 2 mins 23 secs; 3, G. Boyd (XMTB) at 3 mins 38 secs Under 12: William Boyd (XMTB) 14 mins 56 secs; 2, J. Laird (XMTB) at 29 secs; 3, M. Gordon (XMTB) at 37 secs Under 10: 1, Michael Renciman (Banbridge CC) 4 mins 12 secs; 2, C. Oakley (XMTB) at 11 secs; 3, R. Lamont (XMTB) at 37 secs
The bronze medal went to Andrew Yoong, also of the In Touch Solutions squad, who posted a time of one minute and 49.42 seconds. The ride of the day was the performance of the junior Ben Reid (Plush), who took gold in his event with a time of one minute 38.19 seconds. Reid had actually punctured halfway through his run and many observers felt that he would otherwise have got the fastest time of all the categories. He was nevertheless eight seconds clear of Simon Parkinson, who had taken part with a one day licence and was thus ineligible for silver. The medal went instead to Andy Smith (SMG Racing) who was fifteen seconds adrift of Reid but almost a second quicker than Fiat LCV rider Jamie Popham. In the other categories, medals went to David Egan (gold), George Jones (silver) and Nick Rocks (bronze) in the senior race, while in the masters event Marty McGuigan overcame a broken finger to beat Mark Dickson and Joe Ward. Stephen McClintock, Darren Quille and Mark Nugent were best in the under 16 race, and Guy Troy and Liam McTiernan took gold and silver in the under 14 event. Derek Cowan and Peter Popham were the medallists in the veterans race and Michelle McCartney was first in the women’s contest. ‘The course was a bit unusual for a championship course in that it was really slow and very technical’, said Peter Popham afterwards. ‘It was the same the whole way down. It was steep and required no pedalling at all….riders either loved it or hated it.’ Irish mountain bike downhill championship, Rostrevor, Co. Down: Elite: 1, Colin Ross (In Touch Solutions) 1 minute 35.06 secs; 2, G. O’Brien (In Touch Solutions) 1 min 38.02 secs; 3, A. Yoong (In Touch Solutions) 1 min 49.42 secs Senior: 1, David Egan (AB Racing) 2 mins 0.76 secs; 2, G. Jones, 2 mins 0.84 secs; 3, N. Rocks, 2 mins 5.78 secs Master: 1, Marty McGuigan (Plush) 1 min 48.59 secs; 2, M. Dickson (Plush) 1 min 56.91 secs; 3, J. Ward (Plush) 1 min 58.81 secs Junior: 1. Ben Reid (Plush) 1 min 38.19 secs; 2, S. Parkinson (GBR Team – one day licence) 1 min 46.1; 2, A. Smyth (SMG Racing) 1 min 53.84 secs; 3, J. Popham (Fiat LCV Racing) 1 min 54.66 secs Medalists (one day licences excluded): Reid, Smyth, Popham Under 16: 1, Stephen McClintock (unattached) 1 min 54.45 secs; 2, D. Quille (Newbridge CC) 1 min 57.41 secs; 3, M. Nugent (Cyclone) 2 mins 3.44 secs Under 14: 1, Matt Parkinson, 2 min 16.86 secs; 1, G. Troy (unattached) 2 mins 52.72 secs; 2, L. Jones (GBR) 2 mins 30.84 secs; 2, L. McTiernan (unattached) 2 mins 59.26 secs; 3, M. Dunlop 2 mins 3.44 secs (Medals: Troy, McTiernan) Women: Michelle McCartney (Plush) UCI world ranking point recipients: Colin Ross (In Touch Solutions) - Glyn O'Brien (In Touch Solutions) - Ben Reid (Plush) - Marty McGuigan (Plush) – Andrew Yoong (In Touch Solutions) - Alan Clogher (TC Racing) - John Lawlor (Fiat LCV Racing) - Simon Lennon (unattached) - Dale McMullan (Plush) - Andy Smyth (SMG Racing) - Michelle McCartney (Plush). IRISH RIDERS FRUSTRATED IN MTB WORLD CUP: (By Shane Stokes Jul 14) Mechanical problems hindered the Irish entrants in the fifth round of the MTB World Cup in Grouse Mountain, Canada, with Olympic hopefuls Robin Seymour, Tarja Owens and Jenny McCauley all suffering as a result. Seymour was riding in a fine 19th place when he punctured, and while he repaired the ruptured tube and returned to the race, he later double-flatted and was forced to pull out. The three punctures were a harsh blow to the national champion, as the slippery, muddy conditions had pointed towards a high finish in the race. Tarja Owens had a chain problem which forced her retirement, while Jenny McCauley punctured and finished in an eventual 56th place. She did take some valuable world ranking points, but will be disappointed not to have scored more heavily. Her husband Richie McCauley was 72nd in the men’s contest, four laps behind the Belgian Roel Paulissen. Next up for the quartet is the national championships this Sunday in Castlewellan, Co. Down. MTB World Cup XC round 5, Grouse Mountain Canada, Men: 1, Roel Paulissen (Siemens Mobile Cannondale) 40.24 kilometres in 2 hours 32 mins 25 secs (15.84 km/h); 2, J. A. Hermida (Motorex Bianchi) at 35 secs; 3, J. Absalon (Motorex Bianchi) at 1 min 11 seccs; 4, R. Hesjedal (Canada) at 3 mins 23 secs; 5, F. Meirhaeghe (Specialized Mountain Bike) at 3 mins 42 secs; 6, C. Sauser (Siemens Mobile Cannondale) at 3 mins 57 secs Irish: 72, R. McCauley; DNF: R. Seymour Women: 1, Gunn-Rita Dahle (Nor) Merida International 30.88 kilometres in 2 hours 9 mins 30 secs (14.31 km/h); 2, A. Sydor (Trek-Volkswagen Racing Team) at 4 mins 2 secs; 3, S. Haywood (Trek-Volkswagen Racing Team) at 4 mins 9 secs; 4, M. Premont (Canada) at 4 mins 20 secs; 5, I. Kraft (Germany) at 5 mins 16 secs Irish: 56, J. McCauley, at 3 laps; DNF: T. Owens BEST EVER RIDE BY DOWNHILL MTB TEAM: (By Shane Stokes Jul 13) The Irish downhill team had their best ever performance at a world cup with a strong ride in the fifth round event at Grouse Mountain in Canada. The event was won by US rider Gary Houseman in a time of 2 minutes 6.94 seconds, with John Lawlor best of the Irish squad in 20th, just over 3 seconds behind. Glynn O’Brien was two places further back in 22nd, while Jamie Popham (30th), Andrew Yoong (52nd) and Andy Smith (57th) completed the team’s fine showing. The squad have bounced back strongly after the theft of their bikes earlier this year, before the World Cup race at l’Alpe D’Huez in France. Faced with a bill of over seventy thousand euro, they were saved from collapse by a deal with Orange bicycles, who supplied replacement machines to the team at a knock-down price. MTB World cup, DH round 5, Grouse Mountain: 1, Gary Houseman (USA) 1500 metres in 2 mins 6.26 secs; 2, I. Oulego Moreno (Spain) 2 mins 6.59 secs; 3, K. Voreis (USA) 2 mins 6.94 secs; 4, C. Bailey (USA) 2 mins 7.77 secs; 5, S. Thomson (GB) 2 mins 8.54 secs Irish: 20, J. Lawlor, 2 mins 10.2 secs; 22, G. O’Brien, 2 mins 10.4 secs; 30, J. Popham, 2 mins 11.9 secs; 52, A. Yoong, 2 mins 15.21 secs; 57, A. Smith, 2.18.05 secs
The race also saw solid rides by the Irish cross country team in the third round of their contest. Olympic aspirants Robin Seymour, Tarja Owens and Jenny McCauley all scored points and so inched closer towards the qualification standard, which will be determined by world ranking at the end of the year. Seymour was 47th, 14 minutes and 51 seconds behind French winner Julien Absalon. Tarja Owens recovered from a puncture to place 52nd in the women’s race, won by Gunn-Rita Dahle, while Jenny McCauley was 56th. MTB World Cup, Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada: Downhill: 1, Steve Peat (Team Orange) 1 minute 41.17 secs; 2, G. Minnaar (South Africa) 1 min 41.23 secs; 3, C. Gracia (Siemens Mobile Cannondale) 1 min 41.77 secs; 4, M. Hannah (Australia) 1 min 41.87 secs; 5, N. Rennie (Australia) 1 min 42.36 secs Irish: 26, W. Corry, 1 min 46.78 secs; 39, J. Lawlor, 1 min 49.04 secs; 41, J. Popham, 1 min 49.51 secs; 49, A. Yoong, 1 min 50.53 secs; 70, A. Smith, 1 min 58.85 secs; 73, D. McMullen 2 mins 18.55 secs World Cup standings after three rounds: 1 Cedric Gracia (Siemens Mobile Cannondale) 535 points; 2, Rennie, 521; 3, Minnaar, 430. Irish: 50, Corry, 34; 73, G. O’Brien, 16; 78, Lawlor, 12; 81, Popham, 10; 98, Yoong, 2 Four-cross: 1, Eric Carter (Mongoose-Hyundai); 2, Gracia; 3, W. Bootes (Trek-Volkswagen). Other: 43, Yoong World Cup Standings after three rounds: 1, Carter, 140 pts; 2, M. Prokop (Czech Republic) 86; 3, Gracia, 70. Other: 32, Yoong, 5 Cross-country: 1, Julien Absalon (France) 1 hour 51 mins 20 secs; 2, C. Sauser (Switzerland) at 47 secs; 3, R. Green (Canada) at 57 secs; 4, J.A. Hermida, same time; 5, L. Fumic (Germany) at 1 min 30 secs Irish: 47, R. Seymour, at 14 mins 51 secs; DNF: R. McCauley Women: 1, Gunn-Rita Dahle (Merida International) 1 hour 51 min 43 secs; 2, S. Spitz (Merida International) at 1 min 48 secs; 3, B. Blatter (Specialised Mountain Bike) at 2 mins 3 secs; 4, I. Kalentieva (Merida International) at 2 mins 29 secs; 5, M.H Premont (Canada) at 3 mins 6 secs Irish: 52, T. Owens, at 20 mins 16 secs; 56, J. McCauley, at 22 mins 17 secs World cup standings after 3 rounds: 1, Sauser, 600 points; 2, Absalon, 590; 3, Fumic, 480 Irish: 74, Seymour, 32 THE FUTURE’S BRIGHTER, THE FUTURE’S ORANGE: (By Shane Stokes Jun 19) Threatened with extinction twelve days ago after the theft of 75 thousand euro worth of bikes and equipment, the Irish mountainbike team has moved some way towards survival with the news of important support from companies and individuals within the sport. Orange Bicycles has committed to supplying the team with replacement bicycles at a hugely-reduced price, saving the team a large amount of money in getting back on the road. Orange is at present working flat out to try to have the team’s custom painted, green and black bikes ready for this weekend’s round of the downhill world cup at Mont Saint-Anne in Canada. The Irish team have also been helped out by a number of unnamed donors, who between them have pledged several thousand euro towards the costs of re-equiping the squad. The bikes were stolen on June 6th when thieves broke into the team hotel at l’Alpe d’Huez in France, prior to the start of the second round of the downhill world cup. ‘The lads are very happy with the offer from Orange’, said assistant team manager Jim Smith. ‘Five of them were actually using their bikes already, and thought that they were very good. The deal we have got is phenomenal and is a great help to us. Orange is doing custom paint jobs for the team and is working flat out to have the bikes ready in time for us to head off to do the next round of the world cup.’ ‘We have also had other pledges of support – two of these were for 1000 euro and there are numerous other smaller ones. All the donors wish to remain anonymous, and it is very nice of them to help out. To be honest, we are still struggling as we have to raise a lot more money. Orange is giving us the bikes at a greatly reduced price; it is great that a British company has been able to step in and help us out so much, but we are now hoping that an Irish company may be able to follow suit and help the lads out. The team is really pulling together but it has been a tough time for them all.’ It is estimated that the squad will need to raise 40,000 euro to cover the cost of the new bikes. While they have been greatly cheered by the news of Orange’s support and the generous donations of money, there is still much to be raised. Team manager Peter Popham is, like Smith, continuing to appeal for support and he can be contacted at 086 2564224. Those who wish to help out may also get in touch with Cycling Ireland at 01 8551522 or by email at pr@cyclingireland.ie. SEYMOUR, OWENS TAKE MAXIMUM POINTS: (By Shane Stokes Jun 8) Robin Seymour dominated yesterday’s Pog Challenge race in Ballinastoe Wood, Roundwood, riding away from the field early in the contest and eventually crossing the line over six minutes clear of the next rider, Phil Cooper of the Blue Sky Cycles.com team. Banbridge rider Don Travers was a further 31 seconds behind, with the rest of the field further adrift. Other winners included Seymour’s Worc team-mate Tarja Owens, who beat Jenny McCauley in the elite women’s contest, junior Thomas Jensen (Sorrento CC) and Masters rider Peter McConville of the Newry Wheelers club. Cuchulain’s John McCabe was first home of the veterans, while Dominic Hegary (IMBRC, Sports race), Darren Quille (Newbridge CC, under 16), Nathan McCormick (Banbridge CC, under 14) and Michael Gordon (XMTB, under 12) completed the victory list. Seymour and Owens took maximum UCI points in the E2 event and so add to their total. They are hoping to reach the world ranking required to qualify Ireland for the Olympic Games by the cut-off point of December 31st this year. Pog Challenge, Ballinastoe Wood, Roundwood: Elite men: 1, Robin Seymour (Team Worc) 1 hour 17 mins 3 secs; 2, P. Cooper (Blue Sky Cycles.com) at 6 mins 16 secs; 3, D. Travers (Banbridge CC) at 6 mins 47 secs; 4, A. McDonald (Apollo CT) at 7 mins 39 secs; 5, J. McCluskey (Team Worc) at 8 mins 9 secs; 6, G. Kinning (XMTB) at 9 mins 22 secs; 7, P. Buggle (Team Worc) at 11 mins 45 secs; 8, J. Mason (Cycleways Lee Strand) at 12 mins 16 secs Elite women: 1, Tarja Owens (Team Worc) 1 hour 37 mins 18 secs; 2, J. McCauley (unattached) at 1 min 50 secs Junior: 1, Thomas Jensen (Sorrento CC) 1 hour 27 mins 1 sec; 2, B. Nolan (Sorrento CC) at 53 secs; 3, A. McCoulough (XMTB) at 2 mins 39 secs; 4, C. McConvery (XMTB) at 18 mins 50 secs; 5, G. Wolfe (Sorrento CC) at 24 mins 6 secs; 6, D. Gordon (XMTB) at 34 mins 15 secs Masters: 1, Peter McConville (Newry Wheelers) 1 hour 29 mins 8 secs; 2, R. Lamont (XMTB) at 55 secs; 3, M. Jordan (IMBRC) at 1 min 43 secs; 4, A. Prina (unattached) at 7 mins 3 secs; 5, V. Fitzsimon (unattached) at 32 mins 35 secs; 6, M. O’Hagan (Newry Wheelers) at 32 mins 46 secs Veterans: 1, John McCabe (Cuchulain CC) 1 hour 37 mins 45 secs; 2, A. Ryan (Sorrento CC) at 1 min 23 secs; 3, P. McCann (Banbridge CC) same time; 4, E. Mullen (unattached) at 14 mins 35 secs; 5, E. McConvey (XMTB) at 34 mins 33 secs; 6, L. Walpole (IMBRC) at 42 mins 7 secs Sports: 1, Dominic Hegary (IMBRC) 1 hour 40 mins 38 secs; 2, B. Murphy (unattached) at 5 mins 13 secs; 3, B. Sheill (IMBRC) at 8 mins 18 secs; 4, S. Kent (MBUL) at 11 mins 22 secs; 5, D. O’Neill (MBUL) at 13 mins 19 secs; 6, G. McCabe (unattached) at 13 mins 48 secs Under 16: Darren Quille (Newbridge CC) 35 mins 17 secs Under 14: Nathan McCormick (Banbridge CC) 26 mins 55 secs; 2, G. Boyd (XMTB) at 1 min 5 secs; 3, C. Brown (XMTB) at 2 mins 40 secs; 4, R. Davidson (XMTB) at 7 mins 30 secs Under 12: 1, Michael Gordon (XMTB) 32 mins 20 secs; 2, W. Boyd (XMTB) at 1 min 10 secs; 3, M. Fitzsimons (Newbridge CC) at 2 mins 48 secs; 4, J. Laird (XMTB) at 12 mins 5 secs DOWNHILL TEAM BIKES ARE STOLEN IN FRANCE: (By Shane Stokes Jun 8) Ireland’s downhill team suffered a crushing blow this weekend when 75 thousand euro worth of bikes and equipment were stolen from the team hotel at Alpe d’Huez in France. The squad were there to take part in the second round of the UCI downhill world cup but discovered early Saturday morning that thieves had broken into the hotel during the night and made off with their bikes and those of Portugese teams. The Spanish team were staying in a different hotel but also suffered the same misfortune in what appears to have been a carefully-planned blitz. ‘The lads are devastated,’ said team manager Jim Smith. ‘When we checked into the hotel the staff kindly agreed to store the bikes in an unused bar, which seemed secure, but thieves came with bolt cutters and got into the place during the night. It is a massive blow for the team as the hotel has no insurance to cover the loss, and the whole squad have now been left without their equipment.’ ‘We see this as the end of the Irish downhill team unless we can get bikes to compete in the next world cup in Canada. The way the UCI system works, we need points to qualify for next year. Without points we can’t qualify, and without bikes we can’t get points. All of the riders finance themselves – they get a little assistance from Cycling Ireland and Hibernian Insurance, and some from Stena Line, but most of the costs of racing are met by them personally. So this really is a huge blow to them, and something which is very difficult to deal with.’ The team managed to borrow bikes from competing squads but racing on unfamiliar machines meant that 17 year old Ben Reid was the only rider able to post a qualifying time. He finished 60th in the competition. The theft means that the Irish squad are under enormous pressure, particularly as the next round of the world cup in Canada is just two weeks away.
Next of the Irish in the main event was Will Corry, six and a half seconds off O’Brien’s time and finishing 52nd, with Ben Reid (63rd), Andrew Yoong (70th) and Jamie Popham (72nd) also mixing it with the world’s best and taking UCI points. Michelle McCartney was the sole entrant in the women’s race, finishing 28th out of the small field which took part. Popham also finished 42nd in the four cross event, ahead of Reid (55th) and Yoong (65th). Tarja Owens was the highest scorer in the cross-country contest, netting 22 UCI points for her efforts in Saturday’s race. She finished 54th, 16 minutes and 12 seconds off the time set by Gunn-Rita Dahle of the Merida team. Jenny McCauley was eight minutes behind Owens, placing 65th. Robin Seymour finished 72nd in the men’s event, but will be disappointed to come away from the weekend with just three world ranking points. Like Owens and McCauley, he is aiming to get enough points by year’s end to ensure qualification for the Olympics, and so would have hoped to have scored better on Saturday. Seymour finished 17 minutes and 13 seconds behind Specialized rider Filip Meiraeghe, with Don Travers one lap down in 96th place. Roger Aiken (114th, at 2 laps), Glen Kinning (115, at 2 laps) and John Mason (116, at 2 laps) also took part. MTB World Cup round 2, Fort William, Scotland. Downhill, men: 1, Cedric Gracia (France) 4 mins 8 secs; 2, M. Pascal (France) 4 mins 9.2 secs; 3, N. Rennie (Australia) 4 mins 9.9 secs; 4, G. Minnaar (RSA) at 4 mins 11.6 secs; 5, S. Hill (Australia) 4 mins 12 secs; 6, C. Kovarik (Austria) 4.12.1 Irish: 35, G. O’Brien, 4 mins 24.6 secs; 52, W. Corry, 4 mins 31.1 secs; 63, B. Reid, 4 mins 34 secs; 70, A. Yoong, 4 mins 38.2 secs; 72, J. Popham, 4 mins 40.5 secs Women: 1 Celine Gros (Morzine Avoriaz) 4 mins 42.6 secs; 2, Sabrina Jonnier (Fra) 4 mins 45.4 secs; 3, E. Ragot (Maxxix Msc) 4 mins 49.6 secs; 4, T. Moseley (Kona Clarks) 4 mins 51.2 secs; 5, N. Le Caer (France) 4 mins 51.6 secs Irish: 28, M. McCartney, 7 mins 10.9 secs Cross country, Elite men: 1, Filip Meirhaeghe (Specialized) 1 hour 53 mins 15 secs; 2, L. Fumic (Team-T-Mobile) at 8 secs; 3, J. Absalon (Motorex Bianchi) at 19 secs; 4, C. Sauser (Siemens Mobile) at 29 secs; 5, J. Antonio Hermida (Motorex Bianchi) at 30 secs Irish: 73, Robin Seymour, at 17 mins 13 secs; 96, D. Travers, at 1 lap. 114, R. Aiken, at 2 laps; 115, G. Kinning; 116, J. Mason, both same DNF: James Mcclusky (Irl) Women: 1, Gunn-Rita Dahle (Merida) 1 hour 47 mins 25 secs; 2, S. Spitz (Merida) at 8 secs; 3, B. Blatter (Specialised) at 20 secs; 4, I. Kalentieva (Merida) at 1 min 32 secs; 5, A. Szafraniec (Lotto-Pzu SA) at 1 min 54 secs Irish: 54, T. Owens, at 16 mins 12 secs; 65, J. McCauley, at 24 mins 13 secs Downhill, four-cross: 1, Greg Minnaar (South Africa); 2, E. Carter (USA); 3, S. Peat (Team Orange); 4, M. Prokop (Czech.) Irish: 30, G. O’Brien; 42, J. Popham; 55, B. Reid; 65, A. Yoong
Other notable performances were Roger Aiken (Banbridge CC)15th and Don Travers (Banbridge CC) 34th in the Elite men's race, Knud Jensen 8th Veteran, Andrew McCullough (XMTB) 5th Youth, Chris Jensen (IMBRC) 4th Juvenile.
The Fiat LCV rider covered the course in 1 minute and 38 seconds, over half a second quicker than Elite winner John Lawlor. Popham was three and a half seconds faster than the next junior home, Andrew Smith. In other categories, Dave Egan was best of the senior entrants while Peter Popham and Michelle McCartney won the veteran and ladies races. Carl Young, Mark Nugent and Jason Murphy came out top in the masters, under 16 and under 14 contests. Cycling Ireland Downhill NPS round 2, Minaun Mountain, Waterford. Elite: 1, John Lawlor, 1 minute 38.64 secs; 2, N. Hogg, 1 minute 44.97 secs; 3, S. Lennon, 1 minute 46.41 secs; 4, A. Cogher, 1 minute 50.29 secs; 5, D. Callaghan, 1 min 51.51 secs; 6, A. Yoong, 1 min 59.06 secs Junior: 1, Jamie Popham, 1 min 38 secs; 2, A. Smith, 1 min 41.66 secs; 3, N. Davis, 1 min 48.16 secs; 4, A. Sweeney, 1 min 50.95 secs; 5, C. Kilmurray, 1 min 52.8 secs; 6, K. Quille, 1 min 53.72 secs Senior: 1, Dave Egan, 1 min 51.14 secs; 2, N. Hunt, 1 min 53 secs; 3, E. Beorsell, 1 min 53.57 secs; 4, J. O’Neill, 1 min 54.48 secs; 5, P. Loughane, 1 min 55.94 secs; 6, P. Driscoll, 1 min 59.1 secs Veterans: 1, Peter Popham, 2 mins 23.45 secs; 2, V. Bradley, 3 mins 2.95 secs Ladies: 1, Michell McCartney, 2 mins 29.75 secs; 2, A. Hogg, 2 mins 46.52 secs Masters: 1, Carl Young, 2 mins 4.96 secs; 2, A. Carson, 2 mins 12.35 secs; 3, S. Murphy, 2 mins 15.55 secs; 4, D. O’Toole, 2 mins 16.55 secs; 5, P. Whitney, 2 mins 20.76 secs; 6, M. Flynn, 2 mins 23.79 secs U 16: 1, Mark Nugent, 1 min 45.99 secs; 2, D. Quille, 1 min 46.3 secs; 3, G. Wolfe, 1 min 49.11 secs; 4, R. Smith, 1 min 51.81 secs; 5, G. O’Keefe, 1 min 54.9 secs; 6, S. Maginn, 1 min 56.83 secs U 14: 1, Jason Murphy, 1 min 53.796 secs; 2, D. Wolfe, 1 min 57.94 secs; 3, N. Wolfe, 2 min 5.26 secs; 4, P. Cummins, 2 mins 7.54 secs; 5, C. Lawlor, 2 mins 15.96 secs; 6, L. McTiernan, 2 mins 22.93 secs TWO PODIUM PLACES FOR SEYMOUR: (By Shane Stokes May 11) Irish mountainbike champion Robin Seymour jumped closer to Olympic qualification when he placed third in both E1-ranked cross-country events held in Kissavos, Greece, this weekend. Seymour rode strongly to take thirty UCI ranking points in each of the races, adding to the total accumulated by him thus far this season. He thus moves closer to a year-end world ranking which will gain Ireland a place in Athens 2004. Seymour will be delighted with the results, but will also be rueing the puncture today which cost him second place. Today’s race was also marked also a fine ride by Ireland’s other entrant, Richie McCauley, who bounced back from the broken chain he suffered yesterday to place seventh in this afternoon’s contest. The result means that he takes his first world ranking points of the season. Both races had over 100 starters. Romanian rider Todi Oprea was first across the line on both occasions, with Konstantine Simelidis of Greece finishing second yesterday and Szilard Buruczhi (Hungary) making it past Seymour today when the 32 year-old Wicklowman suffered his puncture. POPHAM WINS BRITISH NPS DOWNHILL: (By Shane Stokes May 4) Jamie Popham today became the first ever Irish junior to win a British Downhill National Points Series event. The Fiat LCV Racing cyclist won the opening round of the series in Combe Sydenham, North Somerset by 1.2 seconds, beating 55 other juniors in the race. POINTS FOR SEYMOUR AND McCAULEY: (By Shane Stokes Apr 27) Athens 2004 aspirants Robin Seymour and Jenny McCauley picked up more world ranking points yesterday in the E1-ranked Brianza Cup MTB race in Italy. Riding on a fast, mainly flat course, Seymour found himself in the third group of riders after the start of the men’s event but picked his way up through the field to eventually cross the line 19th of 90 starters, 7 minutes and 5 seconds behind winner Julien Absalon of the GS Motorex Bianchi team. Seymour was 17th of the over 23 division and with the first 20 taking world ranking points, he adds to the total already accumulated this year. McCauley was 16th of 30 starters in the women’s race, also taking UCI points, having ridden strongly despite an infection in her leg which necessitated a course of antibiotics. She finished 9 minutes and 15 seconds behind US Filago Cap rider Annabella Stropparo. There was no joy for Ireland’s other entrant Tarja Owens, who had mechanical problems on the first lap and was forced to retire. Also listed as a DNF was Richie McCauley, who withdrew after three laps of the men’s race. Yesterday also saw a strong ride from Irish junior champion Lewis Ferguson, who performed at a level above what he has achieved before in international competition. Ferguson started at the back of the grid in the Junior race but carved his way through the field to finish 14th, just five minutes off the time set by Manuel Tochterle (GS Sportwrein). There were 45 starters in the event and his ride, combined with what he has already achieved in domestic competition to date, suggests that a bright future is in store. ‘It was a brilliant ride from the back of the grid,’ enthused team manager Geoff Seymour. ‘Lewis has never raced to this level before.’ Brianza Cup, Italy (E1): Men: 1, Julien Absalon (GS Motorex Bianchi) 1 hour 55 mins 49 secs; 2, J. Zoli (KTM International) at 4 secs; 3, R. Paulissen (Siemens Mobile Cannondale) at 36 secs; 4, J. Hermida (GS Motorex Bianchi) at 58 secs; 5, T. Dietsch (GS Motorex Bianchi) at 1 min 13 secs Other: 19, R. Seymour (Ireland) at 7 mins 5 secs Women: 1, Annabella Stropparo (US Filago Cap Arreghini Colnago) 1 hour 31 mins 48 secs; 2, A. Huber (KTM International) at 46 secs; 3, R. Boog (Holland National Team) at 1 min 59 secs; 4, S. Klose (Ralph Denk) at 3 mins 6 secs; 5, M. Brunati (US Filago) at 3 mins 39 secs Other: 16, J. McCauley (Ireland) at 9 mins 15 secs Juniors: 1, Manuel Tochterle (GS Sportwrein) 1 hour 25 mins 9 secs; 2, A. Tiberi (KTM International) at 7 secs; 3, H. Pollinger (Sunshine Racers) same time; 4, D. Marmsoler (Sunshine Racers) at 8 secs; 5, G. Clara (SC Alta) at 50 secs Other: 14, L. Ferguson (Ireland) at 4 mins 59 secs. SEYMOUR WINS E2 EVENT AT DUNDONALD: (By Shane Stokes Apr 21) Irish MTB cross country champion Robin Seymour (Team Worc) yesterday added to his world ranking points total when he won the E2 event held beside the Dundonald Ice Bowl in Belfast. The Wicklow rider finished the race in a time of 1 hour 40 minutes and 18 seconds, 2 minutes and 8 seconds clear of Banbridge CC’s Roger Aiken. British riders Adrian Lansley (Peadalon UK) and Philip Cooper (Blue Sky Cycles) were third and fourth, with Banbridge’s Don Travers fifth. Best of the Elite women was the visiting Hargraves/Trent rider Lydia Gould, who was 49 seconds faster than Irish XC champion Tarja Owens. Scottish rider Ruth McGavigan was third. E2 Mountainbike event, Dundonald (first round of CI NPS and also the NI League) Elite men: 1, Robin Seymour (Team Worc) 1 hour 40 mins 18 secs; 2, R. Aiken (Banbridge CC) at 2 mins 8 secs; 3, A. Lansley (Peadalon UK) at 5 mins 36 secs; 4, P. Cooper (Blue Sky Cycles) at 7 mins 3 secs; 5, D. Travers (Banbridge CC) at 8 mins 26 secs; 6, J. Frazer-Moodie (Scotland) at 9 mins 3 secs; 7, G. Montgomerie (Scotland) at 10 mins 24 secs; 8, C. Murley (Scotland) at 10 mins 42 secs; 9, G. Kinning (X-MTB) at 11 mins 44 secs; 10, J. McCluskey (Team Worc) at 12 mins 23 secs Elite women: 1, Lydia Gould (Hargraves/Trent) 1 hour 21 mins 43 secs; 2, T. Owens (Team Worc) at 49 secs; 3, R. McGavigan (Scotland) at 6 mins 29 secs; 4, C. Niblock (Scotland) at 11 mins 9 secs Veterans: 1, William Mulligan (Banbridge CC) 1 hour 7 mins 27 secs; 2, K. Jensen (Sorrento) at 29 secs; 3, J. McCabe (unattached) at 1 min 20 secs; 4, C. Murley (Sandy Wallace) at 3 mins 6 secs; 5, F. O’Hagan (Newry Wheelers) at 4 mins 5 secs; 6, A. Ryan (Sorrento) at 5 mins 24 secs Juniors: 1, Thomas Jensen (Sorrento CC) 1 hour 12 mins 28.33 secs; 2, R. Wardell (Scottish Development Squad) at 0.56 secs; 3, M. Mulvenna (Ards CC) at 2 mins 59 secs; 4, N. Davis (unattached) at 3 mins 10 secs; 5, D. Shearer (Scottish Development Squad) at 5 mins 11 secs; 6, B. Nolan (Sorrento CC) at 7 mins 17 secs Masters: 1, Peter McConville (Newry Wheelers) 1 hour 14 mins 15 secs; 2, R. Lamont (X-Mtb) at 7 mins 9 secs; 3, C. McGreavy (Newry Wheelers) at 11 mins 29 secs; 4, P. Anderson (Banbridge CC) at 12 mins 36 secs; 5, A. Wallace (Dave Kane Cycles) at 13 mins 42 secs; 6, M. O’Hagan (Newry Wheelers) at 1 lap Sport: 1, Peter O’Farrell (Dublin Dalriada) 1 hour 6 secs; 2, S. Galloway (Team Worc) at 2 mins 57 secs; 3, D. Askin (Irish MTB) at 3 mins 57 secs; 4, D. McGann (unattached) at 4 mins 40 secs; 5, G. McCrory (Madigan) at 5 mins 33 secs; 6, C. Burns (Apollo RT) at 7 mins 49 secs Underage – under 16: 1, Matt Ferguson (X-Mtb) 39 mins 4 secs; 2, D. Quille (Newbridge CC) at 1 min 11 secs; 3, C. McConvey (X-Mtb) at 1 min 13 secs; 4, S. Cumming (Scottish Development Squad) at 1 min 45 secs; 5, E. Sheridan (MOB CC) at 2 mins 29 secs; 6, R. McDermid (unattached) at 3 mins 2 secs Under 14: 1, Nathan McCormick (Banbridge CC) 25 mins 48 secs; 2, N. McGimpsey (X-Mtb) at 37 secs; 3, G. Boyd (X-Mtb) at 2 mins 24 secs; 4, A. Godfery (X-Mtb) at 2 mins 45 secs; 5, C. Brown (X-Mtb) at 5 mins 31 secs; 6, R. Beggs (Banbridge CC) at 6 mins 27 secs Under 12: 1, Jonathan Beers (X-Mtb) 13 mins 25 secs; 2, W. Boyd (X-Mtb) at 9 secs; 3, J. Laird (X-Mtb) at 39 secs; 5, M. Gordon (X-Mtb) at 1 min 36 secs; 6, C. Wallace (X-Mtb) at 10 mins Under 10: 1, Robert Lamont (X-Mtb) 8 mins 51 secs; 2, C. Oakley (X-Mtb) at 38 secs; 3, M. Runciman (Banbridge) at 1 min 15 secs; 4, A. Waudby (unattached) at 2 mins 17 secs; 5, C. Oakley (X-Mtb) at 2 mins 37 secs; 6, D. Runciman (Banbridge) at 3 mins 2 secs FRUSTRATION FOR IRISH MTB TEAM: (By Shane Stokes Apr 11) Cycling Ireland’s mountainbike Olympic hopefuls had a low-key showing in the Swisspower Cup in Reinach last weekend, with Jenny McCauley crashing shortly after the start of the women’s event on Saturday and pulling out due to a broken seatpin bolt. Like McCauley, Tarja Owens had been hoping to continue her good run of landing world-ranking points, but she was hampered by bad bruising suffered in a a training-ride crash several days beforehand. The Swiss-based rider limped around the course to finish outside the points in 24th place, 7 minutes and 53 seconds behind the winner Sabine Spitz of Team Merida International. Robin Seymour also suffered a below-par performance, coming home 5 minutes and 49 seconds behind winner Ralph Naf (Merida) to place 27th in the men’s event. "I wasn't happy with my ride today", a disappointed Seymour told us after the race. "My legs just weren't firing on all cylinders…I think I may have been doing too much on the bike prior to this weekend as I didn't feel rested enough’ Former FBD Milk Rás stage winner and Irish international Richie McCauley showed that he is starting to find his racing legs again with a solid ride, finishing just four minutes behind Seymour in 38th position. Still some way off the top twenty (who got world-ranking points), McCauley will be encouraged by his improving form but also conscious that time is quickly running out for him to start amassing UCI points. This dilemma is also shared by Glen Kinning, who started strongly but faded to finish 35th under 23 rider in Switzerland. Swisspower Cup, round 1, Reinach, Switzerland. Elite Men: 1, Ralph Naf (Merida) 39kms in 1 hour 33 mins 50 secs; 2, B. Brentjens (T-Mobile) at 3 secs; 3, L. Fumic (Germany) at 22 secs; 4, C. Ravanel (Orbea) at 42 secs; 5, J.C. Peraud (Switzerland) at 55 secs; 6, T. Frischknecht (Switzerland) at 58 secs Other: 27, R. Seymour (Ireland) at 5 mins 49 secs; 38, R. McCauley (Ireland) at 9 mins 55 secs U23: 1, Balz Weber (Switzerland) 39kms in 1 hour 35 mins 16 secs; 2, H. Genze (Switzerland) at 2 mins 23 secs; 3, N. Filippi (France) at 2 mins 37 secs Other; 35, G. Kinning (Ireland) at 13 mins 17 secs Elite Women: 1, Sabine Spitz (Team Merida International) 27 kilometres in 1 hour 15 mins; 2, Yvonne Kraft (Ghost International) at 50 secs; 3, M. Rusca (Arrows Swiss Bike) at 1 min 19 secs Other: 24, Tarja Owens (Ireland/CMC Aigle) at 7 mins 53 secs; DNF: Jenny McCauley DOWNHILL NPS STARTS THIS WEEKEND: (Apr 11) Round one of Cycling Ireland’s National Points Series takes place this weekend at Three Rock Mountain in Co. Dublin, with open practice running for 10 until 4 on Saturday and the race taking place from 12.30 on Sunday. The timetable is as follows: SATURDAY Open practice- 10.00am-4.00pm SUNDAY Sign on- 9.00am-12.00 Practice- 9.00am-12.00 Lunch/course maintenance- 12.00-12.30 Racing- 12.30 onwards Presentations- 3.45-4.00 approx MTB COMMISSION: (By Shane Stokes Apr 3) The Mountain Bike Commission will be running a mountain bike commissaries training course in the coming weeks. All those interested in becoming Mountain Bike Commissaries should contact Cycling Ireland at pr@cyclingireland.org by 11th April. The commission will also hold a forum dealing with this wing of the sport on Tuesday April 15th at 7.30 pm in Cycling Ireland's HQ, Kelly Roche House, 619 North Circular Road, Dublin 1. MTB RIDERS LOOK FOR MORE POINTS: (By Shane Stokes Apr 3) The Irish MTB team will this weekend continue their campaign to amass the world ranking points necessary to ensure Olympic qualification when they line out in the Swisspower cup E2 race. Robin Seymour, Tarja Owens and Jenny McCauley have taken UCI points in each of the races they have contested, while Glen Kinning and Richie McCauley will be aiming to get their scoring underway after missing out in the early events. The riders must score well throughout the season in order to push their ranking to the level necessary to gain qualification for Athens 2004. TALKS OVERTURN COOLEY MOUNTAINS BAN: (By Shane Stokes Mar 14) A recent decision to ban mountainbiking from the Cooley Mountains has been overturned due to talks between elite rider Aiden McDonald and Louth County Council. Last month the council imposed a ban on the use of motorcross bikes, quad bikes and MTB’s on the grounds that it felt these were responsible for damage to the hills. The ban was due to come into place on March 1st. Understandably disappointed at the decision – not least because the Cooley Mountains are a valuable local training ground, and also because such a decision would set a serious precedent – McDonald met with the council and succeeded in getting the decision reversed, with regard to mountain bikes. ‘It came as a major shock to me that we were being blamed for the damage to the mountains,’ McDonald told Irishcycling.com. ‘So I contacted the environmental department of Louth County Council and talked to them about it. Louth County Council have now issued a special licence for use by all members of Cycling Ireland to use Cooley Mountain commonage for the purpose of mountain biking.’ ‘I have now established a healthy relationship with the county council and will be starting some trail maintenance with all mountain users in the area.’ The first of these sessions takes place this Saturday (March 15th), with the volunteers meeting at 10 am at the bottom of the Golyin Path. McDonald is appealing for good show from local riders. ‘Louth County Council are supporting the project and so it is important we get a good turnout’, he said. As regards his own training, McDonald has had to limit his exertions to walking and some turbo trainer work. ‘I cut two tendons attached to my thumb in mid-January and have been off the bike since. I have done lots of walking and started on the turbo trainer last week. I don’t know yet when my first spin out on the mountains will be, but I am looking forward to it.’ McDonald is one of Ireland’s best off road riders, with a string of good results to his credit. Seventh in the MTB championship and fourth in the cyclo-cross champs in 2001, he improved on both last year to place fifth and third respectively in the same two races. He also finished second overall in the 2002 national cyclo-cross league. POINTS FOR IRISH TRIO: (By Shane Stokes Mar 9) Irish riders Tarja Owens, Jenny McAuley, Robin Seymour all inched closer towards Olympic qualification when they picked up crucial world ranking points in yesterday´s Brescia Cup MTB race in Italy. Owens finished 9 minutes and 40 seconds behind the winner Annabella Stropparo in the elite women´s race, placing 10th, while McAuley was 17th, a further 5 minutes 50 seconds behind. Seymour was a solid 18th of 35 finishers in the men´s elite race, 6 minutes and 39 seconds behind the victorious GS Motorex Bianchi rider Julien Absalon. There was no joy for Richie McAuley, who dropped out of the same race, while Irish under 23 champion Glen Kinning was also disappointed after breaking his chain on the first lap. He repaired his bike but lost time, finishing 20th in the Espoir ranking and consequently out of the points. Seymour, Owens and Jenny McAuley will be happy to have picked up UCI points for the third week running, as their world ranking at the end of the season will be of crucial importance when it comes to Olympic qualification. Trofeo Città di Brescia, Lombardy (E1 event): Elite men: 1, Julien Absalon (G.S. Motorex Bianchi) at 1 hour 30 mins 19 secs; 2, M. Bui (Team Full Dynamix) at 27 secs; 3, J. Zoli (Ktm International Team) at 1 min 17 secs; 4, B. Brentjens (Olanda Team T-Mobile) at 1 min 18 secs; 5, L. Bramati (G.S Scott Racing Team) at 2 mins 23 secs Irish: 18,R. Seymour, at 6 mins 39 secs; DNF: R. McAuley Elite Women: 1, Annabella Stropparo (U.S./Filago Cap Arreghini Colnago) 1 hour 26 mins 50 secs; 2, A. Hober (Ktm International Team) at 2 mins 54 secs; 3, S. Marone (U.S./Filago Cap Arreghini Colnago) at 3 mins 36 secs; 4, M. Brunati (U.S. \Filago Cap Arreghini Colnago) at 4 mins 52 secs; 5, B. Klemencic (Slovenia Kd Uni Team) at 7 mins 39 secs Irish: 10, T. Owens, at 9 mins 40 secs; 17, J. McAuley, at 15 mins 30 secs Under 23 Men: 1, Errasti Inaki Lejarreta (Orbea) 1 hour 33 mins 58 secs; 2, F. Hofer (Siemens Mobile-Cannondale) at 3 mins 12 secs; 3, A. Quadroni (G.S. Motorex Bianchi) at 3 mins 15 secs; 4, S. Lanteri (G.S. Motorex Bianchi) at 3 mins 45 secs; 5, G. Burgsteiner (Sportunion) at 4 mins 39 secs Irish: 20, Glen Kinning at 15 mins 58 secs IRISH OLYMPIC MTB CAMPAIGN CONTINUES IN ITALY: (By Shane Stokes Mar 8) The Irish Olympic mountainbiking campaign continues today (Saturday) when a quintet of riders line out in the Brescia Cup near Milan, in Italy. The team comprises Jenny McAuley and Tarja Owens, who were 7th and 11th in last weekend’s Afxentia Cup in Cyprus, Robin Seymour (14th, elite men’s event), plus Glen Kinning and Richie McAuley. ‘It will be interesting to see how they get on,’ said the team manager Geoff Seymour. ‘Last weekend’s event was almost like a road race – it wasn’t very technical, the ground was dry and hard, but Italy should give a better picture as to how the whole team is going.’ Sunday’s E1 race is one of 23 international events highlighted by Cycling Ireland’s MTB commission as sources of the world ranking points required to ensure Olympic qualification. Four of these races will take place in Ireland, namely the national championships in Castlewellan on July 19th-20th, plus three E2 events in locations around the country: Dundonald on Sunday 20th of April, Wicklow on Sunday 21st of September and Rostrevor, one week later. Every event will be of importance to the squad, offering as they do a chance to improve the rider’s points total and so enhance their chances of qualifying for the 2004 Games. Of those on the team, Robin Seymour and Tarja Owens are the only Olympians, having made their debut in Sydney 2000. Seymour qualified by reaching the required world ranking at the end of 1999, while Owens benefited when the IOC handed out a small number of additional places for the women’s event in the summer of 2000. For Athens 2004, a top 50 place in the world ranking would guarantee qualification for the men’s event, while the smaller size of the women’s scene means that a top 30 place would be enough for Owens, McAuley or whoever else produces the goods between now and the end of the year. Although Ireland could possibly qualify more riders outside this cut-off point - for example, if others made it well into the top 100 (top 50 for women), this route is an unpredictable one. And so the pressure is on to get as many points as possible. ‘Robin, Tarja and Jenny got some points last weekend but they and the other riders have a lot to do with regards to qualification,’ said team manager Geoff Seymour. ‘There is a big programme of events that we have highlighted this year and it is important for them to score well and often if they are to make the cut-off.’ ‘Basically, only the points gained this year plus those carried over from last year’s world championship will count towards the final total on the 31st of December 2003,’ he elaborated. ‘So far Robin has 61 points – we reckon he will need close to 500 to guarantee a place in the top 50. The top 100 will count, but getting into the top 50 means a guaranteed place. Therefore he is approximately 10 percent of the way there. Tarja has 84 points so far and Jenny has 42. We reckon that the women will need about 450 to just get into the top 60 and a lot more to guarantee a place by getting into the top 30. So you can see that there is a lot of work to be done between now and the end of the year.’ Fortunately, the considerable cost of travelling to the international races on the programme will be offset somewhat by funding provided by the Irish Sports Council. Riders will initially receive only a small proportion of their costs from this fund, but as the year goes on more and more of their expenses will be covered. According to Seymour, this is to ensure that the riders are fully committed to the whole programme. ‘In total there will be over 110 days away this year, so we need a team who show they are prepared to put in a lot of time and effort’, he says. The initial line-up for the squad is Seymour, Owens, Kinning and Richie McAuley, although Jenny McAuley’s unexpected good form means that she looks set to be confirmed as part of the official lineup. In order to facilitate other riders who want to become part of the funded programme and, presumably, to eliminate others if it becomes clear they are not in with a chance of reaching the required ranking, two ‘break points’ have been set in place; these cut-off standards represent proportions of the total points needed to qualify by the end of the year. For example, the first break point is for 50 points (men) and 90 points (women), and falls just before the Dundonald race in April. The second, at the end of May, is for 120 points (men) and 225 (women). Clearly a lot of work lies ahead, both for those on the team and those trying to break in. Geoff Seymour is relatively happy with their performance last weekend, although he points out that Robin, his son, finished further up the field last year. ‘Robin did better in the race twelve months ago. Then again, the quality of the field this year was much higher and so I was pretty satisfied with how the team did overall. The important thing is for the team to score points as often as possible, as we have to earn a lot if we are to qualify for the Olympics.’ McAuley’s seventh place last weekend was a very welcome boost for the Irish campaign, coming as it did after a number of years away from regular competition. ‘Jenny’s performance took us all by surprise,’ confirmed Seymour. ‘She had told people she wasn’t training very much, but is clearly as fit as a fiddle. It is good news for us; basically, it means that we have another woman who could potentially qualify for Athens. This weekend’s race should be a lot more technical, requiring more bike-handling skills, so we will get a better idea of her overall potential. If she does well there then that will be a very encouraging sign.’ One side-effect of McAuley’s unexpected form is that the pressure has been increased on current Irish champion Tarja Owens, who has raced as a professional in Italy and who is currently on UCI scholarship in Switzerland. It is an established rider’s nightmare; a less-experienced team-mate appears from nowhere and out-performs you in an international race. However Seymour stresses that Owens was below form in Cyprus. ‘Some people were looking at the results and saying that Tarja didn’t do as well as she should have, in comparison to how Jenny got on. But things were tough for her over there; she had spent only 3 hours in bed before the first race (the one-day Voroklini Cup) as her plane in from Geneva had been cancelled. I had to collect her at three in the morning after a later flight, and it was almost 4 o’ clock before she got to bed. To make matters worse, the race had been moved from Sunday to Saturday because of the presidential elections, so she had far from the ideal preparation.’ ‘Tarja was ill for a few days afterwards, and then overtrained in trying to catch up. So she was below form going into the stage race the following weekend. Hopefully everything will go right in Italy, as Cyprus was pretty frustrating for her.’ Irish under 23 champion Glen Kinning and Richie McAuley, a former Irish international in both road and MTB, will also be hoping for a better showing this weekend. They placed just inside the top 50 in the Voroklini Cup but were both eliminated on day two of the Afxentia Cup due to a 15% time limit rule. With the pressure on already to begin accumulating points, they will line out in Italy tomorrow knowing that they must start raising their game if they are to stand a realistic chance of securing places amongst the elite in Athens. That may sound harsh at this early stage to the season, but with so many other riders trying to get qualified, pushing for those Olympic places, Kinning and McAuley have unfortunately little time to settle in.
Starting on Friday, the race comprised a 10 kilometre hill climb time trial, a point to point mass start race and finally, today, a circuit race. German rider Yvonn Kraft took the honours overall, with McCauley finishing 7 and a half minutes adrift and the more experienced Irishwoman, Tarja Owens, a further nine and a half minutes and four places further back. Robin Seymour was the sole Irish finisher of three starters in the men´s event, placing a fine 14th overall, 13 minutes off the winning time set by Belgian Rolf Paulisson. Riche McCauley and Glenn Kinning both finished outside the time limit yesterday and were eliminated. McCauley, Owens and Seymour all earned world-ranking points for Ireland, thus marking a rewarding start to the drive for Olympic qualification. Irish riders will continue to ride a number of world- ranking events this year with the aim of improving both their individual world ranking and the collective ranking for Ireland in order to secure Olympic places in Athens. Afxentia Cup final overall, Elite men: 1, Rolf Paulisson (Belgium), 3hours 29 mins 36 secs; Irish: 14, R. Seymour, at 12 mins 58 secs DNF: Glenn Kinning and Richie McCauley Elite women: 1, Yvonne Kraft (Germany) 3 hours 30 mins 26 secs Irish: 7, J. McCauley, at 17 minutes 28 secs; 11, T. Owens, at 27 mins 4 secs IRISH MTB RIDERS GET OLYMPIC CAMPAIGN UNDERWAY: (By Shane Stokes Feb 23) Four of Ireland´s MTB riders began their drive for Olympic qualification this weekend when they lined out in the strongly- contested Voroklini Cup E1-ranked event in Cyprus. National champion Robin Seymour was best of the Irish in the 6 lap men´s race, finishing a good 18th, seven minutes and 18 seconds behind Dutchman Bas Peters. Richie McCauley and Glen Kinning were one lap down, 48th and 49th respectively of the 74 starters. Tarja Owens and Jenny McCauley rode well in the 5 lap women´s event, fought out by 20 riders. The Irish duo finished 9th and 10th behind German victor Yvonne Kraft. The Irish riders will continue their quest for the qualifying world ranking points when they contest the three day Afxentia Cup next weekend. ´There was a good turnout today´, said manager Geoff Seymour afterwards. ´It turned out to be like a mini World Cup race, with the Olympic teams from Holland, Belgium, Britain, Germany, Russia and many more hunting for world ranking points.´ Voroklini Cup, Elite men: 1, Bas Peters (Holland) 6 laps in 2 hours 2 mins 35 secs Irish: 18, R. Seymour, at 7 mins 18 secs; 48, R. McCauley, at 1 lap; 49, G. Kinning, at 1 lap Elite women: 1, Yvonne Kraft (Germany) 5 laps in 2 hours 6 mins 48 secs Irish: 9, T. Owens, at 8 mins 29 secs; 10, J. McCauley, at 9 mins 23 secs OLYMPIC CAMPAIGN BEGINS: (By Shane Stokes Feb 21) Four of Ireland´s Elite mountain bike riders began their campaign for Olympic qualification when they embarked on an eleven day trip to Cyprus yesterday. Robin Seymour, Glen Kinning, Richie McCauley and Tarja Owens will use their time abroad to train and also, crucially, to take part in two international races which they hope will help raise their world ranking towards the required level. Tomorrow the quartet will line out in an E1 event in Voroklini in Cyprus, with a three-day stage race based around the Afxentia area of the Troodos Mountains to follow next weekend. Of the four, Seymour and Owens have already experienced the chase for Olympic qualification, with their 1999 world rankings of 53rd and 57th ensuring that Ireland secured two berths in the Sydney 2000 cross country event. The duo went on to compete for the country in the races and have listed Athens 2004 as their main goal for the future. Cycling Ireland's elite MTB riders will line out in a number of International world-ranking events this year, with the two Cypriot races the start of what is hoped will be a successful campaign. |
SEYMOUR, OWENS EXTEND
WINNING SEQUENCE: (By
Shane Stokes Jul 20)
Robin Seymour and Tarja Owens today extended their winning streak in the
national mountainbike championships at Castlewellan Park, Co. Down, dominating
the men’s and women’s cross-country mountainbike titles. Seymour rode
strongly to take his tenth straight gold medal, moving clear of Banbridge rival
Don Travers when he punctured on the second lap, and building a near-ten minute
lead over Cycleways Lee Strand rider John Mason and Travers by the finish.
ROSS
TAKES FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP WIN: (By
Shane Stokes Jul 20) The strong showing by John Lawlor and Glyn O’Brien
in the recent round of the world cup in Canada had earned them the tag of
favourites for the Elite division in Sunday’s Irish national downhill
championships, but instead it was In Touch Solutions rider Colin Ross who took
gold at the end of a thrilling day’s racing. Ross covered the tough, technical
descent in a time of one minute 35.06 seconds, just over three seconds faster
than O’Brien, who had the misfortune to crash heavily during his second run.
He had jumped a large rock in an attempt to improve on Ross’s time but lost
control, hitting the ground and breaking a bone in his chest.
IRISH
DOWNHILL RIDERS BOUNCE BACK: (By Shane Stokes Jun 29) The Irish
downhill team bounced back from the recent theft of their bicycles to place four
riders inside the top fifty at the fourth round of the UCI World Cup in Mont
Sainte Anne, Canada. With most of the team riding bicycles provided by Orange
under a special deal to keep the squad up and running, the display by Will
Corry, John Lawlor, Jamie Popham and Andrew Yoong was a clear sign that morale
remains high on the squad. Indeed Corry took the best ever World Cup result by
an Irish downhill rider, placing a fine 26th in the race which was won by Briton
Steve Peat. Yoong finished 43rd in the four-cross event.
IRISH RIDERS IN MTB WORLD
CUP: (By Shane Stokes Jun 2)
Irish riders performed solidly in the second round of the MTB World Cup in Fort
William, Scotland, over the weekend, with Glynn O’Brien in particular
impressing in his downhill speciality. O’Brien finished a fine 35th in the
elite race, posting a time which was 16.6 seconds off the winning pace of
Frenchman Cedric Gracia in the contest. He also finished 30th in the four-cross
race on Saturday, netting a grand total of 87 world ranking points in two days.
Good
Cross Country Results: (May 20) Irish riders
who made their way to UK National Points Series XC #2
UCI ranked E2 at Catton Hall in England last weekend
claimed three podium places. Jenny McCauley who only
returned to MTB racing last year took 3rd place in the
Elite women's race. XMTB's Lewis Ferguson finished an
impressive second in the junior event and young Thomas
Jensen claimed victory in the youth event.
POPHAM’S GOOD FORM
CONTINUES: (By Shane Stokes May 11)
Jamie Popham continued in the vein of form which won him the junior race in the
opening round of the British National Points Series in North Somerset last
weekend when he was fastest yesterday in the Irish NPS round two at Minaun
Mountain, Waterford.
WEEKEND
ROUNDUP: (By Shane Stokes Mar 2) Jenny
McCauley has spent many years away from international
competition but her return to mountainbike racing this
year has been an impressive one. Last Saturday McCauley
(nee Brennan) rode well in the Voroklini Cup in Cyprus,
placing 10th, and this weekend she improved on that when
she finished an excellent seventh in the Afxentia Cup
three day D2 event.