Cycling Column: Ciarán Power and Mark Scanlon have had little respite since their participation in the Olympic road race six days ago, with both professionals back to the grind.
Power is in action tomorrow with his Navigators team, taking part in the Downers Grove Challenge in Illinois. On Sunday he will ride the US Pro Criterium Championships and will hope to reproduce the kind of form which netted him a 13th place in Athens.
Scanlon withdrew from the road race there due to fatigue and he will hope to have recovered before the start of the four-day Tour du Poitou Charentes et de la Vienne on Tuesday.
With no Irish qualified for the track events, mountainbike riders Robin Seymour and Jenny McCauley are the only two left to compete in Athens. Seymour took a morale-boosting win in an E2 event in Cyprus earlier this week; McCauley was running second in the women's race but was forced to pull out due to a puncture and faulty air canister. She is first off in the women's cross country on August 27th. Seymour races 24 hours later.
Ireland have qualified two riders for the elite world road-racing championship in Verona on October 3rd. Following years outside the top 30, Ireland are now ranked 29th. Mark Scanlon is best in the individual rankings, 172nd with 304 points, with Power 372nd and David McCann 407th. Philip Deignan and Nicolas Roche are fifth and 63rd respectively in the under-23 rankings.
Meanwhile, a six-woman Irish team will line out in the TQ Papers two-day next month. National champion Julie O'Hagan, Louise Moriarty, Siobhán Dervan and Colette Swift will be the backbone of the squad, with junior riders Mary Brennan and Erin Turlington joining them in the three-stage race. Female riders may be sent to the world championships in Verona, although Cycling Ireland is yet to confirm this.
Entries are due for the TQ Papers International. Those interested should contact Brian Carolan at 086 6044136, while riders intending to compete in the national time trial championships in Killorglin on September 11th should contact Mary Concannon at 087-2802071.
FIXTURES: Saturday: Final round Cycling Ireland track league, Sundrive Park, Kimmage. Accreditation at 10.15, racing starts at 11.0.
Saturday-Sunday: National underage championships, Donore, Drogheda. First races at 10.0. Contact Gerard Campbell at 041 9823870 for details.
Sunday: Caplin Meehan Chartered Accountants GP, Phoenix Park. Starts 1.0; Cycling Ireland downhill NPS Round Five, Butter Mountain, Brittas. Starts 12.0.
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