THERE IS another international engagement for an Irish team next week when the Hessen Rundfahrt Tour in Germany starts on Monday at Wiesbaden, near Frankfurt and there has been a change in the original selection, Tommy Evans replaces Ciaran Power.
Evans flies out on Sunday with David McCann and they join up with French-based Peter Daly, Michael Fitzgerald, Mark Hutton and Padraic Quinn for the seven- day event. With national team director Alasdair MacLennan on holidays in Menorca Tony Campbell is manager.
Power's team at Xantes were not willing to release him as they wanted him to race in South Africa.
When Michacl McNena lcarncd of the surprise inclusion of fellow Galwayman Quinn for the German tour he provided me with some details of his performances since he joined a team in Marseilles in February and he has obvious claims for future consideration.
McNena returned to represent Galway in the FBD Milk Ris in May and finished 15th - he was second in the under-23 category. His French team, VC La Pomme, has 350 racing members and he has registered five wins with them. He also has 18 top-10 placings in elite category races with fields of over 100. He adds that he has collected the top under-23 award in 20 events so he must be a candidate for the Irish team to the World under-23 road race championship at Lugano on October 12th.
With McCann and Evans booked on a flight to Frankfurt on Sunday they miss the 50 miles time trial championship which is promoted by McCann's club,
Phoenix, on the Knockmore course on Sunday morning.
Scott Hamilton, who was clearly faster than the record holder McCann and Philip Collins in the 25 championship at Wexford three weeks ago, defends the 50 title he won when he beat McCann last September.
Hamilton is to represent Ireland in the World under-23 time trial championship at Lugano on October 9th, but Mac Lennan will be waiting to see how Fitzgerald, Hutton and Quinn fare next week before deciding if an Irish team goes for the under-23 road race championship. Another candidate, Aidan Duff, contested the Tour de l'Avenir with his club Vendee U but he was forced to retire on Tuesday.
National champion Daly, with McCann, Evans, Richie McCauley and Ian Chivers go to the Tour of Hokkaido in Japan from September 30th to October 6th.
Efforts to obtain a place for McCann with one of the leading Continental teams have been unsuccessful but the Belfastman, winner of the Manx International in the Isle of Man in June and 72nd in the Olympic road race, hopes to make a breakthrough on that scene.
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