Road race champion Lydia Boylan aiming higher for 2017

Double national road race champion Lydia Boylan is aiming to step up a level in the coming season, and will have the opportunity to do so after her team increased its commitment for 2017.

British-based Team WNT has secured a UCI (International Cycling Union) licence and will compete internationally in world-ranked events. This will give Boylan and her teammates a platform to gain vital experience and to chase success against some of the world’s biggest teams.

"It's fantastic news that the team has stepped up to UCI," Boylan told The Irish Times on Thursday. "It shows the investment WNT has in the team. It's very important for them that this is a long-term project. For the past two seasons I've seen the team grow so much, but they've definitely stepped up massively for this year. The programme will have substantially more UCI races."

The team will target the Tour Series criteriums in Britain, something that Boylan said is attractive to the team’s sponsor. “They’re a big opportunity for WNT to market their business. They are very good at making the most of the marketing opportunity at races,” she said.

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Boylan won the Irish national road race title for the past two years and is part of the Irish national track team. These two areas represent big targets for her.

“My first goal will be the track world championships in April,” the 29-year-old said. “I’m hoping to represent Ireland in the Omnium. After that, defending my national road title ranks pretty highly. And then I’m hoping to step up and preform better in UCI races in general.

“My programme for the year is pretty much set, which will allow me to tailor my training to make the most of my target races. This includes my efforts on the track with the Irish squad.”

Boylan highlighted her ability with a superb second overall in the international Rás na mBan in Kilkenny last September. It is Ireland’s most important race for women and featured competitors from several overseas countries.

In other news, Cycling Ireland has defended the decision not to send any Irish riders to this month’s world cyclo-cross championships.

“Being the best in Ireland is not good enough to be selected to go to international events,” it said in a statement.

“Riders need to show commitment to the sport by competing outside of Ireland; [for example] in Britain, up against larger fields of riders. Only then can that rider be judged to see how well they perform.”

Roger Aiken and Beth McCluskey successfully defended their men’s and women’s title in Tollymore last Sunday.