Irish Team Selection for 2018 Cyclo-cross World Championships

Cycling Ireland and the Off Road Commission are pleased to announce that six riders will be representing Ireland at the forthcoming UCI Cyclocross World Championships taking place in Valkenburg, Netherlands from 3-4 February 2018. The team comprises at least one rider in each of the UCI World Championship category events.

Riders will also participate in the UCI World Cup in Hoogerhiede the week before to prepare for the World Championships. Riders will be based in Belgium for the duration of both events.

Glenn Kinning spearheads the Elite Men’s category and has been the most consistent in this category this season. An unfortunate mechanical at the recent National Championships hindered what has been a very successful domestic season.

USA based Maria Larkin will represent the Elite Women’s category. A disappointing nationals due to jet lag put paid to her dream of a national jersey yet again but with successful World Cup races and UCI points under her belt this season, Maria has experience racing at a high level.

In the U23 categories, Lara Gillespie and David Conroy spearhead selection. Gillespie, although only a junior, took the Irish Women’s Championship title on Sunday and will race for the experience of higher quality fields and UCI level courses. Belgium based Conroy has four top 4 results in UCI C1 events in Spain and the UK this season.

Juniors Thomas Creighton and Adam McGarr, both overall winners of their respective provincial series have both been very consistent all season and are looking forward to their biggest cyclocross challenge to date.

Cycling Ireland Cyclocross Coordinator Andy Layhe said, “We have selected our largest ever team for a cyclocross world championship. We have depth and talent in all of our categories and look forward to both the World Cup and World Championship events.”

Layhe added, “Through increased domestic interest in cyclocross, and in keeping with our approach to developing riders who show a commitment to cyclocross, we are slowly enhancing the quality and depth of our riders to enable them to compete in World Cups and World Championship events. We hope to see more and more riders specialising in cyclocross which will enable them to meet the desired criteria for world championship selection.”

It is hoped that Irish cycling fans will get behind the team and travel to the event to support them.

All selection places met or exceeded the selection criteria published by the Cycling Ireland Off Road Commission in 2017.

Elite men – Glenn Kinning
Elite women – Maria Larkin
Under 23 men – David Conroy
Under 23 women – Lara Gillespie
Junior men – Thomas Creighton & Adam McGarr

Staff
Team Manager – Andy Layhe
Assistant – Martin Eadon
Mechanic – Aaron Baines
Assistant – Suzanne Clarke

Events:
28th January 2018
UCI World Cup, Hoogerheide, Netherlands
3-4th February 2018
UCI World Championships, Valkenburg, Netherlands

 

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