Cycling/Column: As the final hours before the centenary Tour de France tick down, the attention of Irish cycling will also be focused on the World B Championships, which start in Aigle, Switzerland, tomorrow.
Twenty-one riders will form the Team Ireland squad for the contest, which is the main route for qualification for the Olympic games in Athens next year.
Open to nations outside the world's top 30, the action begins with a 24.5 km time trial for men and a 16.5 km test for women, and then continues on Sunday with their road-races.
Two teams of six will take part: Tommy Evans, Eugene Moriarty, Denis Easton, Brian Kenneally, David McCann and national championship bronze medallist David O'Loughlin will aim for success in the men's events, while the women's hopes will rest upon Collette Swift, Marie Reilly, Debbie Booth, Beth McCluskey, Karen Bothwell and Kate Rudd.
Many of these rode strongly in last Sunday's nationals, and team managers Martin O'Loughlin and Valerie Considine are hoping for a good performance.
From Monday until Wednesday, a second, nine-rider squad will chase medals and Olympic qualification on the track. The men's team is made up by Paddy Moriarty and Paul Healion, who will ride the 4,000 metre pursuit, and points race hopeful Paul Doyle, Ray Clarke (kilometre time trial) and Keith Bannan (sprint).
Of the women, Sarah White will ride the points race and Gillian McDarby will tackle the 500 metre time trial. Louise Moriarty and Rebecca O'Connell are concentrating on the 3,000 metre individual pursuit. Eight of the nine riders will also take part in other secondary events.
Overseen by Terry McManus and 1996 Olympian Phil Collins, the scale and detail of the track programme is a new departure for Irish cycling. It is funded by the Irish Sports Council and is drawing on the expertise of British world championship and Olympic gold medallist Chris Boardman, who has put the riders through an intense 22 weeks of preparation. The squad recently spent nine exhaustive days on the boards of the Manchester velodrome and are expected to be in top form for the championship.
To mountainbike racing, and the Irish downhill and cross country squads had a good showing last week in the Mont-Saint Anne world cup race in Canada. Will Corry placed 26th in the downhill event, the best-ever Irish result, while John Lawlor, Jamie Popham and Andrew Yoong finished inside the top 50. Yoong was also 43rd in the four-cross event.
Cross country riders Robin Seymour (47th, men's race), Tarja Owens (52nd) and Jenny McCauley (56th) also took valuable world ranking points.
Meanwhile, a charity rally from Dundrum to Enniskerry and back will take place on Sunday, starting at Simpson's Hospital on the Ballinteer Road at 10.30. All proceeds will go to the hospital.
FIXTURES - Today (to Sunday): Rás Connachta, Cong. Race starts today, 6 p.m.
Sunday: Waller Cup, Bohermeen. Underage races start 11 a.m, main events at 2.0. IVCA Founders '50', Batterstown. Starts 10. Simpson's Hospital charity rally. Contact Joe Daly at 2981485 for more info.
