While the Irish team of Ciaran Power, Tommy Evans, David McCann, Eugene Moriarty and Michael McNena chase one qualifying place for the Olympic road race in Sydney in the B World Championship at Montevideo in Uruguay on Sunday week Robin Seymour's lone campaign for inclusion in the Olympic mountain bike race has been rewarded.

Second place in the Piney Hills Classic at Baton Rouge in Louisiana last Sunday earned Seymour another 17 points which brings his total to 60 and improved his world ranking by two places to 56.

This still leaves Ireland 20th of the 22 nations to contest the Olympic mountain bike race but that situation cannot change in the final event to count at Memphis in Tennessee on Sunday. Seymour will be there again and after last week's effort he looks set for another high finishing position.

None of the other Irish involved in the mountain bike scene can challenge Seymour for the Olympic place - the next best is ranked 160th - so if he can stay clear of injury he is the automatic choice and that would be compensation for missing out at Atlanta.

The one Olympic road race place is not so clearcut as although any one of those going to Uruguay can take the qualifying slot for Ireland by finishing among the top seven nations anybody else could be selected next year. McCann was the lone Irish representative at Atlanta.

Power, Moriarty and McNena have had a busy season on the international scene and Power has captured the attention of managers of some professional teams. McCann needed an operation on a troublesome knee after winning a Ras stage in May but he got back into competition towards the end of the season and is finalising his preparation for this assignment at Phoenix, Arizona.

Evans, winner of the road race championship at Waterford at the end of June, was not chosen for any of the other end of season international events but he proved his fitness by setting new Irish records on the track at Manchester on Monday.