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Last Updated: 2 Apr 2018 - 8:45:17 PM |
DEMARE WINS WORLD UNDER 23 CHAMPIONSHIPS, LAVERY BEST OF IRISH
By Shane Stokes / Pictures Gary McIlroy
23 Sep 2011,
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French riders Arnaud Demare and Adrien Petit pulled off a rare one-two in today’s under 23 road race at cycling’s world championships, proving quickest on the slightly uphill sprint to the line in Copenhagen.
Petit led out the gallop, then was strong enough to hang on for silver when his team-mate passed him.
British rider Andy Fenn, who has competed this year with the An Post Grant Thornton M. Donnelly Sean Kelly team, grabbed third ahead of the German rider Rudger Selig.
“First and second…I’m very happy,” said Demare shortly before receiving his rainbow jersey. “We tried to start about 300 metres before the finish…it is amazing.”
There was bad luck for Ireland’s Sam Bennett, who is a fast finisher and was well positioned heading towards the sprint. However he was delayed inside the final kilometres when a crash in the bunch forced him to come to a complete halt; he chased but with the pace being frantic ahead, was unable to get back to the peloton before the sprint.
He was 95th, 37 seconds behind Demare. Philip Lavery was best of the two Irish riders, finishing in the same time as the winner in 53rd place. Felix English also started but pulled out during the race, saying afterwards that he had nothing left after a long season. He's just 18 years of age, though, and will fare better in the years ahead.
Lavery rode aggressively early on and was away in a breakaway move inside the final third of the race, but was caught just before the start of the final three laps.
“Sam was delayed in the crash,” said Cycling Ireland’s High Performance Director Phil Leigh afterwards. “He caught his hands on the railings and had to put his foot down. He was quite well placed and then had that problem.
“Philip was nearly caught up in it too. He rode aggressively in the race..the main thing was to protect Sam, but if there was opportunity, he could go for it.”
Junior duo Jack Wilson and Ryan Mullen compete in tomorrow’s junior road race, while Siobhan Dervan lines out in the Elite women’s event.
Leigh said that he was hoping for good performances. “Jack Wilson has been prominent in some of the UCI rqaces in Belgium and France so we are hoping he will be up there.
“Ryan Mullen rode a strong time trial and the circuit could suit both of them. Both are capable of good performances, although sometimes these races can be a bit of a lottery. You need to stay up right and avoid crashes. We are not putting big pressure on them, no point in saying they will get top ten because we can’t be certain, but they will give a good account of themselves. This is all part of the learning process for the years ahead.”
Dervan was originally not scheduled to ride the worlds but, following a successful appeal, her selection went through. She finished 24th in the past and Leigh said that if things go well, she could perform. “Siobhan rode well in the Tour of Ardeche, was mixing it and getting up there with the professionals. She is capable of getting around and might have a chance to be up there,” he said.
“She is smart, if the girls are looking around she can get into a group.”
As regards Sunday’s Elite men’s road race, he said that there was no designated leader at this point in time. “We will sit down with them, see where they all are. Matt has been out and done two laps today, they are all happy. It is too early to say [who will be leading the team], we will play it on the best man. They are willing to ride for the best guy on the day, so we will see who that is.”
Pictures from the event courtesy of Gary McIlroy
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World under 23 championships, Copenhagen:
1, Arnaud Demare (France)
2, Adrien Petit (France)
3, Andrew Fenn (Great Britain)
4, Rudger Selig (Germany)
5, Marco Haller (Austria)
6, Filippo Fortin (Italy)
7, Wouter Wippert (Netherlands)
8, Alexey Tsatevitch (Russia)
9, Tosh Van Der Sande (Netherlands)
10, Andris Smirnovs (Latvia)
Other:
53, Philip Lavery (Ireland)
95, Sam Bennett (Ireland) at 37 secs
DNF: Felix English (Ireland)
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IMAGES COPYRIGHT:
Any images included in this article remain the property of the photographer, by whom all rights are retained, 2011 ©. Use of images for electronic or print purposes is may be possible with the express, written permission of the photographer.
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