DAVID O’LOUGHLIN will today ride the individual pursuit in the Beijing World Cup, aiming to better the sixth-place finish he achieved at last year’s world championships. He and the other Irish riders who will compete in the world cup fine-tuned their fitness last week with an intensive training camp in the velodrome in Newport, Wales.
Seán Downey showed his good form there with strong rides in the most recent round of the Newport track league. He won the points race and took second in the scratch event, and will compete in both in Beijing. He’s in action today and tomorrow, with the points race first of those two.
O’Loughlin, Martyn Irvine, Paul Healion and David McCann will ride the team pursuit tomorrow, motivated by the thoughts of bettering the Irish record of 4.15 set there last year, while Paul Healion will do the one-kilometre time trial.
The Irish team’s confidence was boosted in Newport when they set several training records. Illness has unfortunately led to European junior points race champion Sam Bennett missing the trip to China.
To road news, and Nicolas Roche will get his season under way on Sunday when he lines out in the Cancer Council Classic in Adelaide. The 51-kilometre criterium was formerly known as the Down Under Classic, but has been renamed to tie in with Lance Armstrong’s return to competitive cycling. Armstrong has said his goal is to increase global awareness of cancer.
Both will then begin the ProTour-ranked Tour Down Under on Tuesday, forming part of the 133-man field in the six-stage race.
Elsewhere, Philip Deignan will join Tour de France victor Carlos Sastre plus the rest of the new Cervélo Test Team for their official launch on Sunday. It is taking place close to Faro in Portugal, where Deignan and the others will spend several days training hard in advance of the season.
The An Post M Donnelly Seán Kelly team are also on the Iberian peninsula, training in Calpe, Spain. The camp started on the 10th and runs until Tuesday.
The final line-up of the team is yet to be confirmed, but it is understood that FBD Insurance Rás winner Stephen Gallagher will be one of several Irish riders staying with the team. O’Loughlin is joining, and will begin racing with the squad once he has a break in track competition.
WEEKEND FIXTURES
Sunday:Bangor Winter league, Castle Park, Bangor (11.30); Leinster training camp for underage riders (Bray Wheelers clubhouse, 10am). Contact Gerard Campbell on 086-8192205.
