Cycling: The road-racing season may have ended but Cycling Ireland has already started to turn its attention towards next year's Olympic Games, with the squad of probable candidates for Athens 2004 being announced this week.
At this early stage eight riders are in the running for the coveted slots, with final selection to be made closer to the Games. The top-ranked Irish rider Mark Scanlon and his fellow professionals Ciarán Power, David O'Loughlin and David McCann have all ridden at Olympic or World Championship level in the past, while Tommy Evans and Brian Kenneally have considerable international experience.
The VC La Pomme duo of Denis Lynch and Philip Deignan complete the squad of eight, but while they are the youngest of the group, they have already competed on the Olympic road-race circuit. This year's European under-23 championships were held on the difficult Athens course.
The board of Cycling Ireland has also announced that Martin O'Loughlin will be the Team Manager for Athens 2004, following the decision of Philip Collins to step down from the position due to work commitments.
In other news, the work of CI honorary secretary and international commissaire Jack Watson was recently recognised by the UCI when they presented him with their prestigious Order of Merit.
Next month (November 5th) ses the official launch of a new book entitled The Rás - the story of Ireland's unique bike race. Written by Tom Daly, the large book is a fine account of the history and character of the event. Illustrated by over 200 photographs, the book is an excellent read and is available now in most major bookstores.
WeekendFixtures
Saturday: CI cyclo-cross league - Round 2: Kilbroney Park, Rostrevor. Underage race starts at noon, main event at 1.0 pm. Saturday-Sunday: CI track cycling weekend, Manchester Velodrome.
