A STRONG cycling team for the Shetland Island Games has been announced by the Jersey Cycling Association.

It comprises a mix of youth and experience and the only surprise could be said to be the omission of Jersey Commonwealth Games rider Chris Spence.

But even then it appears he has failed to meet the qualifying criteria – notably, in his case, membership of a local club.

JCA president Andy Munns said: ‘We have a very strong team to go to Shetland, and with the experienced riders and the younger ones we are expecting to do well.’ There are five road cyclists – Sam Firby and Ali Cann, both of Caesarean CC, and Vélo Sport Jersey members Andy Hamon, Dave Jardine and Richard Tanguy.

Firby, Cann Hamon and Jardine have all competed in Island Games, Hamon in Gibraltar where the team won gold and the Isle of Man where he won team silver, Jardine, Cann and Firby all rode in Guernsey where the team won two silvers.

Firby just missed out on individual gold two years ago in the town criterium.

Tanguy, who has just moved up to the senior category, competed in Bendigo, Australia, last December as a member of Jersey’s Commonwealth Youth Games team.

First reserve is CCC’s Vincent Peron.

Two CCC mountainbikers, Kieron Mills, who won the local championship and James Patterson, who was a close second, also travel to Shetland.

Mills competed in Guernsey two years ago.

Sarah Smith (CCC) and Jemima ‘Jim’ Davis (VSJ) are the women chosen for the road events.

Smith has already competed in the Manx and Guernsey Island Games but Davis is a newcomer at this level.

Spence, a several-times gold-medallist in team and individual events in Island Games competitions dating back to 1993 and who represented Jersey in the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, admits to being ‘a bit disappointed’ with his omission.

Spence was one of the five CCC members thrown out of the club late last year, for ‘boisterous behaviour’, but he has neither applied to join VSJ, nor started a cycling club of his own – one option open to him after CCC refused to reinstate him.

Said Munns: ‘I know that Chris Spence’s absence will be talked about, but the main reason he hasn’t been selected is that he didn’t fulfil the criteria to qualify.

Firstly, potential team members have to be nominated for selection by their club – and Chris doesn’t belong to one – and secondly, the JCA said that early season races would be taken into consideration in the selection procedure and, apart from one time-trial, we have no evidence of Chris’s race results.

‘I understand he’s been away to train in America, but he doesn’t appear to have results from that.

The fact that he is not in the team shouldn’t detract from the ability of the cyclists who are.’ Island Games cycle team manager Tony Richomme said he is ‘very optimistic’ about Jersey’s chances.

‘We have a very good chance of medals, especially in the team events.

We have good, strong individuals, and very strong back-up.

Of course it’s a shame Chris isn’t in the team but he didn’t do what it says in the constitution, so he couldn’t be selected.’