Lara Gillespie (UAE Development Team) and Orla Walsh (Nopinz Motip Racing Team) will fly the Irish flag at the upcoming UCI Track Champions League after securing invites to the series, which will unfold in five rounds in the coming weeks.
Gillespie is part of the women’s endurance line-up, while Walsh is among the sprinting field. Both will take on the opening round of the competition in Mallorca this Saturday, and will also take on rounds in Berlin, Paris and two rounds in London.
Having returned from a challenging period of illness and injury, Gillespie came back strongly this year by winning two U23 European titlesin the points race and omnium, in Portugal in July. She also rode very strongly for her trade team in Europe, winning Schellebelle in Belgium in June and also claiming gold in the elite road race at the National Road Championships.
Gillespie said she was satisfied with her performances at the UCI World Track Championships in Scotland, adding while it was challenging she felt increasingly comfortable in the omnium riding against the strongest riders in the world.
Walsh has not competed for the Irish team for some time on the track after she was not selected for the sprint events at the Worlds. She has said she will not be involved in the Irish track team’s campaign next year in the build-up to the Olympics as she is not in contention to get to the Paris Games.
However, the UCI Track Champions League is a great opportunity for her in the next three weeks. It means she will round off her year with a short and sharp schedule of international racing against top opposition.
UCI Track Champions League 2023
Round 1: Saturday 21 October Balearic Islands Velodrome, Mallorca
Round 2: Saturday 28 October Berlin Velodrom, Germany
Round 3: Saturday 4 November National Velodrome of St-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France
Round 4: Friday 10 November Lee Valley VeloPark, UK
Round 5 Grand Finale: Saturday 11 November Lee Valley VeloPark, UK
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