Roche gets Irish challenge underway

NICOLAS ROCHE, whose illustrious father Stephen won the world title as part of his triple crown in 1987, will get the Irish interest underway when he goes in the 30.8k U-23 individual time trial at the world cycling championships in Hamilton, Ontario, today.

Sinead Jennings, the 2001 world rowing champion and the sensation of the recent trials, will be in action tomorrow in the elite women's TT while the juniors, Theo Hardwick and Barry Woods from the Killorglin Credit Union club will be in action over the same course (20.8 km) in the afternoon.

David McCann will take on the top professional riders in Thursday's elite men's time trial aiming for a place amongst the top 15 nations which would guarantee qualification in this discipline also at next year's Olympic Games.

As bronze medallist at the world B championships he has already won one of two places for Ireland in the Olympic road race. Brian Kenneally made the top 15 to secure a second spot.

Roche will be joined by Corkman Denis Lynch and Philip Deignan for the under-23 road race on Friday, while Hardwick and Woods will be joined by Paul Brady and Mark

Cassidy in the junior road race on Saturday.

Sinead Jennings will contest the elite women's road race also on Saturday.

Mark Scanlon goes into action on Sunday in the elite men's race which will be decided over 260 kilometres, taking in the tough Niagara Escarpment 42 times.

Scanlon, the 1998 world junior champion, is now a first division professional and goes into the event on the back of some exciting performances.

He rode the Paris-Tours classic at the weekend and flew out to Canada yesterday.

Meanwhile, Gerry Ryan who at 65 is one of the oldest competitive cyclists around, joined forces with Brian Lynch from Douglas Cycles to set a record for the team cycle from Cork to Dublin on Sunday.

The pair, after setting out in inclement weather, set the record at seven hours 19 minutes for the trip from the GPO in Cork to the GPO in Dublin despite the fact that the plans for the trip all went out the door before they set out at all.

When they found themselves without the original Commissaire they were fortunate to be able to avail of the services of Corkman, Paddy Sheehan, who is an experienced Commissaire, with Paddy O'Callaghan from Killorglin and Liam Leahy from Midleton provided the back-up. The service was done by Brian's father, Denis.

"But we had no clearance through the towns en route and we had to travel through Portlaoise, Naas, Newbridge and Kildare. We must have lost 10 to 15 minutes at traffic lights," Brian recalled. "But as there was no existing record we were going to set a record anyway. We averaged 22.2 mph and we had to be happy with that," he said.

At the last minute his sister was able to organise a garda escort through Dublin for them so that part of the trip went smoothly.

"The weather was not good at all," Brian said.

"We organised the attempt at time when we would have expected a tail wind but we had a cross-wind all the way up."

To add to his difficulties he broke his bike just as they left Cork City and he had to make the trip on his training bike.

The current individual record was set by Brian Lenihan from Blarney at six hours 16 minutes and Brian Lynch, who has been competing in the FBD Milk Rás since returning to competitive cycling a few years ago, is now considering an attempt on that mark.

Gerry Rea, who cycles regularly as a veteran, rode the Rás for the first time as a 17-year-old.

Incidentally, the women's record for the trip from Cork to Dublin is one of the oldest on the books. It was set by Eileen Sheridan at seven hours 45 minutes back in 1953.