Superb riding earns McCann and Kenneally Olympic race spot

IRELAND will have two riders in next year’s Olympic Road Race in Athens thanks to some superb performances by the Irish team at the world B cycling championships in Aigle yesterday, with David McCann duplicating Ciaran Power’s performance of four years ago by winning the bronze medal.

The second spot was claimed by Brian Kenneally (Cidona Carrick Wheelers), who snatched 14th place by finishing fifth in a ninth place at the end of what turned out to be a gruelling race.

And as the Irish team celebrated in Switzerland last night, the team manager, Martin O’Loughlin, paid tribute to all the members of the squad who turned in what he described as a superb team performance.

David O’Loughlin finished 25th while Eugene Moriarty, fifth four years ago, finished 54th and Denis Easton was 55th.

The men’s race was won by Murilo Fischer (Brazil) in 3:42:43 by one second from Ivan Stevic (Yugoslavia), with David McCann another second further back in third place.

“All round it was an absolutely superb performance,” O’Loughlin insisted.

“But particularly from Eugene Moriarty and Tommy Evans who waited for David O’Loughlin when he needed a wheel change and then brought him right back up to the group of 37 riders before it splintered under the pressure.

McCann, who competed in both the Atlanta and Sydney Olympics, got away on his own and stayed away for some five miles before sitting up when he realised nobody was interested in joining him and was perfectly placed for the decisive split when it came.

By that point the field had split several ways with four sprinting for the medals, another four further back, a Czech rider on his own and then a group of 16 that included Brian Kenneally sprinting for ninth place.

“This was just the result we had been planning,” Martin O’Loughlin insisted. “We wanted two riders in the top 15 to get two to the Olympics and we did just that. Everyone is thrilled.”

And the women just missed out on a place in the Olympic road race by three places after Collette Swift, who hails from Fermoy, finished 18th in the women’s race with Beth McCloskey 24th on a day when four members of the team punctured.

“This was our first time competing in the women’s race so we did not know what to expect,” O’Loughlin said. “But the girls rode tremendously well. Unfortunately four of them punctured but they did very well.”

Brian Kenneally was 14th at 1:55 with David O’Loughlin 25th at 4:41.