Mark Rohan gets two world titles - Road Race and Time Trial
Colin Lynch wins gold in the Time Trial
Catherine Walsh and Francine Meehan get a Bronze medal in the Time Trial
Photo Gallery
HERE
Irish squad finish final day of 2011 UCI Paracycling World Championships in style.
The fourth and final day of the 2011 UCI Paracycling Road World Championships in Roskilde, Denmark saw a number of good performances including another Top 10 finish from the Irish.
Best Irish result of the day came from Female Tandem pairing of Catherine Walsh and Fran Meehan when the finished in a great 7th place in today’s Road Race. In fact they were joined in the sprint for the medals by the second Irish pairing of Katie-George Dunlevy and pilot Louise Moriarty who finished just behind in 11th place overall. The race was won by the American tandem with the Nederland’s taking both silver and bronze.
Ireland also had two tandems competing in the Male race where James Brown piloted by Con Collis and Andrew Fitzgerald piloted by Damien Shaw finished in the main bunch with James and Con secured 12th place and Andy and Damien finished 18th. A three man breakaway on lap 5 of the 7 laps stayed away with the French tandem claiming Gold from the Polish in Silver with Slovakia getting the Bronze.
Also in action in this morning’s Men’s C5 Road Race was Artane man Cathal Miller. Cathal was looking comfortable in the peloton right up to the last lap when with just 2km to go he clipped a kerb which damaged his front wheel. Cathal still managed to hold on for 14th position overall. The race was won by Spain with Brazil taking both Silver and Bronze.
A fine finish to a remarkable World Championships for the Irish Paracycling Squad. The best ever medal tally of any Irish cycling team from a World Championships. A total of 3 Gold and 1 Bronze medals will be a feat very hard to beat in the future. The big hope now is that the squad will maintain their form right up to the Paralympic Games in London next year. The ranking points gained from the marvellous performances this week in Denmark will hopefully help qualify the biggest Irish squad ever for the games.
There is one more Europa Cup road race in Serbia in 2 weeks time that the squad will compete in before preparations turn to the track in advance of the World Track Championships in Los Angeles in February 2012.
Mark Rohan makes it two World Championship Crowns in 2 days
Athlone Paracyclist Mark Rohan kept the Irish flag flying again today when he won the H1 Handcycling Road Race in style at the UCI Paracycling Road World Championships in Roskilde Denmark this morning. This gave Mark his second rainbow jersey of the week after he won the Time Trial on Thursday.
Having been part of a group that attacked in the very first lap Mark and five others opened up a good gap on the rest of the field. By lap 2 the lead group was down to four and with 2km to go in the 3rd and final lap Mark attacked again and pulled away from the challengers to hold them off and cross the line on his own. The silver medal was taken by the French rider 12 seconds adrift with the Israeli rider a further 14 seconds back in the Bronze medal slot.
This left Mark back on the Podium being presented with his second World Champion’s Rainbow Jersey and Gold Medal in two days. The Irish medal tally now stands at 4, 3 Gold and 1 Bronze and by far the best position on a World Championships Medal Rankings ever by any Irish Cycling Team.
The Irish Squad recorded a further 2 Top Ten finished at the championships today. Colin Lynch followed up his Gold Medal win in Thursday’s Time Trial with a fine 6th place in the C2 Road Race.
Enda Smyth also rode a great race to get his best ever Road Race finish of 8th place at the World Championships in the C3 category. It was great to see Enda back on form following a bad crash earlier in the season.
Trix Schwedler was just outside the Top Ten finishing in 11th place in the Female C5 category.
In tomorrow’s final day of competition Cathal Miller competes in the C5 Road Race. Andrew Fitzgerald with Pilot Damien Shaw and James Brown with Pilot Con Collis take to the road in the Male Tandem Category. Catherine Walsh and Pilot Fran Meehan will be hoping to match or better their Bronze Medal finish in the Time Trial and will be joined in the Road Race by Katie-George Dunlevy and Pilot Louise Moriarty.
Another Gold medal at World Championships for Ireland
Handcyclists Mark Rohan Secures His Second Gold Medal at the UCI Paracycling Road World Championships
Westmeath Paralympian Mark Rohan added to the gold medal he won in Thursday's Time Trial with a first place finish in the Road Race at the UCI Paracycling Road World Championships in Roskilde, Denmark this morning.
Rohan, who won the Road Race at last year’s Championships, was well positioned in the leading group from the first lap. The Irish Paracyclist launched his attack with 2km to the finish line, and could not be caught by any of the riders in the leading group.
Mark won all four races in the 2011 World Cup series earlier this season and has now confirmed his position as one of the world's top Paracyclists and with the London 2012 Paralympic Games on the horizon, Rohan is peaking at just the right time.
Speaking after Mark's race, Team Manager, Denis Toomey said, “Mark is an incredible athlete. The the form and consistency that he has shown this season has been incredible. Mark promises to be a dominant figure in Paracyling for some time.”
Female Tandem Pairing of Catherine Walsh and Fran Meehan Win Bronze at the UCI Paracycling Road World Championships
The Irish Female Tandem pairing of Catherine Walsh and Fran Meehan took bronze in the Time Trial at the UCI Paracycling Road World Championships, in Roskilde, Denmark today.
The Tandem’s time of 44.04.95 was enough to secure third place behind Jane Parsons and Sonia Waddelle of New Zealand who claimed silver with a time of 43.59.46 and Canadian Tandem of Robbi Weldon and Lyne Bessette who took gold with a time of 43.24.65.
Catherine Walsh of Swords and Offaly’s Fran Meehan have been Ireland’s most successful Tandem pairing over the past number of seasons. The pair won silver at the 2011 World Track Championships and earlier this season took gold during the Segovia leg of the 2011 Road World Cup.
Ireland’s medal count for the Championships is now three, after Mark Rohan and Colin Lynch secured gold during their respective Time Trials yesterday.
Speaking on the performance of the Female Tandem pairing, Team Manager, Denis Toomey said, “It’s great to see Catherine and Fran rewarded for all the hard work they have put in over the past couple of years. We now have three medals in the bag and with a busy day tomorrow, hopefully we can secure a couple more medals by the end of the Championships.”