Kilkenny stars take part in Irish Cycling Championship this week
Mia Griffin and Damien Vereker are both in action in Co.Mayo
Ireland’s best domestic and international road racing talent heads West this week for the Junior, U23 and Senior Road Race and Time Trial National Championships and among them are the Kilkenny duo of Mia Griffin and Damien Vereker.
Westport CC play host to this year’s TT Nationals, this year featuring a 30km route from Swinford. Race HQ is at Swinford Amenity Park on the Kiltimagh Road, and racing is set to get underway from 6.30pm – a change from the original time of 6pm.
Griffin takes part in a star-studded Women’s category on Thursday alongside Track World Champion Lara Gillespie.
The category features riders from all levels of pro cycling as well as the domestic ranks. Lidl-Trek’s Marine Lenehan, para world champion pilot Linda Kelly, Mayenne Monbana’s Fiona Mangan, Picnic PostNL as well as national track team stalwarts Esther Wong and Emma Jeffers are just some of the top names in an incredibly deep field.
Thursday’s TT also features the para cycling classes. So far this year Irish para cyclists have been incredibly strong on the international front, with multiple World Cup and European Championship medals already taken. Heather Jameson took two medals at her debut European championships two weeks ago, while Richael Timothy added more to her own extensive tally, with both looking to add a National Championship this Thursday.
In the tandem classes, Kilkenny’s Damien Vereker and Mitchell McLaughlin took a World Cup medal in Italy recently, but will face stiff competition from relative newcomers Ciaran O’Toole and Con Scully, having a strong first full season together. Former Rás winner Daire Feeley turns pilot on Thursday with stoker Ciaran Butler.
Elsewhere on Thursday, Ryan Mullen will look to defend his TT National Championship in Swinford, Co. Mayo. Mullen comes into the event off the back of a strong Giro d’Italia performance but will have to fend off the challenge of APS Pro Cycling pairing Cian Keogh and former National Champion Conn McDunphy. EF Education Easypost rider Darren Rafferty already has an elite road race national title under his belt and after finishing third behind Mullen and George Peden last year in Navan will look to challenge again this year.
There is also action at the weekend with riders heading for Cong, Co. Mayo as Cunga CC host the road race national championships.
Racing opens with the Junior men’s category on Saturday morning, getting underway at 10am before the the women’s race commences at 2pm and features one of the strongest fields to ever take on an Irish National Championship race. Olympians, World and European Champions, previous national champions and a plethora of full-time riders will no doubt make this one of the races of the weekend.
Sunday’s racing gets underway at 10am with the Junior Women’s event, followed by the Senior Men at 12pm.
Race HQ for Saturday and Sunday will be at Cong Community Centre, with the finish just past McGrath’s Limestone on the R345 outside Cong.