Power chases place on Athens team

CYCLING NEWS: With the June 27th deadline for Olympic selection fast approaching, Ciarán Power has an opportunity next week to gather more world ranking points and so further his chances of getting one of the places on offer. Two places are up for grabs, with Mark Scanlon a virtual certainty for Athens with a haul of 193 UCI points this year; FBD Milk Rás winner David McCann is next with 73, while Power and David O'Loughlin have 54 and 49 points respectively.

While world ranking points will not be the sole determinant, their weighted importance means that Power will be aiming to take as many points as possible from the GP Cycliste de Beauce in Canada, and so move back ahead of McCann. The 2.3 ranked race starts on Tuesday and runs until Sunday week.

Qualification for the mountainbike event was completed last weekend when Jenny McCauley finished eight points clear of Tarja Owens in the Fort William World Cup race in Scotland. She was also ahead of Owens in the preceding two qualification events, so securing her place on the Athens MTB squad with Robin Seymour, who will ride the men's race.

Seymour, and possibly Owens and McCauley, will be amongst the field lining out in the Outsider Pog Challenge at Ballinastoe Wood near Roundwood this Sunday, fighting it out for UCI points in the E2 event. World ranking position will determine grid placing in Athens and so events such as this have assumed an additional importance.

Meanwhile, following the success of the women's road racing team in the recent Bedford three- day, another strong selection will line out this weekend. Siobhán Dervan, Siobhán Jacob, Mary Boyd, Trudy Brown and Róisín Kennedy will compete against 150 others in the Theo Koomen Plaquette Race in Wervershoof, Holland on Sunday. Many of the world's top female riders will take part, providing the Irish team with some valuable experience. The squad will be managed by George Boyd.

FIXTURES

SATURDAY: Audi Grand Prix, Ballynure. Starts 11 am Underage road race, Orlocy Head. Starts 11 am. Cycling Ireland track league round 7, Sundrive Park. Accreditation at 10.15 am, racing starts at 11.0 am.

SATURDAY - SUNDAY: All-Ireland talent spot youth competition, Ballinrobe Racecourse: Starts 11.0 am Saturday/10.0 am Sunday.

SUNDAY: Sean Nolan Meath GP, Navan. Underage starts 11.0 am, other events at 1.0 pm. Crowley Cup, Killarney. Underage at 11.0 am, other events at noon. Pog Challenge, Ballinastoe Wood (E2 event). Sign on at Luggala car park. Underage race at 12.0 noon, main races at 1.30 pm.