Ireland's Largest Track Team World Championship Campaign Begins On Wednesday

Cycling Ireland has successfully qualified eight riders to compete in the UCI Track Cycling World Championships at the Velodrome de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, Paris from the 18-22 February. This news comes at the end of a tough track cycling season which included the European Championships and three World Cups. In order to compete in the World Championships the Irish Team had to place in the top rankings across the target disciplines in these events, and in doing so qualified Ireland's biggest team ever to attend the Track World Championships.

First on the track this week will be the newly formed Women's Team Pursuit, who have been improving consistently throughout the track season, finishing in 11th place at the last World Cup in Cali, which ranks them as the 8th European Nation going into the World Championships in Paris. The team will compete on Wednesday (18th February) afternoon at approximately 2pm Irish time. With the final line-up for the team being finalised on Wednesday, the team will be four riders out of Caroline Ryan, Lydia Boylan, Lauren Creamer, Josie Knight and Melanie Spath. This is the first time that Ireland has qualified a Team Pursuit at the World Championships.

On Thursday evening 2013 World Champion Martyn Irvine will be competing in the Scratch Race, an event in which he won silver in 2014. This is a 15km bunch race, with the first rider over the line being hailed the winner. Irvine will be in action again on Friday in the Omnium, a six event competition that spans two days.

Saturday will be a busy day for the Irish, with Irvine and Ryan both in action in the Omnium events, Ryan will also be competing in the 10km Scratch Race, with Eoin Mullen also racing in the Sprint. In the Men's Individual Pursuit Ryan Mullen, who finished in fourth place last year, will be competing. This will be an exciting event for the young rider, who won a silver medal in the U23 Time Trial at the Road World Championships in Spain in 2014. Racing finishes on Sunday with Caroline Ryan competing in day two of the Omnium event.

The UCI Track Cycling World Championships take place in the Velodrome de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines in Paris from the 18-22 February.