CYCLING IRELAND WOMENS TRACK SQUAD 2010-11

Sundrive Track – 14th Aug 

1300 – 1330 Sign on

1330 – 1400 Open Track

1400 Start

Entry €5.

All events one and a half laps of the track, all riders must be accredited.

The results are not yet anywhere online – but I have picked up a few. The women’s points race was on  yesterday,  and I believe 2009 winner Janet Birkmyre from GB was the overall winner.

The points race is a bunch race with riders aiming to get points on sprint laps, and at the end of the race the person with the most points wins. Full description on the British Cycling Website HERE . At the Masters all the age groups start together, and at the end of the race medals are awarded per age group.

Overall, our own Orla Hendron was the fourth lady over the line – which gave her a bronze medal in her category (40-49 years)… so who said you don’t get better as the years pass by!!! Orla put in this fine performance following a bronze medal win in the scratch race at the Irish National Championships last weekend.

Orwell’s Aideen Collard also got a silver medal in her age category (35-39) in the same race… good showing for the Orwell girls!

Results are not posted yet but will be available HERE soon.

Congrats to all our new Champions in what were a close, exciting and well run competition.

The Pursuit saw many records tumbling, when Garda cc’s Caroline Ryan upgraded her 2009 bronze medal to a gold. The title was won in the gold/silver ride off against Raven’s Jennifer O Reilly, who is usually best know for her sprint. Joanna Hickey (Usher) won the bronze ahead of Lakeside Wheeler’s Sarah Piner.

Gold – Caroline Ryan

Silver – Jennifer O Reilly

Bronze – Joanna Hickey

In the sprint event Raven’s Jennifer O Reilly retained her National Title, with a 2-0 win over Wolftrap’s Kate Rudd in the final. The second sprint came down to a  very close call, with Jenn just pushing in front.

Gold – Jennifer O Reilly

Silver – Kate Rudd

Bronze – Joanna Hickey

In what has been a good year for the Usher rider, Joanna Hickey beat her own outdoor record in the 500m to retain her 2009 National title in the 500m TT. She went out hard, finished hard, and kept strong in the middle too! Close in time was Jennifer O Reilly who has gone from strength to strength this year. Kate Rudd was also close, getting bronze.

Gold – Joanna Hickey

Silver – Jennifer O Reilly

Bronze – Kate Rudd

Finally, in the very eventful scratch race, Caroline Ryan once again came out on top, winning from Sarah Piner and Orla Hendron in the last couple of laps. From the gun Roisin Kennedy (Lucan) attacked, and this move looked like it could stay away, once the gap closed, and the group stalled, Roisin attacked again, in a brave bid for the title. She kickly got half a lap, but with the laps ticking away the heat came on, Caroline Ryan, who had raced a tactical race,  attacked, pursuiting her way to the line.  The masses were caught off guard, and the Garda rider soloed home, with Sarah Piner taking a fine second, just ahead of Orla Hendron (Orwell).

Gold – Caroline Ryan

Silver – Sarah Piner

Bronze – Orla Hendron

Great racing everyone – and thanks to the track commission for organising a great championships.

Overall Programme

Day 1 – Friday 23rd July 2010

Pursuit Qualification
1800 – 1830 – Sign on
1830 – 1900 – Open Track
1900 – Pursuit Qualifiers

Starting order –
Junior Ladies (2km) , Junior Men (3km), Ladies (3km), Senior Men (4km)
Top 4 riders to ride offs on Saturday
Top 2 riders qualify for Finals with 3rd & 4th ride off for Bronze

Day 2 – Saturday 24th July 2010

Pursuit Medal ride offs & Sprint
1000 – 1030 – Sign on
1030 – 1100 – Open Track

1100 – Pursuit Finals
Starting order – Junior Ladies, Junior Men, Senior Ladies, Senior Men
Men’s Pursuit Champion will also be presented with the ‘Paul Healion Trophy’

11.45 -1215 Open Track
12.15 Sprint Qualification – Flying 200m TT
Starting order – Junior Ladies, Junior Men, Senior Ladies, Senior Men

Break 30 minutes

Sprint Rounds to finals
Men’s Sprint Champion will also be presented with the ‘Liam Walker Cup’

Day 3 – Sunday 25th July 2010

500m TT (Juniors) , 500m TT(Ladies) , 1km TT (Men) & Scratch Races
1000 – 1030 – Sign on
1030 – 1100 – Open Track

1100 – 500m TT Juniors & Ladies and 1Km TT Men
1200 – 1230 – Break 30 minutes
1230 – 1300 – Open Track

1300 – Scratch Racing
Junior Ladies Scratch (8km)
Junior Men’s Scratch (12km)
Ladies Scratch (12km)
Mens Scratch (20km)

This event will be run by the Track Commission of Ireland in accordance with Cycling Ireland. As racing is subject to weather conditions, the Track Commission reserves the right to change this Programme. Riders

may hire Commission bikes. Riders are responsible for their own safety and the safety of other riders and must abide by the rules of the Track as set down by the Track Commission. Track accreditation required.

Entries Fee

: €10.00 per Championship event or €30 for all events for Senior Men, Ladies & Juniors

Please direct all queries to Liam Walker 086-6441565 or Hugh Byrne 086-3488708
e-mail

trackcyclingireland@gmail.com

* Please note that we had intended to run the Junior C/ships at Orangefield at a later date but an unfortunate clash of fixtures rendered this impossible. Also this year is the first year in which Junior women have their own seperate championship and its continuation will depend on numbers participating this year

Irish Riders Perform Well In UK: The Irish National Development Track Team were in Uk Track Action this Weekend (July 10th / 11th).

The Team performed above expectations, coming home with a win and some good performances against tough UK opposition.

Click Here For Official Report And Results From British Cycling

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10th/11th July Dudley GP  (Men Jun/U25 & Women)

Report By Stephen gibbons:

The Track Commission selected a team of 10 cyclists to compete in the Dudley Grand Prix at the Manor Abbey Stadium in Halesowen on the 10th and 11th of July.

The team consisted of Enda Connoly, Tigerneach Murphy, Enda Ryan, Mark McCullough, Andrea Fagan, Claire Oakley, Rachael Mitchell, Sandra Fitzgerald and Racheal Withers, with team managers Stephen Gibbons and Anthony Mitchell.

We arrived at the Halesowen velodrome with the sun shining and the team raring to go. With the team ready we picked our spot singed on got our bikes ready and got up on the track which was similar to Sundrive. Warm up over we waited to be called for the first event which was the 200TT.
With a large field of 20 plus of top sprinters our work was cut out with each of our riders giving 100%. When it was announced that the top 12 sprinters was posted we went to have a look to our delight Eoin Mullen qualifying in 12th with a time of 12.73 this was seen as a major result by the team and you could see their confidence growing.
Eoin was in heat 1 drawing against Callum Skinner Edinburgh RC who set the fastest 200 at 11.67 and Steve Cronshaw Brerton Wheelers where he just finished in third place going into the repecharge.

Eoin was up against local sprinter Jim Varnish HA & CC and Rowan Elliot VC St Raphel where Eoin took full advantage of Jim and Rowan playing cat and mouse to launch an attack just before the bell – only getting caught on the line by Jim Varnish and finishing in 7th place overall.
In the B sprint we had three riders in heat 1 Enda Connolly, Enda Ryan, Rachael Mitchell And Ted Bate HA&CC with Ted Bate winning in a photo finish from Enda Connolly – 3rd Enda Ryan and 4th Racheal Mitchell.

Heat 2 saw Andrea Fagan take on Keith Williams Port Talbot Wheelers CC, Neill Withington VC St Raphaell and Steve Pulford Sherwood pines with Andrea coming 4th. 

Heat 4 Saw Mark McCullough take 3rd behind Alex Cogwell HA&CC and Geoff Cooke Sherwood Pines. Enda Connolly was drawn in the second Semi Final which took place just after the scratch race up against Kith Williams Port Talbot Wheelers, Alex Cogswell HA&CC, John Williams Team Terminator and with a speed race to the line Enda took 3rd to finish 6th overall.  
The Open Scratch had a large field of very experienced riders, and with our confidence up,  our riders dominated this race with Enda Connolly, Enda Ryan, Mark McCullough And Tighernach Murphy covering any break,

Tighernach went clear, and  the team worked hard to slow the bunch down.  Tighernach took full advantage to lap the field and launch another attack  to win with ease.
The Team then contested the Senior Points Race, and the Irish riders tried to win as much points as possible to aid Tighernach .

Enda Connolly took up the race from the gun , driving at the front and taking the first points before a small break away went clear with Tighernach in it.

The Irish team did their job by picking up points where they could and finished in the top 10 with Tighernach Finishing in a very credible 2nd behind Neil Withington VC St Raphael.
Course De Prime 10 Laps .  Enda Ryan went from the gun taking the first prize of the day before rejoining the bunch where Tighernach and Steve Cronshaw (Brecton Wheelers) worked with each other to take one prize each, before Cronshaw dropped back and Julian Pearson Team Wallis Came up to join Tighernach at the front .

Tighernach came home in 1st place overall with Enda Ryan taking 3rd.
Day one was a great success for the Development Track Team with some great results and team work with the girls omnium on day two the boy’s could take it easy on day two with their job done.

======================       

• Enda Connolly U25 (Lucan)
• Tighernach Murphy U23 (Sth Dublin)
• Enda Ryan J (Sorrento)
• Eoin Mullen J (Sundrive)
• Mark McCullough U23

 Womens Team:

• Andrea Fagan U25 (Sundrive)
• Clair Oakley J (XMTB)
• Rachel Mitchell U23 (North Down)
• Sandra Fitzgerald U25 (Lucan)
• Rachel Withers U23 (Fintona

.

The Dudley Grand Prix at the Manor Abbey Stadium in Halesowen, was organised by HA&CC’s Geoff Dingley, the third round of the British Cycling Sprinters League was held along with many other support races. The riders were greeted at this well used outdoor velodrome by glorious sunshine with a gentle breeze to keep the high humidity and temperature tolerable.

Sprinters League
The day got under way with the Sprinters Time Trial to establish the fastest 12 times to go through to round 1 of the Sprint. The windy conditions in the back straight kept the Time Trial times down with only three of the top riders achieving sub 12 seconds times.

Flying 200m Time Trial Result
Callum Skinner City of Edinburgh RC 11.63
Kian Emadi Tunstall Wheelers 11.84
John  Paul City of Edinburgh RC 11.95
Thomas  Gregory Halesowen A & CC / Wood & Loines 12.08
Tom Powell Newcastle RC 2001 12.13
Jim  Varnish Halesowen A & CC 12.39
Rowan Elliott VC St Raphael 12.44
Steve Cronshaw Brereton Wheelers 12.46
Barnaby Swinnerton Swinnerton Cycles 12.48
Tom Baker Halesowen A & CC 12.57
Alexander  James Halesowen A & CC 12.65
Eoin Mullen Irish Development (Track) Team 12.73

Round 1
The first round of the Sprinters League was well contested with each of the heats going to form with the strongest riders winning

Heat 1 Time 12.16
1. Callum Skinner City of Edinburgh RC
2. Steve Cronshaw Brereton Wheelers
3. Eoin Mullen Irish Development (Track) Team

Heat 2 Time 12.41
1. Kian Emadi Tunstall Wheelers
2. Rowan Elliott VC St Raphael
3. Alexander  James Halesowen A&CC 
 
Heat 3 Time 12.44
1. John  Paul City of Edinburgh RC
2. Jim  Varnish Halesowen A & CC
3. Tom Baker Halesowen A & CC

Heat 4 Time 12.59
1. Thomas  Gregory Halesowen A & CC / Wood Loines
2. Tom Powell Newcastle RC 2001
3. Barnaby Swinnerton Swinnerton Cycles

Repecharge 

Heat 2: There was a slow tactical cat and mouse start to the next heat which only came alive with the sound of the bell. Eoin Mullen took full advantage of the tactics to lead the race but Jim Varnish coolly powered up the finish straight and past Mullen to take the win on the line.

1st  Jim Varnish HA&CC
2nd  Eoin Mullen  Irish Development (Track) Team
3rd Rowan Elliot VC St Rapheal

Open Scratch Race
Irish Development (Track) Team’s Tighernach Murphy dominated the Open Scratch race. The alternate race for non qualifing riders of the Sprinters League. The Irish rider’s lone attack after only 8 laps enabled him to not only lap the field but he attacked again to win the race.

1st Tighernach Murphy Irish Development
2nd Julian Pearson Team Wallis
3rd Jason Streather VC St Raphael
4th Tim Lawson Science in Sport
5th Ian Cooper Planet X

Open B Sprint – Non Sprint League riders
With only the first two from each heat going through to the semi final later in the day, the heats of the Open B Sprint were each closely fought with the exception of the last heat where Halesowen A&CC rider Alex Cogswell went for the long sprint. At the bell, he was still way ahead of his nearest rival leading all the way to the finish line to win.

Heat 1
1st  Ted Bate  HA&CC
2nd  Enda Connelly Irish Development (Track) Team
3rd Enda Ryan Irish Development (Track) Team
4th Rachel Mitchell Irish Development (Track) Team

Heat 2
1st  Keith Williams  Port Talbot Wheelers CC
2nd  Neil Withington  VC St Raphael
3rd Steve Pulford  Sherwood Pines Cycles/Co-op Motor Grp
4th Andrea Fagan  Irish Development (Track) Team

Heat 3
1st  Helen Scott HA&CC
2nd  John Williams Team Terminator
3rd David Rutherford Solihull CC

Heat 4
1st  Alex Cogswell  HA&CC
2nd  Geoff Cooke  Sherwood Pines Cycles/Co-op Motor Grp
3rd Mark McCullough  Irish Development (Track) Team

Open B Sprint

Semi Final 1
A class ride from Masters champion Geoff Cooke (Sherwood Pines/Co-op Motor Grp) took him to the final in a superbly timed ride. On the last lap, Ted Bate (HA&CC) went for a long sprint gaining a good lead, but the three reamining riders turned on the speed and as Bates legs died, Geoff Cooke over took them all in the finish straight by a good bike and half length

Semi Final 2
Port Talbot Wheelers rider Keith Williams secured his place in the Open B Sprint final with a full speed race to the line.

1st  Keith Williams  Port Talbot Wheelers
2nd  Alex Cogswell  HA&CC
3rd Enda Connolly Irish Development (Track) Team
4th John Williams Team Terminator

Course De Prime
The Irish riders dominated the course de prime, Enda Ryan went on the first lap to gain the first prime of the day, but soon dropped back. Steve Cronshaw then took the lead and the next prime as the race splintered. Tighernack Murphy went for a long lead, taking the next two primes and was joined by Julian Pearson who took the next prime and they worked together over the next four laps, alternating the primes until 3 to go when Pearson tired and Murphy continued to power ahead on his own a good half lap ahead of the main field.

Senior Points race
Enda Connelly took the first points after taking the lead early on but was soon caught. Jason Streather attacked to take the points on the next sprint resulting in the race fragmenting. Robert Lambton took advantage of the situation and put himself at the head of the race gaining more distance with every lap. T Murphy kept his pace high to try and bridge the gap but couldn’t and eventually dropped back to the main field. Lambton’s lead was now 100m and he kept up the momentum right up to the last lap, only easing up as he crossed the line in first place.

1st  Robert Lambton Brook Cycles
2nd  Tighernach Murphy  Irish Development (Track) Team
3rd Jason Streather  VC St Raphael

Open B Sprint

Minor Final
The riders watch each other all the way to the start of the last lap. Neil Withington (VC St Raphael) used the height of the banking to overtake the other riders and won by 10 yards wagging his finger in salute with 80m to go all the way to the finish line.

1st  Neil Withington  VC St Raphael
2nd  Enda Connolly Irish Development (Track) Team
3rd John Williams Team Terminator
4th Ted Bate  HA&CC.

Open Danish – Points Race followed by a Devil
Irish rider Enda Connolly drove the Points race from the start taking the lead early on. He was soon reeled back in by the bunch when the first sprint for points was signalled. After the first sprint, Tim Lawson (SIS) attacked from the front gaining a 1/4 of lap over the bunch but when the bell went for the next sprint, again the bunch reeled the lone race leader back in

After the sprint Jason Streather (VC St Raphael), Tom Gregory (HA&CC) and Tim Lawson (SIS) pulled away from the bunch however this attack fell apart when no-one wanted to commit to the break. Upon seeing this, Robert Lambton (Brook Cycles) took full advantage and in a lone attack, passed the three riders and managed to pull away with every lap.

Unfortunately Lambton was finally caught with 5 laps to go by Tom Gregory (HA&CC) and Neil Withington (VC St Raphael) who worked together well to gain a healthy lead for the rest of the race where Gregory took the final points. The race was now neutralised for a few laps to allow everyone to come together before the final “Devil take the Hindemost” race eliminating a rider a lap until there were only three riders remaining for the final sprint.  The final sprint was won once again by Tom Gregory from Ian Cooper (Planet X) and third spot to Tim Lawson (SIS).

Women

• ·         Joanna Hickey – Irish Road Club
• ·         Sandra Fitzgerald – Lucan C.R.C
• ·         Andrea Fagan – Sundrive Track Club

Manager/ Coach:  Hugh Byrne

In the women’s events, experienced National team rider Joanna Hickey will be supported by Under 25 development Team riders Sandra Fitzgerald and  Andrea Fagan

Details about the Sundrive Open Day can be found – HERE It promises to be a great day, track cycling brings some of the best adrenalin rushes you can get!

Message from Anthony Mitchell regarding the Orangefield open day -

Women’s Open Day at Orangefield

A women only open day has been arranged for this Saturday (8th May) the Orangefield Track in Belfast to coincide with our colleagues at Sundrive.Road, Dublin  The session will last from 1pm – 3.30pm, and all women are welcome and road bikes will be permitted.
 
The session will be led by Ulster Track Coach Brian Cardy, and full fixed-wheel tuition will be given. For those wishing to venture on to a fixed wheel, there will be Track bikes available

Anthony Mitchell

Sign on will be 1.30pm, and track time is scheduled from 2pm-4pm.

Anyone who hasn’t already been accredited can do so on the 24th of April and the 1st of May.

Track Training day for all Accredited Women riders.
Eamonn Ceannt Stadium – Sundrive Road
Saturday 8th May
Sign on 13.30 for 2pm start.
Hire bikes available €5

Day will include extended warm up, refresher of track skills for those we haven’t seen for a while, drills, standing starts, timed efforts, derny pacing and some mock racing. No accreditations on the day but those wishing to take part will have an ooportunity to do their accreditation on either of the previuos two Saturdays. We in the Track Commission would hope to see all our regulars, also those who may have done an accreditation and not followed it up, and also our more experienced women track riders. Last year we saw huge improvemnets in the standard of womens track racing at all levels and we also saw our riders compete on a par against international opposition and would very much like to see this trend continue.

On behalf of the Track Commission

Hugh Byrne 086-3488708

http://www.cyclingcaptured.com/2010-Cycling/Roller-Racing/02202010/11307908_EJCHi#793623697_cSknF

We will be running track training at the Sundrive Track on Saturdays from 10.30 to 12.30 (weather permitting) for all riders and especially for ‘Development’ riders who have yet to gain their Track Accreditation.  This is an opportunity for all riders wishing to gain selection for track squads to get some extra training and coaching support.

Riders wishing to gain selection for a development or track squad should attend the Road Endurance Camp in Westport on the 6th & 7th February. A track camp for identified riders will be announced along with successful riders names after the Westport Road Camp.

We can only train at Sundrive when the track is completely dry and that is not likely this coming weekend, but as soon as the weather breaks we will be back in action. If a group of riders from outside Dublin wish to come outside our advertised times on a Saturday, we can facilitate that within reason.

On behalf of the Track Commission
Hugh Byrne
086-3488708

Day 3 was a big one for the men and women, with the priority of the Irish focus being on the Team Pursuit.

First off today were the men – who were just a second outside the ride off for bronze, in a time of 4.16. This time put them in 6th place overall. The Colombians won the event, on their home turf – and the atmoshpere was electric for the gold silver ride off.

The women’s pursuit team had a good neat ride, after an initial false start! And being the first Irish pursuit team to race, the standard is now set at a time of 3.45. This put them just inside the points, coming in 8th. The gold silver ride off was an exciting affair – with Canada and USA battling it out! Canada came home 2 seconds ahead of USA – and it’s interesting to note that both of these teams relied heavily on one seriously fast rider doing most of the work!

Soon after the men’s pursuit, Matt Brammeier lined up for the men’s scratch race. Matt rides for the Sean Kelly Team normally – and was 4th in the Scratch race in the Manchester World Cup. After qualifying for the final in second place, Matt put in a super race to eventually get 8th in the final of the scratch race.

Now with our first world cup competed, we all have set bench marks for ourselves and the rest of the team – and devastate those marks next chance we get.

A big thanks has to go to our support team. We were looked after superbly – coaches Brian Nugent and Tommy Evans, masseuses/physios Sandra ní Hodnae and Karen Doyle, and mechanic Brian Kenneally. Now we can just sit back and look forward to the long trip home… the last break before getting stuck into the task of getting faster..

In the individual pursuit Sinead knocked 2 seconds off the previous record, which was held by Louise Moriarty, with a time of 3min 53sec.

In the points race Ireland had two entries with Heather Wilson in heat one and me (Heather Boyle) in heat two. The racing was savage. Heather Wilson got through her heat based on her placing at the last lap. I, on the other hand, clocked up some more experience, and fitness work high on my agenda on my return to Irish soil! The constant change of pace left my lungs screaming!

Heather Wilson looked comfortable in her heat – and I am just after watching the final – and the pace looked hectic! The final was 80 laps of the 250m track – and after 6 laps Heather made a brave attack, to move away from the bunch – but today was a day when nothing was let go! She was sucked back into the field, and for the rest of the race relentless attacks and sprints were the order of the day! She eventually crossed the line towards the front – just outside the points – but with a credible 14th place in a high calibre field! I felt so proud watching my teammate do so well on TV, against the best in the world!!

Tomorrow the team lines up for the team pursuit – race starts at roughly 11.30am – which is 4.30pm Irish time.

Day 2 and the line up for the women is Sinead Jennings in the individual pursuit in the morning, and Heather Wilson and Heather Boyle in the Points race in the afternoon.

Yesterday evening Heather Boyle and Joanna Hickey raced in the heats of the Scratch race, with the main priority being to gain experience. Scratch races are bunch races on the track – world cup qualifiers are generally 30 laps of the track for women (7.5k) and the first ones to cross the line win/qualify.

Until the last lap we both were stuck in the bunch – but the final change of pace caught us out – and neither of us qualified. Super experience all the same.

The individual pursuit is a 3km race against the clock – with one person starting at either side  of the track – and basically go as hard as they can. Pacing is crucial for the pursuit – something Sinead is particularly good at.

The Points Race is similar to the Scratch race – but is 40 laps to qualify, and every ten laps there are points awarded to the first 4 over the line – 5 points for first, 3 points for second, 2 for third, and 1 for fourth place. If someone laps the field she gets 20 points. In the Manchester World Cup Heather Wilson raced this and won her qualifier, by lapping the field and picking up a further point in the final sprint.

From the men’s side – the guys are great – very helpful, and supportive. Yesterday Martyn Irvine did a super ride in the 1km – got 1.05, a new Irish record!! Savage – especially considering he is just getting back into health lately. David O Loughlin, the most experienced on the team, did a great race in his points qualifier, and eventually came 7th in the final. Young Marcus Christie also did a super ride in the individual pursuit – the 18 year old came 10th overall.

The support staff here have been deadly too – spoiling us, so we just gotta think about the racing – coaches Brian Nugent (for the women) and Tommy Evans, mechanic is Brian Kenneally (who had the horrible task of washing our road bikes!) and massage therapists/physio Sandra ni Hognae and Karen Doyle. Jenni Nason looked after us in Newport – we are so spoilt – could get used to this!

Today the line up for the women will be Heather Boyle and Joanna Hickey in the Scratch race.

Heather is in heat one – kick off at 3.30 pm colombian time (that’s 8.30 pm back home) and Joanna will start heat 2 15min later.

The start list can be found here ten to qualify for the final out of each heat.

The team pursuit team has been named – it will be Heather Wilson, Sinead Jennings and Joanna Hickey, with Heather Boyle as a reserve.

With the main focus of the Irish Sports Council funding being on the track, the women’s focus has been primarily placed on the women’s team pursuit – the prep for which kick started last year with a small group of athletes, and in recent months has further opened up.

In order to qualify for the world championships in Copenhagen, the team need to pick up a few points, so we are targetting Cali (Colombia) for some of these vital points. Preparation for this world cup started in Newport last week – when our group of 4 girls, with coach Brian Nugent, teamed up with the elite men’s group – under Tommy Evans, to practise team pursuit technique, pacing and to fine tune the legs and lungs!

Team Pursuit for women is relatively new – it’s a 3 km race, starting from standing blocks, and three girls. The three girls must also finish, with the time taken from the third rider. This differs slightly from the men’s event, which is 4km, with 4 starting, and only 3 needing to finish.

Off the start the first rider is attached to a starting gate, with the two others held by people lined up the track above her – and basically from there they blast off, find positions slotting in behind each other – pedal like crazy and every lap or so the front person peels off to the back.. and the idea is that the pace stays solid and very fast! In a nutshell…

Last week myself (Heather Boyle) and Joanna Hickey got a crash course in team pursuiting in Newport – and after 2 days of travel the four of us (with Sinead Jennings and Heather Wilson) are finding our feet in Cali, Colombia. The team that will race will be decided closer to race day (Saturday). In the meantime we will all gain experience from some individual events. Myself and Heather W will race the points race, Heather won her heat to qualify for the final in Manchester.. so this could be exciting. Joanna Hickey (previously raced in the paralympic games as a pilot for Catherine Walsh) will race in the scratch race, and Sinead will go in the Individual Pursuit.

It’s all very exciting preparing for the world cup – we all have our accreditation, the teams have all arrived, and it’s a super experience warming up next to world champions, and experts in the field. I can’t tell you too much about the city – as we are spending most of the time either in the hotel or at the track. The driving is crazy!! There’s one observation – also the people are really friendly – and there is a festival taking place along the river, the colours are awesome.

That’s all for now from Cali – lunchtime now… eat, sleep and train – that’s pretty much the order of the day – wouldn’t have it any other way!

The four woman team is a first for Ireland, with the main focus being on the women’s team pursuit. During the week the line up will be announced, and in the meantime the following races have been confirmed:

Points race – Heather Wilson and Heather Boyle. Wilson won her heat in the points race in Manchester World Cup.

Scratch race – Joanna Hickey

Individual Pursuit – Sinead Jennings.

I’ll try to add some updates during the week – let ye know how the atmosphere etc is..

Raven’s Jennifer O Reilly won a sprint omnium in Amsterdam last week. Read on for her report on the event.

I recently travelled to Holland after Herman Schenk kindly agreed to organise training and racing for me to partake in.

Myself and Kayleigh Gibbons stayed with the Schenks for the week and trained on the track in Alkmaar every day. Through his contacts Herman had organised that I could train with the various clubs that train out of Alkmaar for the week. This included two sprint sessions with Leijn Loevesijn, Olympic Medallist and World Sprint Champion. It was a super opportunity and I really enjoyed working with him, he is a legend in Holland and well thought of as a coach having coached Theo Bos and the likes to success.

Tuesday night is race night in Alkmaar and I raced in the Points Race there. As a foreign rider you always get a great welcome (and your entry fee waived!) in Alkmaar. The race was tough, and a baptism of fire into the racing scene. It had been a while since I raced a Points Race, but aimed for consistency in the sprint placings. Having scored well in the first sprint and consistently thereafter I was delighted to have won the race.

Herman takes a session every Thursday on the track which has people travelling from far and wide to partake. Like every other Thursday there was over 80 people on the track during the two hour session. All at the same time! It is a credit to his coaching skills that so many people are on the 250m track at the same time, the riders ranged from 14 year old beginners to Tour pros, and all get a great workout. The session is a sight to behold and it was fantastic to train like this, there is no better way to hone track skills, and your Dutch of course!

The training was just great over in Alkmaar, getting on the track everyday cant be beaten, on the Saturday the training session was 77km in total. That’s over 300 laps of the track but you just don’t even notice it flying by. I have to say I hope my pedalling has improved after that!

On Sunday Kayleigh and I travelled to Amsterdam Velodrome, the location of the famous Amsterdam 6 Day. We competed in the Sprinters Omnium. A 200m, 500m, Match Sprint and Kieren with the overall best score winning.

As the track was a 200m track the lead up to the 200m line was a little different to what I was used to having to commit earlier in the final lap, this proved tricky and I was happy to record my fastest time yet despite a slight error in execution. My coach Paddy Doran and I had been working on my strength with a programme from sports science specialist, Giles Warrington, of DCU, and this showed with an improved start in the 500m which meant I had the fastest time of the day in this, I was delighted with that as I hadn’t done a 500m in competition for a few months.

The most significant improvement was in my match sprint. I had lost matches to those slower than me in the 200m in the European Omnium in Ghent but here I was up against a girl with the same 200m time as mine and was delighted to beat her over the three matches. It was tough but match sprinting is something that needs to be learnt on the boards and I was glad to see I had learnt from my mistakes in Ghent.

The final race was a Kieren race. I needed to finish in the top three to win the Omnium overall. With three laps to go I was high on the boards in the bunch and saw a gap and an opportunity to attack from a height. Unfortunately once you attack in a Kieren you have to go for the line, so this left me with a three lap sprint! My legs didn’t thank me for it, and the 10m gap I got at the start helped me get over the line first with inches to spare. It was great to win overall and the organisers and competitors were so welcoming and delighted to see new faces come to race against the Dutch girls.

A super week with thanks to Herman for organising all the training and racing and Kayleigh for being a great training and racing buddy!

Heather Wilson qualified first in her heat in the Points race at the Manchester World Cup, to make the final. She finished in 14th position overall, after an aggressive ride in the final.

Track World Cup – Manchester 30.10.09 – 1.11.09  Last weekend Team Ireland rode the first of four Track World Cup events which will span the Winter months. Manchester hosted the first World Cup, which was a very competitive event, dominated by Great Britain. A number of new faces to the squad brought with them some great performances at the world level. 

In the women’s points race, current National Road Race Champion, Heather Wilson, won her heat to qualify for the final in her first ever points race series. This superb result was achieved when the Belfast girl lapped the field with a New Zealand rider, and winning one of the sprints. In the final Wilson put in some attacks, and eventually finished a credible 14th position, in a race won by Britain’s Elizabeth Armitstead.  

The newest member of the Irish Track Squad Matt Brammeier (also in the AN Post Team) scrapped through qualification but excelled in the final by taking a lap with 4 other riders. Matt rode well to survive constant attacks to claim an excellent 4th at the finish – so close to a medal.

The Team Pursuit Squad is a work in progress, and was a mix of old and new faces, the quartet finished 13th in a competition won by the formidable GB team. These results along with the professional way all the riders conducted themselves during the week provide a positive way forward and valuable information prior to the next track world cup events. For more photos please check out  www.henryiddon.com