Super Silver for Irish Tandem at UCI Paracycling World Track Championships

Super Silver for Irish Tandem at UCI Paracycling World Track Championships
Irish Female Tandem pairing of Catherine Walsh and Caroline Ryan finished the UCI Paracycling World Track Championships in style today with a superb Silver Medal win in the 3km Individual Pursuit final at the Manchester Velodrome. In the ride off for the gold and silver medals against the USA Tandem the Irish girls knocked another second off the Irish Record they had set at this morning’s qualification completing the distance in a time of 3:39.385. The Americans went on to break the World Record and take the Gold Medal.

Expressing delight at the silver medal win Irish Manager Denis Toomey said it was just rewards for the girls who had been showing great form in training and who had narrowly missed out on a medal at the Road World Championships.
Winning the silver has topped off a great World Championships for the squad where a total of seven Irish Records were broken and 9 Top 10 finishes achieved including a superb 4th by Cathal Miller in the LC1 4km Pursuit and he finished 10th in the 1KM Time Trial. The Male Tandem of Michael Delaney and Con Collis had two 6th place finishes one in the 1km Time Trial and the second in the 200m Sprint. They unfortunately crashed in the quarter final ride off but thankfully after a visit to the X-ray Department it was confirmed that no bones were broken but they will be very sore tomorrow. CP4 rider Enda Smyth recorded a 6th place in the 1km Time Trial and a 7th in the 4km Pursuit. The second male tandem of Andrew Fitzgerald and Paul Giblin achieved two Personal Best rides when recording a great 9th place finish in the 4km Pursuit and finished 15th in the 1km Time Trial.

Some photographs from Silver medal presentation yesterday

2010 starts the qualification process for the London Paralympic Games in 2012 and if the squad can repeat these performances at World level over the next two years then we should have our biggest ever representation at the Games.
It is essential that the excellent support received from the Irish Sports Council in the past is maintained into the future and that the government doesn’t cut its support to sport. We have proved that we can compete against and beat the countries with full time athletes and huge financial resources and indoor Velodromes at the disposal but to continue and improve we need additional resources rather than having existing supports reduced or removed. The 2010 World Track and Road Championships will be held in Cali Colombia so travel and accommodation costs alone will be enormous.
A big thanks to the Coach Brian Nugent and all the support staff who have worked to prepare the athletes to be the best in the world and a big congratulations to the whole squad on their record breaking and medal winning performances at the Championships.
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(8 Nov) MIXED FORTUNES FOR IRISH AT PARACYCLING TRACK CHAMPS
Mixed fortunes for Irish Squad at Day 2 of UCI Paracycling Track World Championships in Manchester.
The Irish Squad were back in action today at the UCI Paracycling Track World Championships with Enda Smyth getting proceeding off to a good start when he set an Irish Record in the CP4 4km Individual Pursuit competition recording a time 5:18.048. Smyth coped well with the longer distance introduced this year for the CP4 riders up from the previous 3km distance.
The Irish Male tandems had mixed fortunes in the B&VI 4km Pursuit, Andrew Fitzgerald and pilot Paul Giblin recorded a PB time of 4:43.437 good enough to give them 9th place overall. Michael Delaney and Con Collis were very unfortunate to crash out with 8 laps to go when they were leading on the board at the time, the tubular on their front wheel blew out but thankfully no bones were broken just cuts and grazes so they should be back in action for the Sprint Competition tomorrow.
Cathal Miller feeling the effects of two hard 4km races yesterday put in a good ride in the LC1 1KM Time Trial to finish in 10th place in a time of 1:12.213.
In tonight’s session the Female Tandem pairing of Catherine Walsh and Caroline Ryan set a New Irish Record of 1:14.664 in the 1km Time trial to secure a great 5th place finish for Ireland.
The girls are also back in action at tomorrow’s last day of competition when they take part in their favourite 3km Pursuit competition, so fingers crossed for another great performance.
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(7 Nov) IRISH RECORDS TUMBLE AT PARACYCLING TRACK CHAMPS
Irish Records continue to tumble at as Miller finishes Fourth in the World at UCI Paracycling Track World Championships in Manchester.
Ireland's Cathal Miller narrowly missed out on a Bronze Medal when finishing in fourth place at last night’s 4km Individual Pursuit final. Having given it everything at yesterday morning’s qualification Miller recorded his third fastest time ever last night but it was just not enough to beat the current Road Time Trial World Champion Austrian Wolfgand Eibeck. However 4th place at a World Championships was a brilliant result and Ireland’s best track result this century.
Two other Irish Records were broken last night when Enda Smyth set a New Irish Record in the Men’s CP4 1Km Time Trial finishing in 6th place in a time of 1:15.157. Irish male tandem pairing of Michael Delaney and Con Collis also secured a great 6th place finish in their 1km Time Trial in a New Irish Record Time of 1:07.202. Ireland’s second male tandem pairing of Andrew Fitzgerald and Paul Giblin finished in 15th place in the same competition in a Personal Best time of 1:10.381.
All the Irish squad will be back in action it the second day of competition at the Velodrome today.
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(6 Nov) Miller qualifies for Bronze Medal ride off at UCI Paracycling Track World Championships in Manchester.

Cycling Ireland's Con Collis (pilot) and Michael Delaney on there way to a very creditable 6th place in the B+V1 category 1000m Time Trial at the UCI Para-Cycling World Championships, Manchester Velodrome, 6th Novemeber 2009

Cathal Miller (Ireland) set a new National record 4:52.73on his way to a superb 4th place in the Mens LC1 category 4000m Pursuit at the UCI Para-Cycling World Cup, Manchester Velodrome, 6th November 2009.

Images Copyright - Henry Iddon
Cycling Ireland Photographer Para-Cycling World Championships
The Irish Team got the UCI Paracycling World Track Championships off to the best possible start this morning when LC1 Rider Cathal Miller set a New Irish Record on his way to qualifying for a Bronze Medal ride off in the 4km Individual Pursuit competition at the Manchester Velodrome.
Drawn against the Austrian rider in Heat 6 Miller rode a perfectly paces pursuit to register a time of 4:52.733 almost a full second off his old Irish Record. This was good enough to give him 4th place overall and set him up for a Bronze Medal ride off it the final tonight against another Austrian rider Wolfgand Eibeck.
Also in action in tonight’s programme are Enda Smyth in the CP4 1km Individual Time Trial and Michael Delaney piloted by Con Collis and Andrew Fitzgerald piloted by Paul Giblin in the Male Tandem 1km Individual Time Trial.
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UCI Paracycling Track World Championships: (5 Nov)
Ireland sends strong squad for UCI Paracycling Track World Championships in Manchester.
The Irish Paracycling Squad have arrived in Manchester ahead of tomorrow’s first day of competition at the UCI Paracycling Track World Championships which run over 3 days from 6th to 8th of November.
Cathal Miller competes in the 1km Individual Time Trial and the 4km Individual Pursuit in the LC1 Category.
Enda Smyth competes in the 1km Individual Time Trial and the 4km Individual Pursuit in the CP4 Category.
Two Irish tandems compete in the Male B&VI Category, Michael Delaney piloted by Con Collis and Andrew Fitzgerald piloted by Paul Giblin, they each competes in the 1km Individual Time Trial and the 4km Individual Pursuit and Michael and Con will also take part in the Tandem Sprint Competition hoping to match or improve on their double bronze medal performance at the last May’s World Cup.
In the Female Tandem competition Catherine Walsh and Caroline Ryan will also be hoping to add a World Championship medal to the World Cup Bronze medal they won in Manchester last May and will compete in the 1km Individual Time Trial and the 4km Individual Pursuit.
Speaking from Manchester today, Irish Paracycling Team Manager Denis Toomey said “The whole squad are in good shape and we expect to see a number of Irish Records broken over the next three days. Having come so close to securing medals for Ireland at the Road World Championships in Italy recently we are quietly optimistic that we can go one step further and produce the goods here in Manchester”. Top nations from all over the world are here and we will be giving them a good run for their money.