THERE will, after all, be a full Irish team of three in the under 23 road race at the World Championships in Lugano tomorrow week.
Even though some of the candidates for places in the required age bracket were ruled out because of a loss of form after the long, hard season, national team director Alasdair MacLennan succeeded in selecting a trio he regards as strong enough for the task.
In addition to Scott Hamilton of Maryland Wheelers contesting the time trial over 31.6 kilometres next Wednesday, he will go in the road race three days later with Ciaran Power and Padraig Quinn. They have to tackle a hilly 16 kilometres circuit 10 times.
Power and Quinn have been racing with teams in Brittany. Power, based at Nantes, had to pull out of the Irish team in the Hessen Rundfahrt Tour in Germany last month as his club wanted him for a stage race in South Africa and he finished 10th overall there. Power was 83rd of 91 finishers in the European under 23 road race championship in the Isle of Man in June.
Quinn, based at Lorient, was a surprise choice by MacLennan for the German seven-day event. Although the Galway man did not finish he retired on the second last stage it was regarded as a promising debut in the Ireland jersey and he gets another chance.
Hamilton gained a unique hat-trick of victories in the Irish time, trial championships over 10, 25 and 50 miles during the season but has not taken part in many road races. He was third in the Mid Eastern Region's final league event last Saturday.
New York-based Deirdre Murphy represents Ireland in the women's road race which is on before the men's event.
MacLennan leaves for Switzerland tomorrow with mechanic John Keegan on what could be his last assignment as manager of an Irish team as his contract expires at the end of the year. Hamilton flies out on Monday when Murphy is also due to arrive. Power, who rides the amateur version of Paris-Tours tomorrow, goes to Lugano with Quinn on Thursday.
Stephen Roche's training camps scheme is under way again in Palma, Majorca and another successful season is expected. The weekly courses restarted on September 27th and run to November 2nd and then again from January 25th to May 18th.
Roche started the training camps in 1995 and he is now having to limit the number of participants so as all will get the desired service and attention.
Cyclists of every level are catered for, from the Sunday tourist to senior racing licensee holders, and attractive programmes are designed for them all with improved circuits at Palma for the new season.
