There was an unexpected double boost for Irish cycling yesterday when, within a matter of hours both a professional contract for Mark Scanlon and an Olympic place for Tarja Owens were confirmed. Scanlon (19) looks set to slip into the yellow regalia of the Linda McCartney team for a couple of events towards the end of the year before making his debut proper next season, while Owens will be kitted out in the green of the Irish team in the elite women's mountainbike race in Sydney.
Both announcements will come as a surprise to some within the sport. Scanlon's credentials are indisputable, his winning of the world junior cycling championship in 1998 is proof of his prodigious ability, but being promoted to the paid ranks is rare for one so young. However, manager Frank Quinn is unperturbed by the question of age. "We are very happy to sign for the Linda McCartney squad. Firstly, they are a team which is clearly on the up, and secondly we believe that they will allow Mark to develop at a pace which is right for him. Mark is a class act, I believe he is going to make a very good professional," he said. Scanlon professed to being delighted with the move. "It is great, I am really looking forward to it. The team are well aware that I will be just 20 years of age, but Sean Yates (the team manager) has told me that he will make sure I will progress at my own pace."
Scanlon hopes to ride some races with the team to prepare for the world under-23 championships in France in October. He will make his debut proper next spring alongside Waterford's Ciaran Power, who is expected to be retained for 2001. But it is Owen's Olympic selection which is the bigger surprise, given that a quartet of Irish riders had already been ratified and finalised for Sydney. The 23-year-old finds her way into the squad after some of the countries awarded a place in the women's mountain-bike cross-country race indicated they would not be sending a full complement to the Olympics, leaving the way open for a fifth berth.
Listed as a reserve for the event, the Irish Cycling Federation nominated her for the slot yesterday and this was later ratified by the OCI. A fitting reward after years of effort, and one which is also somewhat poetic; Robin Seymour, who will compete in the men's mountain-bike event is both her Helly Hansen team-mate and boyfriend.
