Conroy & Montgomery Ready For Action At UCI 2016 Cyclo-Cross World Championships

The Irish cycling team of David Conroy and David Montgomery will be competing in the 2016 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium this weekend, 30-31 January. Junior rider Conroy kicks off the action on Saturday in the junior men's category, while Montgomery competes on Sunday in the U23 event. Both riders will compete on the same course, a fast and technical lap, with several tough climbs. The junior event takes approximately 40 minutes, with the U23 race lasting just over an hour.

First up is Wicklow rider Conroy, who will be competing at 10am Irish time on Saturday. Conroy has been dominant in the junior category in Ireland, topping off his season with a convincing win at the National Championships in Tollymore Forest Park earlier this month. Conroy's Coach and Team Manager Andy Layhe is happy with the course, and happy with the his preparation saying:

"Both riders did four laps of the course today, and went through a few sections several times to have a look. It's a very friendly course, and will become quite compact, as it's mostly clay or sandy, not like the courses at home. It's a strong rider's course, and is very technical. This will suit David (Conroy), he's a technical rider, especially on the tricky descents. His legs feel good and he's been tapering since Sunday."

Montgomery will be competing in the U23 event on Sunday at 10am Irish time. Riding for An Post-Chainreaction Montgomery finished second in the Men's Elite National Championships this year, and competed in World Cups throughout the season.

Cyclo-cross has been seeing a healthy resurgence in Ireland over the past number of years, with an increasing number of road and mountain bike riders adding it to their winter training programme. It is a technical side of cycling, with bikes that are a mix between road racers and mountain bikes. The slim tyres and drop bars allow for fast racing, while the mud tyres allow for increased grip in the muddy off-road terrain. Lahye is excited about this resurgence in the sport saying:

"It's great to see the sport flourishing back home. Cyclo-cross is great for young riders, I love helping them come through. It's not only about intervals, but about technical riding. With kids if you can teach them the technical stuff early on, they can still go on to compete on the road, or wherever. It always frustrates me when I see riders with the physical strength but lacking the technical skill. Cyclo-cross is great for learning it. It's also a family friendly sport, where you can have the younger riders competing in the morning, and the parents in the afternoon."

The 2016 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships run from 30th- 31st January in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium. Highlights of the competition will be on Eurosport, with full footage being available for live viewing on the UCI YouTube Channel.