It is fitting that as the countdown for Sydney continues, Irish cycling looks to be in a healthier state than recent years. The first new professional cyclists in a decade, a potential champion in the making and an exodus of internationals to foreign bases are now sources of encouragement for the sport in Ireland.
Professional Morgan Fox attends his Tonissteiner team presentation in Brussels on Tuesday and will then commence racing in the Lloret de Mar event in Spain from February 14th to 19th. Fox underwent a course of laser treatment on his eyes in Dublin during the winter to cure astigmatism, and is confident that this will cut down on the crashes which blighted his racing in the past.
He says his team is scheduled to ride some of the high-profile professional spring races such as the Het Volk and the Tour of Flanders and he is optimistic of gaining a ride in these events. Indeed, the ambitious rider from Athlone has set his sights on progressing, via intra-team links, to the first-division Lampre squad by the end of the year.
Ciaran Power, after impressive displays against paid riders in the Prutour and Suntour races last year, an Power secured a contract with the burgeoning Linda McCartney squad and is presently in Australia preparing for his debut with the team. Missing the first assignment for the squad, the Tour Down Under, Power has been named on the six-man team for the Tour of Langkawi in Malaysia (January 26th-February 6th) and will then line up for the Rapport Sun Tour in South Africa five days later.
The 1998 world junior champion, Mark Scanlon, appears to have recovered from the knee injury which hampered him last season, and is currently in Lanzarote preparing for his debut with the Etupes team in France.
Scanlon opted for the squad in favour of last year's Rabobank team and indeed declined an offer from the professional Mercury outfit in order to race for the top-ranked French amateur club. The 19-year-old goes to their Belfort base on the first of February and starts racing 10 days later; like Power and Fox, the Sligoman has named the Olympics as his main target for the year.
The graduation of Power and Fox to the professional ranks has done much to encourage other Irish riders, and a number of them will be based abroad this season. Brothers Dermot and Derek Finnegan, together with Micheal Fitzgerald go to the DCM team in Belgium, with Michael McNena, David McQuaid and David O'Loughlan heading to clubs in Italy. David McCann and Keith Gallagher are considering a move to a team in France.
