CYCLING COLUMN: With the B World Championships in Aigle, Switzerland, just over three weeks away, the composition of the teams to take part in road and track competition are being finalised. The championships (July 5th-9th) are open to nations outside the world's top 30, with Olympic places up for grabs for successful teams.
Of the two road and track teams travelling, the women's road race squad is the only one already selected. Collette Swift, Marie Reilly, Debbie Booth, Beth McCluskey, Karen Bothwell and Kate Rudd were yesterday confirmed by team manager Valerie Considine as having been chosen, and these riders are now honing their form for the championships.
Notable exceptions are national road race champion Geraldine Gill and Louise Moriarty, but these two are unable to take part in the road event due to UCI rules excluding women with world-ranking points.
The line-up for the men's road race team will be announced after the Grand Prix Criquelion in Belgium this weekend. The 1.6-ranked event will be used to select the final places up for grabs on the team. Eugene Moriarty, Tommy Evans, Tim Barry, Paul Griffin, Denis Easton and Brian Kenneally will all line out in Sunday's race.
Riders from outside this squad may also, however, be in the running for B Worlds places.
The identities of those to compete in the track championships in Switzerland will be finalised in the next few days, according to track commission chairman Phil Collins, and these will be officially announced next Saturday at Cycling Ireland's media briefing in Manchester Velodrome.
The day will serve as a training session for the squad and also be used to outline the plan for the B Worlds and beyond.
Before then, Louise Moriarty, Gillian McDarby and Rebecca O'Connell will ride the British Women's Omnium at Herne Hill this weekend.
Meanwhile, domestic-based road riders will be making final preparations for the national championships on Sunday, June 29th, by riding a number of events around the country.
Tomorrow the Dermot P Coyne Grand Prix and the Audi GP will take place in the Phoenix Park and at Ballynure, respectively, while on Sunday the Sean Nolan Meath GP will be held in Navan.
One of the final pointers to those in form will take place on Sunday week in the Paddy Flanagan Memorial in Kildare; places are limited, and entries should be returned by next Wednesday. Contact John Malone at 087 2453403 for details.
FIXTURES
Saturday: Dermot P Coyne Grand Prix, Phoenix Park. Starts 10.30.
Audi Grand Prix, Ballynure, Ulster. Starts 11.0.
Underage road race, Orlocy Head, Ulster. Starts 11.0.
Sunday: Sean Nolan Meath GP, Navan. Starts 1.0, underage events at 11.0.
Downhill NPS Round Three, Moneyscalp. Starts noon.
IVCA DMS, Summerhill. Starts 10.0.
