Mark Cassidy 14th in Europeans Road Race

Mark Cassidy today finished an excellent 14th in the European road race championships in Bulgaria, despite a crash in the final third of the race.

The Murphy and Gunn/Newlyn Group/M. Donnelly Sean Kelly team rider was one of four competing with the Irish team in the tough twelve lap, 168 kilometre event. He crashed and broke his rear derailleur, necessitating a bike change with three laps to go. However team-mates Martyn Irvine and Isaac Speirs sacrificed their chances in riding hard to get him back up the peloton, and he crossed the line a fine 14th.

The race was won by Andrey Klyuev (Russian Federation), with Ignatas Konovalovas (Lithuania) taking silver two seconds later.

Cassidy finished 12th in the 83 rider sprint for third place, thus netting 14th. This main bunch came in 13 seconds after Klyuev took the victory. Cassidy’s strong result follows on from an excellent second place in the 1.2 ranked GP Hénin Beaumont Dourges last Sunday.

“It was a very good ride by Mark,” said team manager Kurt Bogaerts this evening. “He had a hard chase back on after crashing and having to change his bike, but still finished 14th.

“Today was a big goal of the season and it was a good result for us. The race was really hot and was held over twelve laps. It was not super hilly but there was a really long drag and also a smaller one, plus sections of cobblestones. After last week’s result it shows he is going very well.”

Fellow Ireland team rider Daniel Martin was also prominent in the race. He went clear in a strong break in the second half of the race but lost his chance once that was hauled back by the main field. He said afterwards that he was suffering bad dehydration in the near-40 degree heat and retired from the race once his move was reeled in.

“I got in an eight to ten man break with all the strong nations,” Martin said. “I didn’t feel great, though, and never recovered after we were caught because of the heat. I had seven bottles but was still very dehydrated.”

“Daniel’s coming back from sickness but rode well to get into the break,” said Bogaerts. “The break got almost a minute on everyone else. However the head and the quality of the field meant that every guy who made that big effort was finished once the move came back.

“We are very happy with the day, though. Daniel was in the important move and then Mark recovered very well from his crash to take a good result. Martyn Irvine and Isaac Speirs rode very hard to get Mark back up there, then stopped.

“Mark has been going very well. He was second in a 1.2 last week, going away with three riders in a break. He’s been going very well.”

Mark Cassidy’s father Philip was happy with how things turned out. “I knew he was in super form since before the FBD Rás and just needed a lucky day. He was second in the race last week and then today rode very well.”

Cassidy will be part of the Murphy and Gunn/Newlyn Group/M. Donnelly Sean Kelly team for the Tour of Ireland. It starts in Kilkenny one month from today.

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European U23/Junior Road Championships, Bulgaria (July 19-22)

Day 4, July 22:

U23 Men Road Race:

1, Andrey Klyuev (Russian Federation) 3 hours 54 mins 49 secs (49.927 km/h)
2, Ignatas Konovalovas (Lithuania) at 2 secs
3, Normunds Lasis (Latvia) at 13 secs
4, Pawel Wachik (Poland)
5, Ben Swift (Great Britain)
6 Jacopo Guarnieri (Italy)

Other:

14, Mark Cassidy (Ireland)

DNF Daniel Martin (Ireland)
DNF Martyn Irvine (Ireland)
DNF Issac Speirs (Ireland)


(164 starters)


Junior Women Road Race:

1, Valentina Scandolara (Italy) 1.48.42(38.638 km/h)
2, Daria Gorbatovskaya (Russian Federation)
3, Gloria Presti (Italy)
4, Jessica Schneeberger (Switzerland)
5, Ana Usabiaga Balerdi (Spain)
6, Emililie Aubry (Switzerland)




21ème GP Hénin Beaumont Dourges (1.2, 15 July)

1, Mortensen Martin (Team Designa) 182 kilometres in 4 hours 9 mins 34 secs
2, Cassidy Mark (Murphy and Gunn/Newlyn Group/M. Donnelly Sean Kelly)
3, Hagenaars Luc (P3 Transfer) all same time
4, Mol Wouter (P3 Transfer) at 13 seconds
5, Nilsson Hakan (CT Differdange)
6, Wiesse Wolfram (Team Regiostrom)

Other:

17, Stofferis Rieno (Murphy and Gunn/Newlyn Group/M. Donnelly Sean Kelly)