CYCLING: Following another points-scoring race in Italy's Brescia Cup, national Moutainbike squad manager Geoff Seymour has expressed satisfaction with the start of the campaign to secure qualification for Athens 2004.
Tarja Owens, Jenny McCauley and Robin Seymour all landed world-ranking points in Saturday's event, with the two women finishing 10th and 17th respectively and Seymour placing 18th in the men's race. The trio had also taken points in the preceding Afxentia and Voroklini Cups in Cyprus.
"It is an encouraging start for Tarja, Robin and Jenny as they have scored in all three races," said Seymour. "The standard of the fields have been tougher than expected, but they have ridden well and also managed to avoid punctures and other bad luck. If they can keep scoring points on a consistent basis, that will help their prospects of qualification."
Places in Athens will be awarded on the basis of the riders' world ranking at the end of 2003. The Irish squad will consequently contest a large number of international events this season in order to maximise their prospects. While Seymour, Owens and McCauley have started well, national under-23 champion Glen Kinning and Richie McCauley have been out of the points thus far and so will be under greater pressure in the events to come.
To road racing, and Ag2r rider Mark Scanlon is among those lining out in the three-day GP Erik Breukink in Belgium which starts today. The neo-professional rode strongly on the opening two stages of the Driedaagse Van West Vlaanderen last week but he and fellow Irish professional Ciarán Power were among the many non-finishers in Sunday's gruelling final stage.
Meanwhile, VC La Pomme rider Denis Lynch continued in his bid to follow Scanlon's wheeltracks from the Marseilles club to the pro peloton with the latest in a consistent run of good results this year. The 21-year-old Corkman finished 20th in the recent Prix Mathias Nomblot in Lyon, sprinting home as part of a 20-man group 35 seconds after the race winner Nicolas Boulenger.
At home, the bank holiday weekend brings three days of racing for domestic competitors. Events are taking place across the country, although Sunday's scheduled Bill Highland memorial in Clonmel has been cancelled.
Riders will instead line out in Newbridge and Omagh, while on Monday races will be held in Carrick-on-Suir, Downpatrick, and Batterstown.
FIXTURES: Saturday - Cicli Sport GP, Moneymore, noon. Sunday - Newbridge GP, 2 p.m.; McCann Cup, Omagh, 1 p.m. Monday - St Patrick's Day handicap, Batterstown, 11 a.m.; Carrick Challenge Cup, Carrick-on-Suir, 1 p.m.; St Patrick's Day road race, Downpatrick, 11 a.m.
Italy's Dario Frigo produced an impressive solo ride to win the Paris-Nice individual time trial and take the race leader's yellow jersey from compatriot Davide Rebellin yesterday. Frigo, who won the race two years ago, clocked 19 minutes and seven seconds for the 16.5-kilometre route around Vergeze to win the fourth stage.
Germany's Joerg Jaschke came in eight seconds behind Frigo for second place, while American Tyler Hamilton was third a further five seconds back.
