Classic Walls Underage All Ireland
Championships:
By Patrick Withers
Emyvale, Monaghan -
Sat / Sun 14-15th July 2001
STAGE 1:
3.5 Mile T.T.
I
had decided that getting into the prizes overall wasn’t a realistic goal,
therefore I had aimed to just to finish the championships and use it for
experience.
The fastest time 2 weeks
previous at an underage coaching weekend had been 8:52 therefore I thought if I
got in around 10:00 I would have done reasonably well. The time trial course was
quiet a hilly course and the potholes didn’t help much either. I took off from
the starter ramp at approximately 12:20, and put into the biggest gear I had.
After about 2.5 mile I was caught by a Dungarvan rider. Then I turned left and
saw the finish line, I put the head down and was doing a speed of over 30 MPH
when I crossed the finish line.
I
rode back to Glaslough again with my team-car behind me. I arrived back in
Glaslough just after 1:00, I had something to eat and got changed. Then I went
into the race HQ to check the results.
STAGE 2:
CIRCUIT RACE 25 MILES
After
checking the results it didn’t make good reading I had finished 25th
and had got 71 points in the process, the winner was Danny O’Connor with a
time of 8:10.
The
circuit race was due to start at 4:00, but we (Under 15’s) didn’t start till
about 6:30.
As
we set off there was a lot of pushing and shoving and nearly a crash, luckily
enough everybody managed to stay upright. From the start the pace was very high,
and I had trouble getting it into the big chainring which caused me to lose
contact with the group after about ¾ of the first lap. But I rode on at a
steady pace and managed to catch and pass a lad from Duhallow wheelers after
about 4 laps. I passed another 3 as well before the finish and that with 1 or 2
dropped early on and 1 or 2 retirements, I managed to get 76 points in the stage
and moved up to joint 24th overall. The winner of the circuit race
had been David Dunlop.
STAGE 3:
34 MILE ROAD RACE.
I
knew this was going to be fast from the start due to the fact that Danny
O’Connor and David Dunlop were joint first overall, therefore there was no
doubt’s that there were going to be attacks.
The
race started at quite an easy pace with Danny O’Connor on the front
controlling things. The first rider to go on the attack was a Killarney rider
but he was immediately chased down and caught. As the attacks kept coming fast
and furious I could feel the legs starting to get sorer but just hung in as long
as possible.
Finally
after only a couple of mile I had been dropped yet again and was not looking
forward to a twenty odd mile long ride on my own.
After
the first lap I wasn’t feeling to bad but there was no sign of any of the rest
of the race. As I entered my final lap the legs were beginning to hurt and my
pace had dropped down to an average pace of about 16/17MPH.
Halfway
through on my final lap I looked behind me and to my surprise there was the
Under 15 group coming……..i was going to get lapped. I decided to try and
left myself when the group came by and try to sit in on the back.
I
managed to get on to the back of the group and they were averaging around 23MPH.
Then there was a crash in the middle of the group, I(along with half the group)
slammed on the breaks and I managed to swerve and missed it, though I did see
who had come down, a Killorglin rider and the joint overall race leader Danny
O’Connor.
Following
the crash yet again I was left on my own. I rode the last couple of mile at
around 17-19 MPH and was very happy when I finally crossed the finish line.
I
heard shortly after that David Dunlop had won the Road Race and in doing so won
the Overall Championship, I would like to congratulate David and all the other
winners at the championships. I finished with a total of 213 points in 24th
place.
Finally
I’d like to thank the Garda and Emyvale Cycling Club who promoted the event
and to Classic Walls who sponsored the championships.
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