Irish team to gear up in Spain camp

CYCLING:HAVING TAKEN a break after a long season, the riders of the An Post Grant Thornton M Donnelly Séan Kelly are starting to build condition once more and will have their first pre-season training camp next month.

As they did one year ago, the Irish and international riders will head to Calpe in Spain for the camp, which will run from December 14th to the 21st.

The goal of the week is to log some training kilometres, introduce the 2011 line-up of riders to each other and to team management, as well as getting some technical details sorted out.

The team will use Dolan frames next year, switching from Principia, and so that will necessitate some work to make sure the positions are all dialled in correctly.

“It is an important time of the year,” team manager Kurt Bogaerts told The Irish Times yesterday.

“One of the goals is to meet each other, have some conversations with the riders and get them training in good weather conditions. Also, to do the fittings for bikes and clothing.”

The Irish-sponsored, Belgian-based team will feature five Irish riders next season. Connor McConvey, Ronan McLaughlin and Mark Cassidy will all remain with the team, while Philip Lavery – who had a trial this year – and Sam Bennett have been offered contracts.

Bogaerts said it was yet to be decided if Paídi O’Brien would be part of the team in 2011, the Kanturk rider having missed a lot of this season due to injury.

Another talented young rider, Séan Downey, had been in talks with the team but will not join at this point. Bogaerts said his confidence needs to be rebuilt after a tough season and he will race with a French team at the start of the year, then perhaps join the An Post team in the summer if things go well.

Meanwhile, Irish riders performed solidly at the European track championships in Poland last weekend.

Omnium rider Martyn Irvine took a strong fourth in the pursuit, fifth in the scratch race and a ninth overall out of 21 riders. It was a fine showing, and much deserved.

Felix English rode the sprint for experience, but succeeded in knocking out Olympic champion Chris Hoy in round one when the Scot made a tactical error.

Jennifer O’Reilly finished 13th in the women’s Omnium and, along with Ciara Horne and Caroline Ryan, was 12th in the team pursuit. Mary Costelloe competed in the women’s sprint. The riders will continue to work hard towards the upcoming World Cups.

FIXTURES: Saturday: Supercross Cup, round three, Corkagh Park, starts noon; Pedal Fever conference, UCI. Queries to Rachel Ormrod at 01-8551644; Cycling Ireland offroad agm, Lynham’s Hotel, Laragh. Sunday: Ulster cyclocross, Belfast; IVCA agm, West County Hotel, Chapelizod, starts 2.30; Gerard Brannigan Cycle, Grasshopper Inn, Clonee. Starts 10.30.