A total of five Irish riders are in Belgium for the Kerstperiode – the packed series of international cyclocross racing over the festive period – and have already seen action in the UCI Cyclocross World Cup in Antwerp and Gavere.
The five – Aine Doherty, Travis Harkness, Dean Harvey, Conor Murphy and Cameron Henry – have traveled as a Cycling Ulster party and are being supported by funding from the Cycling Ulster Off-Road Commission.
Harvey, Doherty and Harkness were in action in the men’s U23 and women’s junior World Cup races in Antwerp on Saturday.
Harvey (Trinity Racing) and Harkness (Scott Bright Motor Group) were 36th and 56th in the men’s U23 race, from a 60-rider field.
Harvey, the Irish elite champion who raced to 11th in the U23 event at the recent Dublin World Cup, was 4:26 down on race winner, and U23 World Cup leader, Tibor Del Grosso (Alpecin-Deceuninck).
In the women’s junior race, Doherty (VC Glendale), who was also on the Irish team for the Dublin World Cup, placed 37th of a 51-rider field. The Belfast teenager was 5:05 down on race winner Cat Ferguson of Great Britain.
In today’s World Cup racing in Gavere, Harvey rode the elite race – in the absence of an U23 World Cup race. He placed 52nd of 77 starters. That event was won, in dominant fashion, by world champion Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck).
The Irish riders will now tackle three more races in the days ahead, with some of them competing in the Superprestige events in Zolder and Diegem tomorrow and Thursday before rounding off the trop on Loenhout on Friday.
The U23 and junior riders are being accompanied by Brendan Doherty, Philip Harkness, Mark Harvey, Niall Murphy and Jason Henry.
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