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No velodrome? No problem for O'Loughlin
Ireland may have no velodrome, but that has not stopped one of its favorite sons from mixing it up with the men's individual pursuit contenders at the world track championships in Pruszkow, Poland.
David O'Loughlin, a road rider with the An Post Sean Kelly team, already achieved a significant feat last year by qualifying for the Olympics, where he finished in 11th place behind Britain's Bradley Wiggins.
Ireland has no velodrome, but that has not discouraged O'Loughlin, a three-time national road champion, from trying to excel in his favored track event.
Thanks mainly to support from the International Cycling Union's World Cycling Centre (WCC) in Aigle, Switzerland, O'Loughlin has managed to move up the pursuit's established order.
At the February round of the World Cup in Copenhagen the 30-year-old was rewarded with a second-place finish behind American sensation Taylor Phinney, who is tipped to succeed absent defending champion Bradley Wiggins here on Thursday.
A month previously, O'Loughlin claimed his first World Cup medal when he beat Ukrainian Volodymyr Dyudya in the bronze medal match-up in Beijing.
In the busy middle of the velodrome where teams converge in their pens to prepare for races, you have to look hard for the comparatively small Irish outfit.
But despite their lack of physical presence, O'Loughlin has shown that with the proper support the lack of investment is no obstacle to achieving results.
To team manager Brian Nugent, the athletes' remarkable ascent into world-class competition is due largely to their numerous training camps at the WCC since the beginning of the season.
"Without a doubt it has been a key factor," he said. "We are a small federation with just two coaching staff. In Aigle, we have everything we need in one place."
Nugent added: "It's a question of logistics. We don't need to worry about transport, accommodation, meals. Our small staff can focus on coaching, and the athletes can concentrate on cycling. The World Cycling Centre has got it spot on."
