Stage two of the 2016 An Post Rás is a day that will live with Eoin Morton for the rest of his life. If he never wins another race he will always be able to say he is a stage winner from the country's biggest event. But getting into the shape required to win is not easy, but not impossible either, as he outlines here.
By Brian Canty
Eoin Morton’s stage win at the An Post Rás last week was a landmark moment for domestic cycling on a number of levels.
For starters, it was the first win by a county rider since the late Paul Healion won back in 2009 and by winning, Morton proved the working man can still win at the race, though we accept it is extremely difficult.
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Many things need to happen on the day and having luck on your side definitely is one thing.
But in Morton's case it had very, very little to do with his win as he rode from the front all day and stayed at the head of the race until the finish in Charleville.
Here, we look at seven reasons why he won.
Time management
Morton told stickybottle that he trains an hour before work most days and up to two and a half hours afterwards.
He does that most days and has been doing it since last year. A quick math reveals that in five weekdays, the Swords man clocks up 17.5 hours.
Add in a race at the weekend and he’s already over the 20-hour mark.
“I’ve been doing that since last year,” he said. “I start training in November every year and the hours in the winter are huge.
“You’re out hail, rain or snow with lights on in the Wicklow mountains, after work, getting home at 8 o’clock in the evening.
“But I’m capable of managing my time, training and keeping my form.
“I can’t go ride my bike in Belgium and be miserable but I’m perfectly capable of challenging guys that are riding their bikes full-time.
“There’s a good few of us who showed that during last week,” he added.
Dublin-based Morton, left, stuck the panniers on the back of the bike and headed off down the country for some huge spins last winter involving an overnight and riding home.
Enjoying the sport
Morton says he came close to cracking a few times with all the training but having other things in his life kept him on track when the going got tough.
“I enjoy bike riding,” he said. “I read these stories about guys going abroad and just not enjoying cycling.
“Then they leave the sport depressed and disenchanted with it all. I make the sport part of my life but it’s not my life.”
Making it part of your lifestyle
Morton proved that having the right work-life balance is key. “I would say cycling isn’t a sport, it’s a lifestyle.”
Interestingly, of the five UCD-Fitzcycles.ie riders in the Rás, all five have Masters degrees in something or other, not that having one makes the slightest difference.
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It merely shows that they have other interests and objectives outside cycling.
Diet
Clearly, if one wants to compete for stages of the Rás, being disciplined is crucial and Morton proved that.
“None of us drink; you can take that from the get-go.
“We watch everything we eat, I don’t eat carbs Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday but on Thursday I’ll start eating some (carbs).
“Diet is as strict as it possibly gets.
“Because we have jobs as well as training a lot, we have to look after ourselves a little bit more, so we always have our nutrients and vitamins topped up to make sure we stay healthy.”
Dressed as a cow, as you do; Morton is not a man who has forgotten at the centre of cycling should be the desire to enjoy it and have a bit of craic along the way to avoid burn out after a few seasons.
Stress
“Everybody talks about your TSS, your training stress score. We have our WSS (work stress score).”
Basically, this means that to get the best out of himself on the bike, Morton needs as little stress as possible off it.
To achieve this, he said, “you have to look after yourself, making sure your vitamins and minerals are there every day, making sure not to get sick and then balancing training with that.”
Having work that is conducive to training
Morton works near his home in Dublin and doesn’t have to commute far.
It means that when he’s not working or training he has more time to rest and recover.
And as well as being close to work, his workplace has been kind enough to give him the time off he needed, when it was needed.
Obviously, this was taken out of his annual leave.
“I went to Los Angeles in March for the World Cycling League track event so I had to take annual leave.
“Then I took time off for the Rás so that another week gone. Then I got his Irish call-up (for the Philadelphia Classic) and straight away I thought ‘I cannot say not to this, that’s the best thing that’ll ever happen’.
Support network
Coming from a cycling family definitely helps as they all rowed in behind Morton when he set out to win a stage of the Rás.
“It’s not just me who’s dedicated, it’s my whole family, my girlfriend.
“Training for the race impacts wives, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers.
“They’re all supporting you and it makes a big difference.
“Cycling’s a very selfish sport, you have to rely on support on so many people in order to do it but when you do something like I did last Monday it’s a dream come true.”
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