End of a long year in sight

Cycling:With the 2007 world road race championships now a thing of the past, Irish road riders have either finished for the season or will shortly do so. Philip Deignan rode in the elite road race last Sunday and fared solidly until close to the finish, when he stopped with a lap to go.

The severity of the event is reflected in the fact that 123 other riders also withdrew from the elite road race, with just 72 completing the 14-lap, 267.4km contest.

Deignan had come into the race just seven days after completing the first three-week Grand Tour of his career, and, while the Tour of Spain will have taken a lot out of the young rider, he will nevertheless do three more events before packing it in for the year.

Deignan's remaining races are in Italy. He will ride the Giro dell'Emilia and the Grand Prix Beghelli Milan-Vignola next weekend, then line out in the Tour of Lombardy on October 10th.

Fellow Irishman Nicolas Roche is also down to do the prestigious, end-of-season classic, but he is hoping that his Crédit Agricole team will allow him to give it a miss.

"I've already done 30,000 kilometres this year and will have 32,000 done by the time Lombardy comes around," he said this week.

"That's the most I've ever done in one season, even considering the fact that I missed three weeks in August (due to injury)."

He is currently riding the four-day Circuit Franco-Belge, which ends Sunday, then will do Paris-Bourges next Thursday.

"After that, the team have said I have to do Lombardy. I'm hoping that I don't have to go as I'm looking forward to a break.

"I left home to go to Australia on January 3rd and 10 months have passed since then, with a lot of travelling and racing. It's been a long season."

Ireland's best-placed rider in the Stuttgart world championships has already finished competing for the year. Daniel Martin was 26th in the under-23 event, coming home in the same time as those sprinting for victory.

He's also had a long season, and, with a pro contract secured with the American Team Slipstream outfit, he wants to ease back and recharge his batteries before preparing for his professional debut.

At home, Cycling Ireland's agm and champions' night presentation will take place tomorrow in the Carlton Hotel near Dublin airport.

A number of issues will be voted upon at the former, among them various proposals concerning the grading system of senior riders.

Several slots are also up for election, including that of honorary president Miceál Concannon. He is going forward once again for the position.

Finally, on Sunday the cyclo cross season gets under way at Lurgan Park in Co Armagh. Apollo CT are hosting the event and a good turnout is expected.

FIXTURES
Saturday: Cycling Ireland agm, Carlton Hotel, Dublin Airport. Starts 11am. Followed by champions' night presentation and dinner.

Sunday: Lurgan Park cyclo cross race, Co Armagh. Underage races start at 11.30am. Main event at 1.30pm.