CYCLING: PHILIP DEIGNAN looks set to ride the Vuelta a España with his Cervélo Test Team after he was named on the official race start list yesterday.
The Letterkenny rider showed strong form by finishing 10th on the final stage of the Vuelta a Burgos on Sunday and netted 10th overall. He rode the Giro d’Italia this year and now, for the first time in his career, will do two Grand Tours in the same season.
“I wasn’t sure that I had been selected,” he said yesterday. “The last I heard I was on the shortlist so it is good to be picked for the race. My form seems to be building well. I didn’t feel great at the start of the Vuelta a Burgos, but got stronger as the race went on.”
As expected, compatriot Dan Martin will also be in the three-week Spanish event as the 23-year-old will make his Grand Tour debut with the Garmin Slipstream squad. “I think (José Angel) Marchante will be the main guy for the general classification. After that I am not sure,” Deignan said. “We don’t have a guy like Carlos (Sastre) in this race, so maybe there will be bit more freedom.”
Unlike Martin, Deignan will complete his preparation by riding the Tour of Ireland. The race begins this day week, and with a strong Cervélo line-up taking part, he’s hoping they can leave their mark.
So, too, will the An Post M Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly team. The seven riders for that squad were announced yesterday, with former Irish under-23 champion Páidí O’Brien winning his race against time from a bad hand injury. He has been confirmed a starter, as have Mark Cassidy and Ronan McLaughlin.
Four Belgians comprise the remainder of the squad: Jef Peeters, Benny De Schrooder, Steven Van Vooren and Niko Eeckhout. The latter has taken a number of important wins this season, including a stage plus the points jersey in the Rás in May.
A team of six Irish women will compete in two Belgian races tomorrow and Sunday. Michelle Geoghegan, Francine Meehan, Adrienne McCarthy, Fiona Meade, Kate Rudd and Heather Boyle will line out in events in De Klinge and Haasdonk.
FIXTURES: Saturday: Youth track championships, Sundrive road. First races at 12.30; West Down GP, Katesbridge. Starts 11am. Sunday: McCarthy and Harding Memorial, Glounthaune road, Cork. First races at noon; MBUL XC MTB event, Limerick; Clubs team time trial, Bohola Community Centre. Starts 9.30 am; Brendan Campbell Memorial, Donore, Drogheda. First races at noon; Billy Stewart Cup, Derrymacash. Starts 1pm; Connacht TT league, Castlebar. Starts 6.30 pm.
