Rás Maigh Eo overall winner was only training for triathlon
Aichlinn O’Reilly, second right, may not have won any of the three stages at Rás Maigh Eo at the weekend but he didn’t have to. Courtesy of finishing in the bunch on Saturday morning, coming second in the time-trial and also finishing in the bunch on Sunday he won the overall by less than a second.
By Brian Canty
By his own admission he doesn’t know much about bike racing. And he doesn’t have as much race craft as he’d like.
But Aichlinn O’Reilly is a quick learner.
The 21-year old Westport man won his first race at the weekend, the two-day Rás Maigh Eo.
Depressingly for those who commit fully to one discipline, O’Reilly was merely out training.
He was in the bunch on Saturday’s opening stage. But when he finished second in the stage two time-trial he went into the yellow jersey.
He took yellow by a fraction of a second from Alan Cawley (Galway Bay CC).
And he just about managed to hold that lead on Sunday’s concluding stage.
O’Reilly in action during the Ballinrobe Duathlon 2014. He was 7th in the National Duathlon Championships last year (Photo: Pawel Sadowski – Shutterstills.com)
“I’m super happy with the win; the first time I’ve won a bike race so I’m delighted,” he said.
“I was actually fairly nervous at the start on Sunday. Having never been in that position before I didn’t know what to expect.
“And having not done much bike racing I’m still not fully up to speed on tactics or race craft.”
He’s been cycling five years but hasn’t done a lot of road racing as triathlon and duathlon are his main goals.
Last year he was seventh in the national duathlon championships behind a certain Bryan McCrystal. He is hoping to progress this year.
“Triathlon is the main goal. I’m aiming for the Dublin half-ironman and Lost Sheep middle distance national champs,” he said.
“Half Ironman distances means the cycle comes more into play (more) than in Olympic and sprint distances.
“So bike racing complements my triathlon training perfectly.”