Cycling Round Up |
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Archives: Olympic Report 2000 IRISH COMPLETE OLYMPIC PARTICIPATION: And so it ends. The time trial medals remain to be disputed, but the Irish participation in the cycling events in Sydney have come to a close.
So how should we judge their performances? Realistically, can be the only answer. First mountain biking: Going into the games Robin Seymour and Tarja Owens were best qualified to predict their finishing positions, given that cross country racing is less dependant on tactics than on pure strength. The variables that exist in road racing simply are not present; the fact that Seymour and Owens have competed against most of their rivals in the past also enabled them to better approximate their own strengths relative to the world's best. Both aspired to finish around the top twenty, both came up short but will nevertheless have learned much from their Olympic experience. Finishing 29th out of 30 starters was a blow to Owens; gifted a late call-up to the squad, her preparations were hardly ideal but she nevertheless hoped for more. A puncture and concomitant time-delay destroyed her progress and concentration; the failure of pocket-held gas cylinders to inflate her spare tube decimated any hope she had of staying clear of a remorseless Paola Pezzo & co. And so her first Olympic experience ended in her being pulled out of the race, the rules stating that lapped riders must take no further part in the action. Disconsolate afterwards, the Delgany cyclist later took encouragement from the realization that she was the youngest in the field. Twenty-three, many more years ahead to learn, to develop. There will be another time. There was some disappointment, too, for Robin Seymour who went into the race targeting a higher finish than his eventual 28th place. He had finished 34th in the world championships in June, reasoned that some of those in the Olympic field of 50 riders were just making up numbers, and that a top twenty placing was in reach. But it was not to be; Seymour rode his heart out but came up short on his pre-race prediction. In retrospect we think back to the recent European championships, and his sensation that all was not quite right on that day. Heavy-legged and suffering from a sore back, he pulled out of that race in order to save himself for Sydney; the possibility is that Seymour may not have managed to find that elusive 110 percent peak condition for the cross-country race. Still, starting 37th and finishing 28th amongst the sport's top riders is a commendable performance. To borrow a phrase, (probably) as good as he expected, but not as good as he hoped. Seymour is 29; physiologically, the human body tends to reach its athletic peak around this time, but it is reassuring that the seven times national champion feels he is still improving. Like Owens, a move to Europe or America is on the cards for next year, further development still possible. Whether or not he will set his sights as far as Athens 2004 remains to be seen. Less likely is Deirdre Murphy's participation in those games. At 41 years of age, her Olympic experience probably ended when she withdrew from the women's road race. Before the event, Murphy, national team director Richie Beatty and many within the sport were unsure as to how she would do; the general opinion was that if she could survive the ascents and got to use her strong sprint, that a high placing was possible. It was not to be. The New York cyclist was distanced early in the race and, on a cold, wet day, her resolve broken when she punctured. Being listed as a DNF was not in the pre-race plan, ammunition to those who argue that another should have been sent to represent Ireland. Yet given the pace set by Zijlaard et al, it is difficult to tell if another Irishwoman would have fared better. The race is over, in truth there is no way of knowing. What is likely is that the arguments about her selection will drag on, both sides involved will remain convinced that they were right. Some will insist that French-based Geraldine Gill would have performed better on the day - unfortunately, as Murphy and Gill did not cross swords this year, comparison of their form is difficult. But with many of the other contenders for that place left feeling aggrieved by the whole process, it is clear that Tuesday's result will have heightened tension between the national team director and those who feel they didn't get a chance to campaign for Sydney. That said, with Richie Beatty shortly about to stand down as national team director, the priority should not be to scrap over the issue. More urgent is the need to increase numbers of women competing, to develop rider ability and to ensure that in four years time, one or more Irish women goes to Athens with a realistic chance of doing well. Back to this Olympic games, and to what was probably the most eagerly awaited competition, the men's road race. Lance Armstrong, Jan Ullrich, Michelle Bartoli, Laurent Jalabert; the superstars of cycling. Ciaran Power and David McCann; the outsiders who were looking to spoil their party. We considered their form, juggled with possibilities, considered every eventuality and hoped for a miracle. Dreamed that the race might be decided in a bunch sprint, and that Power would nab a top ten placing as he did, twice, in the Tour of Italy. Hoped for McCann to build on his plucky Atlanta performance and go clear in a small group before the finish. In the end, reality prevailed and the heavyweights pretty much monopolized the action. The two Irish guys rode well throughout, though, the distinctive green-and-orange jerseys flitting across the screen at regular intervals as the camera panned down the main field. Close to the finish, the Telecom express of Ullrich, Kloden and Vinokourov went into overdrive but we still hoped for a high placing. With that in mind, final rankings of 43rd (McCann) and 74th (Power) were seen by some members of the media as disappointing. But hold on. A year ago, we had no professional cyclists. Up until two years ago, little confidence in our own ability as a cycling nation. Now, we had two guys mixing it with the worlds finest bike riders, contributing to the racing and, in the case of McCann, having the audacity to attack the main bunch in the closing kilometers. The Irish national champion finished a mere one minute and 38 seconds behind a rampaging Ullrich. Power only slipped back in the final stages of the 240 kilometre contest, conceding 5 minutes 50 by the line. Yet consider the 158 starters, the final positions of some of the stars, and yesterday's display is reassuring. On the same time as McCann: Zabel, Freire, Kirsipuu, McEwen, Tonkov, Camenzind, Brochard, Hamilton, Gianetti, Voigt, Sorensen, Olano, Virenque, Casagrande, Zuelle, and Pantani. Ekimov crossed the line alongside Power, while O'Grady, Van Petegem and Hoffman finished behind him. No medals, but encouraging nonetheless. Both remain in Australia for the Sun Tour, both build towards an even stronger season in 2001. Their due rewards? A big win for Power, a pro contract for McCann. On the basis of this season, it is what they deserve. As for the Olympics, this one is over for our cyclists. But the Irish will be back in 2004, aiming for bigger and better things. Time to start building. |
