Male and female Irish junior teams selected for Ghent International

Two Irish junior track teams – male and female – have been selected for the Ghent International Track Meet, which begins later this week. The team is being sent by Cycling Ireland to compete in Belgium as part of the build up towards the Europeans and Worlds.

The European Track Championships take place in Germany next month while the World Junior Track Championships are in China in late August.

Seth Dunwoody (Cannibal B Victorious), who has already enjoyed considerable success on the roads of Europe this year is part of the men’s team while Lucy Bénézet Minns (Tofauti Everyone Active) lines out among the women’s team, fresh for her TT and road race wins at the National Road Championships at the weekend.

Also in the men’s team are: Max Fitzgerald (JEGG-DJR Academy), Luca Holmes (Spellman Dublin Port) and Philip O’Connor (Dungarvan CC).

And joining Bénézet Minns in the women’s team for Ghent are Mya Doocey (Spellman Dublin Port) and Rhiannon Dolan (TC Racing).

The international meeting, which runs over three days from this Friday represents an invaluable opportunity for the Irish riders to test themselves against international opposition on the track and build their strength and craft.

Cycling Ireland said the decision to send two teams to the Ghent International Track Meet aligned with its “commitment to nurturing junior talent and offering race opportunities that enhance their abilities at an international level”.

The national governing body’s national development pathway lead, Michael Black, said he believed the teams could go and perform very well.

“We are delighted to send a strong contingent of junior riders to the Ghent International Track Meet. This competition is a crucial part of our strategy to develop our young athletes by exposing them to high-level international racing,” he said.

“We believe this experience will be instrumental in their growth and success in the sport and aligns strongly with our high performance development pathway.

“This race forms part of an overall track programme leading into the European track championships in Germany at the beginning of July and the World Junior Track Championships in China on the 25th of August.”