Leahy defends his Title

Despite rain repeatedly trying to cancel the Irish National Track Championships, the crowds at Eamonn Ceannt Park, Dublin were treated to some exciting racing.

As you all know, track cycling in Ireland is still in the early stages of development and so the National Championships still allows for beginners to mingle with the riders that compose the small national team.

Irish Track Cycling legend, Kieran Leahy of Cycling Pursuits, was present to defend his Sprint title, and if the 200m qualification was anything to go by, he meant business – posting the fastest time of 12.05s to progress safely to the quarters.

The time may seem slow to most observers, but as previously mentioned Irish Track Cycling is still in it's infancy and Ceannt Park is flat, bumpy and badly surfaced, rather like the majority of British tracks in the early 90s

One of the aforementioned ‘beginners’ was Robert Watterson of Phoenix who surprised everyone by qualifying behind Leahy in second place showing his potential to become a great Irish sprinter of the future.

Michael Mulcahy (Cycling Pursuits) was unlucky to have to face his teammate Leahy in the Quarters after he made the mistake of not changing from his warm-up gear for the 200m TT and hence qualifying in 8^th position.

Determined to make up for his amateurish mistake he rode well in a rain delayed heat that produced some great tactical racing that was again suspended by the rain. On the re-run Leahy forced Milcahy to the front and despite the trying to force Leahy through he was unable to out-wit his opponent. This sparked an attack but Kieran used his experience to wind him in and progress to the Semis where he beat Liam Collins.

WORC’s Keith Meghan who knocked hot prospect Rob Watterson out in his Semi Final, then lost out to Leahy who by this time was on a roll, squeezing through the smallest of gaps as he was forced high to take heat two of the final and consequently defend his National Sprint title. In the Bronze medal ride of, Liam Collins beat Watterson after three fantastic heats.

Velodrome.org.uk spoke exclusively to Kieran:

How does it feel to be National Champion two years running? "It’s great to be national champion again; it’s a great honour to be the best in your country. I was pleased with my performance – in the end it was pretty straightforward – it was really the waiting around because of the rain that made it a long day and the occasional bit of internal doubt that made it harder!"


How is the Irish Track Scene doing? "The only problem in Ireland is that track sprinting and track racing in general is very underdeveloped. The sport is virtually starting from scratch, which means there is little support for the few good riders that are around. Obviously it doesn’t help that we don’t have a decent track! It’s starting to change, but slowly."

Kieran's 200m TT PB of 10.5s shows his potential

How does your performance fit in to your plans for 2007? "I’ve done some good times this year – I was really pleased with my new PB for the flying 200, which surpassed my own expectations. I know there’s a lot more left in the tank and up till now I’ve done this mostly on my own, so it’s just a question of trying to take it forward and getting some good guidance and support."

In the Ladies sprint Kate Rudd beat Usher’s Joanne Hickey in the final, with Aideen Collard taking the bronze medal. Rudd then took her second national title of the day when she claimed the Individual Pursuit championships ahead of Orwell’s Collard and Joanne Hickey. Later in the day Rudd did the hat-trick by winning the 500m TT, but she wasn’t finished yet as the final event was the Women’s Scratch race. In a tight battle for the line Rudd claimed an unprecedented clean sweep as she took her fourth national title ahead of Jenny McCauley and Collard.

In the men’s time trials IMBRC’s Brian Conway followed up his win in the Murphy Gunn International Omnium earlier in the season by taking his first national title in the Individual Pursuit. Paul Doyle (Sorrento) added to his vast collection of national titles with an easy win in the kilo.

The men's scratch race was very lively with Murphy Surveyors riders Will Byrne and Dave Peelo constantly attacking and being reeled in from the Bray riders. However with three laps to go Byrne attacked for the fourth time, as the bunch looked fed up with chasing him down, he went half a lap up. The lack of organisation allowed Will to stay clear and take a well deserved win.