Melanie Spath (Cycleways)

 

Mountain-biker turned road rider Mel Spath has taken her biggest ever road win in Clonmel today, Saturday, when she blasted home to take the Women’s National Road Championships.

The Cycleways rider pulled clear with pre race favourites Olivia Dillon (NOW & Novartis for MS) and defending champion Siobhan Horgan (GSD Gestion) along with Lydia Boylan (Look Mum No Hands) in the closing stages.

Much of the damage that split the race was done by Spath on the climbs of the closing laps. And despite some major attacking coming in the road from the four-strong lead group, the quartet arrived in tact at the finish, where Spath demolished the uphill gallop to take a clear win.

She came in ahead of Horgan, with Dillon in third; the same three riders who took the medals in the TT Championships on Thursday evening when Dillon won, Spath was second and Horgan third.

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