O'Loughlin 44th, Dunbar 60th and Shanahan 92nd in Junior Men's Road Race at the World Championships in Spain

With aggressive racing from the start, Ireland's five riders strong cycling team was in the thick of the action in the Junior Men's Road Race at the UCI Road World Championships in Ponferrada, Spain today. The early part of the race was animated by aggressive racing, crashes and some nervous riding, with the pace increasing as the race went on. However, the Irish riders were placed well throughout the race, with Eddie Dunbar and Michael O'Loughlin positioned well at the front of the bunch throughout. A blistering final lap tore the field apart, putting the Irishmen under pressure for the first time, missing out on the select group who were left to sprint for the title. Tomorrow morning the Elite Men will compete in the Road Race, with Nicolas Roche, Dan Martin and Philip Deignan representing Ireland. The Championships run from Sunday 21st September until Sunday the 28th September.

The early stages of the Junior Men's Road Race saw a few crashes affect Irish riders Dylan O'Brien and Daire Feeley. Feeley got caught up in a crash after the first lap with a puncture and a slow service pushing him out of the front group. However, coming into the final lap Ireland had three riders positioned well in the front group.

Speaking after the race O'Loughlin described the race saying "It was relentless from the get go, every lap got faster and faster. There were a few crashes, and as the race went on riders were pushed out the back. The course wore you down, especially going up that second last climb, it was wicked tough."

O'Loughlin is a first year junior, and finished the Time Trial on Tuesday in an impressive 8th place. Reflecting on the week he said "If you told me the week before coming that I'd be top ten in the worlds, I wouldn't believe you. It was a huge surprise, on the day my legs were good, and I'm ecstatic about the whole thing. Next year I'll be a year stronger, so it'll be all to play for. This has given me lot of confidence, we were looked after great all week, so we just had to worry about the bike."

Tomorrow the Elite Men's Road Race will feature a strong Irish team, with Nicolas Roche, Dan Martin and Philip Deignan lining out at 9am Irish time, concluding racing at the UCI Road World Championships.