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Last Updated: Sep 8th, 2010 - 20:40:34 |
IRISH TEAM FOR PARALYMPIC WORLD CYCLING CHAMPIONSHIPS ANNOUNCED
By press release
Jul 26, 2006,
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Following on the recent Paralympic Cycling Trials held in Switzerland, Cycling Ireland and the Paralympic Council of Ireland are pleased to announce the selection of the largest Irish Squad ever to represent Ireland at the Paralympic World Cycling Championships which will take place at the UCI World Cycling Centre in Aigle Switzerland from 8th to 19th September 2006.
The following 8 athletes have been selected:-
BLIND & VISUALLY IMPAIRED (TANDEM)
Mark Kehoe (Tandem Cycling Ireland - TCI) piloted by Kevin Forde (TCI):
Mark and Kevin represented Ireland at the European Cycling Championships in Holland in 2005 where they set two new Irish records in the 1km Individual Time trial and in the 4km Pursuit competitions on the track.
Mark was the first Irish cyclist to compete at the Paralympic Games in Athens in 2004 competing in both the track and road competitions having competed at European and World Championships in 2002 and 2003 gaining sufficient Ranking Points to qualify for Athens.
Kevin’s first introduction to tandem cycling was during the 2003, 5 stages of the Tour de France challenge and has been piloting for Mark since 2005.
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| Mark Kehoe piloted by Kevin Forde on their way to setting a new Irish Record for the 1km Time Trial at the European Championships in the Netherlands in 2005 |
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| Mark Kehoe piloted by Denis Toomey setting off at the start of the Road Time Trial at the Paralympic Games in Athens in 2004 |
Michael Delaney (TCI) piloted by David Peelo (Sorrento CC):
Michael competed in the 2005 European Cycling Championships and is a past Paralympic athletic competitor at 100m, long jump and high jump. He won a bronze medal in the high jump at each of the 1995, 1997 and 2001 European Championships and silver at the 2005 Championships. He won a bronze medal at the 2003 World Championships and a bronze at the first ever Indoor World Championships in 2006.
David is well known in the Irish racing scene having competed in the RAS for the past 20 years winning the King of the Hills in 1996 and a member of the winning County Team in 1997. He was three times Regional Road Race Champion in the 90s and is a past Irish Track 1k champion and Irish Hill Climb Champion. David also holds the National Place to Place Records for Limerick to Dublin, Waterford to Dublin and Wexford to Dublin.
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| Michael Delaney piloted by David Peelo competing recently at the Sorrento CC 10 mile Time Trial |
Andrew Fitzgerald (TCI) piloted by John Lynch (Bray Wheelers):
Andrew is new to cycling and was selected for the team following his performances at the Paralympic Trial held in Switzerland in June. Andrew has represented Ireland at Paralympic European and World Athletic Championships from 1985 to 1987 with a fourth place in the 5,000m final in Moscow in 1987.
John is currently cycling with the Bray Wheelers Club and in addition to riding the 2006 FBD RAS, he won the Sorrento 10mile Time Trial two weeks ago and Andy and John won the Banbridge CC 25 mile Time Trial on the tandem the week before.
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| Andrew Fitzgerald piloted by John Lynch (bottom) race against Michael Delaney piloted by David Peelo (top) at the recent Paralympic Trial in Aigle Switzerland. |
LOCOMOTOR DISORDER (Limb Amputees)(LC1)
Cathal Miller (Obelisk Wheelers)
Cathal who is missing his right hand and lower arm, represented Ireland at the 2005 European Championships and is the current Irish Record holder for 1km TT and 4km Pursuit in his class on the track. Cathal cycles with the aid of a prosthesis which grips on to his handlebars.
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| Cathal Miller competing in the LC1 4km Pursuit at the 2005 European Championships setting an Irish Record for the distance. |
CEREBRAL PALSY (CP4)
Enda Smyth (St. Tiernans CC)
Enda again is new to Paralympic cycling but has been involved with the St. Tiernans Cycling Club since 2004 . He has been competing in club racing for a number of years and was on the St Tiernans Team for the 2006 Gorey 3 Day Race. Enda will be the first ever Irish Cerebral Palsy athlete to represent his country at cycling.
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| Enda Smyth, Ireland’s first Cerebral Palsy cyclist at the recent Paralympic Trials in Aigle, Switzerland |
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ROAD TO BEIJING:
Recently appointed Irish Paralympic Cycling Manager Denis Toomey said “The World Championships are an important step on the qualification road for the Paralympic Games in Beijing in 2008.
The qualification process involves picking up maximum Country Ranking Points at International Paralympic Committee sanctioned events during 2006 and 2007 including this years World Championships in Switzerland in September 2006 and the 2007 World Championships which will be held in Bordeaux in France. The number of cycling participants in Beijing will be determined by the number of ranking points accumulated by each country between now and the games. A good performance by the squad in September is essential to help secure maximum points. The addition of David Peelo and John Lynch, two of Ireland’s top Category 1 cyclists, to our tandem panel is a major boost for the squad and their expertise and skill should help produce some top class performances from our Visually Impaired athletes.
No stranger to Paralympic cycling, Toomey acted as Tandem Pilot for visually impaired athlete Mark Kehoe, Ireland’s first ever cycling participant at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens. He is current chairman of Cycling Ireland’s Disability Commission and was manager of the Irish Cycling Team at last year’s European Paralympic Cycling Championships in the Netherlands where four new Irish Records were set.
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| Denis Toomey Irish Paralympic Cycling Manager outside the World Cycling Centre in Aigle Switzerland which will host the World Championships in September. |
Major Challenge:
Sourcing sufficient funding for the development and competition programme is one of the major tasks facing Denis as Paralympic Cycling Manager, in order to ensure Irish cyclists can realistically compete at this highest international level. Whilst Irish Sports Council funding for Disability Cycling has increased greatly over 2005 levels it still only covers approximately one quarter of the €40,000 budget required to complete the 2006 Performance Programme. The shortfall will need to be found somewhere and Denis hopes the Irish Corporate Sector will come to his support and ensure adequate funding is secured to cover the Beijing qualification and competition process over the next three years.
Compared to our nearest neighbours, British Paralympic Cycling receive an annual budget of £1 million sterling, and they have at their disposal two indoor Velodrome one in Manchester and one in Newport Wales.
As there is no indoor Velodrome in Ireland, the Irish squad have the additional expense of travelling to the UK on continental Europe just to train on an indoor track.
Toomey says “If I could get one quarter of one years British budget to cover the squad preparations & competition for the next three years I could realistically see us moving from our current ranking near the bottom of the league to a top ten position.”
During 2006 in addition to training and racing in Ireland, the squad have travelled to Manchester, Newport, Belgium, Majorca and Switzerland to compete and train mostly at their own expense. Management and coaching support is all provide on a voluntary basis.
The squad will compete in the Irish Track and Road Time Trial Championships in August as part of their final build up for the World Championships. Expectations are high for a very good performance by each athlete in Switzerland at the setting of some new Irish Records at the event.
If you would like further information on Disability Cycling in Ireland or would like to support the development of the sport, please contact Denis Toomey at dmtoomey@marathonoil.com or by phone at 087 2533630
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