Matt Brammeier (OPQS) has decided not to take his appeal against Cycling Ireland's Olympic selection to the Court of Arbitration for Supports. His initial appeal against CI's selection was successful, only for them to pick the same team again.
Ireland has three slots in the Olympic Road Race. It also has three World Tour riders. Two of those riders, Dan Martin and Nicolas Roche were selected, but Brammeier wasn't. Instead, David McCann, a 39 year old on the RTS Asia Continental team was chosen. And Sam Bennett, a 20 year old rider with An Post Sean Kelly was chosen as the reserve.
McCann has been a strong rider for many years, and Bennett is probably the biggest young talent in Irish cycling, but to be blunt about it, McCann's time is past and Bennett's is yet to come. Cycling Ireland used a ridiculous points system to determine who took its slots which placed more emphasis on decent personal results in very minor races than on the kind of experience a domestique gets in big races.
Brammeier has won the last three national road race championships. If I was him, I'd be very annoyed.