What Irish cyclists will be competing in the World Track Cycling Champs in Melbourne?

Pisco Sour

I'm cureently living in Melbourne and the track cycling world champs are here in a couple of weeks. I don't follow the sport but have always enjoyed watching it every 4 years during the Olympic Games. I want to head along. Can anybody tell me what Irish cyclists will be competing and in what events? Cant find any info on the Cycling Ireland website. It would be nice to have a few countrymen and women to support while at it. An excuse to bring out my flag.

Thanks

Beasty

Ireland has 1 place in the mens Omnium (Martyn Irvine should take this)

In the ladies events there are 2 places available in the Individual Pursuit and one each in the points and scratch races. Carloline Ryan should take a place and can do all 3 events. I'm not sure if a second lady will be sent to Melbourne to take the other Pursuit place though

LionofFingal

Beasty is right there is only the 2 Martyn & Caroline

Pisco Sour

Beasty wrote: »

Ireland has 1 place in the mens Omnium (Martyn Irvine should take this)

In the ladies events there are 2 places available in the Individual Pursuit and one each in the points and scratch races. Carloline Ryan should take a place and can do all 3 events. I'm not sure if a second lady will be sent to Melbourne to take the other Pursuit place though

I'd assume Caroline would focus on the Pursuit with it being her strongest event? Would she really do all 3 events?

Think I'll aim for the Friday evening session which has the last 2 events of the men's Omnium and the Sunday afternoon which has the heats of the Individual Pursuit. That should be plenty.

Pisco Sour

Beasty wrote: »

In the ladies events there are 2 places available in the Individual Pursuit and one each in the points and scratch races. Carloline Ryan should take a place and can do all 3 events. I'm not sure if a second lady will be sent to Melbourne to take the other Pursuit place though

Just wondering what event does Caroline Ryan plan on competing in in London? I've done a bit of research on the sport and it appears that the Individual Pursuit and Points race is no longer an Olympic event and the Scratch race is also not an Olympic event. All these 3 events are part of the Omnium however. Is this what she is targetting for London, and if so then why doesn't she compete in that event in Melbourne rather than the 3 events indivudually? Just a bit confused.

morana

04072511 wrote: »

Just wondering what event does Caroline Ryan plan on competing in in London? I've done a bit of research on the sport and it appears that the Individual Pursuit and Points race is no longer an Olympic event and the Scratch race is also not an Olympic event. All these 3 events are part of the Omnium however. Is this what she is targetting for London, and if so then why doesn't she compete in that event in Melbourne rather than the 3 events indivudually? Just a bit confused.

She isnt qualified for any event in london. I dont think she can do the rr or tt because she has to be in top 100. Siobhan horgan has an outside chance for the rr.

Afaik i dont think its possible for her to qualify for olympics.

Beasty

We had this thread a couple of weeks ago when we concluded she was attempting to qualify for the RR/TT. Presumably there are still ranking points to be gained, although I would guess her chances of getting into the top 100 must be receding

Pisco Sour

Beasty wrote: »

We had this thread a couple of weeks ago when we concluded she was attempting to qualify for the RR/TT. Presumably there are still ranking points to be gained, although I would guess her chances of getting into the top 100 must be receding

That's disappointing. I'm confused why she (or any cyclist for that matter) would spend the last couple of seasons focusing on events that are not in the Olympics. Had she not considered giving the Omnium a go as that event contains the Individual Pursuit?

Beasty

04072511 wrote: »

That's disappointing. I'm confused why she (or any cyclist for that matter) would spend the last couple of seasons focusing on events that are not in the Olympics. Had she not considered giving the Omnium a go as that event contains the Individual Pursuit?

She didn't - the focus was orginally on the Team Pursuit, but the attempt to qualify for London was pretty much abandoned last year. Since then she has been focussed on the Individual Pursuit, and you will see that has got her up to 9th in the World rankings. Olympic qualification has stretched over the last 2 years, and it would have been very difficult to switch from the Team Pursuit to the Omnium half-way through without any qualification points in the bag already (it's easier for the bigger teams who can send different people to the qualification events, as the points count for the nation and not the individual)

RobFowl

04072511 wrote: »

That's disappointing. I'm confused why she (or any cyclist for that matter) would spend the last couple of seasons focusing on events that are not in the Olympics. Had she not considered giving the Omnium a go as that event contains the Individual Pursuit?

She tried the omnium but it did not really suit.
Cycling and track cycling is about much more than simply the Olympics (which until relatively recently barred the best cyclists in the World from entering).
The IP is considered by many to be the purest from of endurance cycling and the decision to drop it from the olympics is still controversial.
Re the omnium, I'm fairly sure it will not survive past this Olympics in its present form.

Pisco Sour

RobFowl wrote: »

She tried the omnium but it did not really suit.
Cycling and track cycling is about much more than simply the Olympics (which until relatively recently barred the best cyclists in the World from entering).
The IP is considered by many to be the purest from of endurance cycling and the decision to drop it from the olympics is still controversial.
Re the omnium, I'm fairly sure it will not survive past this Olympics in its present form.

Just with regards to Caroline finishing 9th in the world in the IP, would it be fair to say that that event wouldn't be as strong nowadays as say the Keirin or Sprint races due to it no longer being an Olympic event? You'd imagine that the very best cyclists would be competing in the Olympic events in Melbourne as opposed to the non-olympic events, or am I completely off with this?

ednwireland

RobFowl wrote: »

She tried the omnium but it did not really suit.
Cycling and track cycling is about much more than simply the Olympics (which until relatively recently barred the best cyclists in the World from entering).
The IP is considered by many to be the purest from of endurance cycling and the decision to drop it from the olympics is still controversial.
Re the omnium, I'm fairly sure it will not survive past this Olympics in its present form.

even more so now as only one entry per country per event mens that if the top 2 cyclists in an event are from the same country one isnt going, totally devalued thye olympic track program imo ( it seems to be a reaction to british track cycling - dons tinfoil hat)

RobFowl

04072511 wrote: »

You'd imagine that the very best cyclists would be competing in the Olympic events in Melbourne as opposed to the non-olympic events, or am I completely off with this?

RE Pursuit the countries with 6+ world class pursuiters enter the Team pursuits. Smaller countries have no chance whatsoever so effectively the team pusuit will be won by one of 6 (at most) countries.
The best cyclists in the non-olympic events simply ignore them!!!
Countries where sports funding seems obsessed with the Olympics such are here and the UK will try to fit round pegs in square holes to meet the critera (which is largely in an effort to maintain their level of funding).

Yellow Jersey

04072511 wrote: »

That's disappointing. I'm confused why she (or any cyclist for that matter) would spend the last couple of seasons focusing on events that are not in the Olympics. Had she not considered giving the Omnium a go as that event contains the Individual Pursuit?

This has to be the ultimate case of not taking expert advice on board.

Funding (towards Olympic qualification) was pulled from the trio of Ryan, Horgan and Jennings around early June 2011 because it was strongly felt that there was no realistic prospect of Olympic qualification, and these funds should be directed elsewhere.

At this point, Ryan and Horgan could have gone it alone (and should have done so prior to June 2011), but in what can be interpreted as 'misplaced loyalty' they stuck with Jennings, a former lightweight single skulls rowing World Champion from 2001, who at almost 36 was making a final attempt towards Olympic qualification, having failed to qualify for rowing in 2004 and 2008. Ryan had also made the switch to cycling at this time, not unlike some very successful 2008 Team GB athlehes.

Their team (Ciara Horne, Jennings, Ryan) was not derailed following the false start/puncture at the UCI Track World Cup in Kazakhstan early Nov 2011, rather it was never really on track and was considered 'clutching at straws'.

Jennings made an unsuccessful attempt to switch back to rowing that Nov and qualify for London 2012, with Ryan staying with cycling and now pursuing individual qualification (like Horgan).

RobFowl

Track World Championships, Melbourne 4-8 April
Martyn Irvine, Omnium
Caroline Ryan, Individual Pursuit & Points Race
Shannon McCurley, Scratch race
Manager, Dermot Healy
Coach, Brian Nugent, Andy Sparks
Mechanic, Darren Spiteri
Soigneur, Cameron Walker