AFTER Peter Daly's great triumph in the national road race championship at Portglenone last Sunday, it was hoped he would take part in one of Sunday's events Clonmel seemed the most likely venue wearing his new champion's jersey. But he returned to his French base on Tuesday to continue his programme with his team in Tours.
The Kilkenny man may go for a race in Guadeloupe next month, but his next international engagement with an Ireland team is likely to be the Hessen Rundfahrt event in Germany from September 16th to 22nd, followed by the Tour of Hokkaido in Japan.
Daly, who was 24 last week, rode in the colours of the Carrick Cidona club on Sunday, so it was a great double for them as Micheal Fitzgerald took the title at Wexford last year.
Daly's championship win came too late to earn Olympic selection the vacancy in the Atlanta road race line up was clinched by David McCann when he won the Manx International in the Isle of Man last month, when Daly was a disappointed 14th. Daly was a surprise late inclusion at the Clady sign on Sunday morning, he only decided to travel after a win at London, 50 miles from Tours, the previous Monday.
McCann, who did not take part at Portglenone because he said he had a cold, left for Atlanta on Monday morning with 4,000 metre track pursuit hope Philip Collins and team manager Alasdair MacLennan.
McCann is completing his Olympic preparation in Arizona, while Collins has gone to Fort Lauderdale. Next week in Atlanta Collins will join US based Declan Lonergan, who contests the Olympic points race on the track.
The mountain bike men, Martin Earley and Alastair Martin, are due to go out next Monday.
After the junior championship at Portglenone on Sunday won by Paul O'Callaghan from Barry Twohig and Ross Blayney junior squad manager Tony Allen drew up a short list of eight from which he is to select a team of four for the Junior Tour, which is from August 4th to 11th, and then three for the World Championship in Slovenia the following week.
With O'Callaghan, Twohig and Blayney in the squad are Simon Kelly, John Mannix, John McCarthy, David O'Loughlin and Aengus Ryan.
Allan has chosen Kelly, Mannix, McCarthy and Ryan for Riis Dun na nGall over the weekend. It is only for third category licence holders, juniors, veterans and women and is cent red on Donegal, with stage one of 55 miles this evening (5.0) over three laps of a circuit. Tomorrow's 62 miles takes in the last 50 miles of the Ras stage which Peter Daly won, including the Glengesh Pass. The final stage on Sunday is scheduled for the Barnesmore Gap and Ballybofey and then into the North and through Castlederg, Ederney and Kesh. But the promoters, Four Masters, may have to change that route.
The race at Clonmel on Sunday is the Bill Hyland memorial, noon, and the Cuchulainn club have their Paddy Neary memorial at Dundalk, 1.39. There is also the Youghal festival race.
