Home scene proves resilient
In a very difficult year that saw racing suspended for a long time and then many events cancelled at home even after Covid-19 lock-down was lifted, it was a huge relief to see the National Road Championships run at all this year. Newcastle West Wheelers – specifically championship race director Liam Collins and his team – deserve great credit for getting the show on the road. They did so at short notice and after previous plans for the championships were abandoned. All in all, the fact the championships were run this year was a reflection the resilience of the home scene, with Collins and his team running them and the rest of cycling community responding in supporting them, including riders coming from all over the country and abroad.
Lara Gillespie continuing to emerge
The teenager has made such progress in recent seasons that it’s often been hard to keep up with her; medals at the Worlds and/Europeans on the track during her two years as a junior, a junior road race crown and two elite title wins in the cyclocross championships as a junior. This year really threatened to be a lost season for her and so many of our other development riders. However, Gillespie has pulled a huge win out of the bag that will shine out from her palmares if and when she goes in pursuit of a contract on a foreign team. Her win – aged just 19 years - means she has taken a really fantastic result from a tricky season, which provides evidence of her continued development and hopefully sets her up for a strong winter track campaign.
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Ben Healy looks set for big things
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Any 20-year-old winning the national title is a huge achievement and the manner of Ben Healy’s win was truly impressive. He got up the road with Darnell Moore (Vitus Pro Cycling) on the opening lap of nine and then ploughed away for seven laps with him before going solo for the last two laps and winning the gold medal by over two minutes from Nicolas Roche (Team Sunweb). Healy (Trinity Racing) also won the U23 TT title days before the road race when he was fastest of the joint U23 and elite field. When it comes to big wins he has become a repeat offender; taking a stage of the Tour de l’Avenir last year and a mountain stage of Ronde de l'Isard just last month. Those three wins were all achieved after Healy attacked the race and had the legs to finish the job; often from a long way out. The results he already has achieved suggest he is destined for bigger things. And the fact he has an elite Irish national title in the bag should be a real selling point when he inevitably comes to the attention of pro teams.
Other young guns are rising
While Lara Gillespie (19) and Ben Healy (20) were the stand-out riders because they won the elite road races at the National Road Championships in Knockaderry, Co Limerick, other young riders also looked very good at the 2020 championships. Ronan O’Connor (Orwell Wheelers) took a strong and confident win in the junior men’s road race and Ella Doherty (Greenmount CA) was also impressive in winning the junior women’s race. While Maeve Gallagher (Castlebar CC) did not medal in the elite race, she was constantly on the attack and looked very strong; an athlete with a big future if cycling can hold onto her as she is also a top triathlete. Similarly, Kevin McCambridge (Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling) may have out of the elite men’s medals but he took silver in the U23 road race within the elite event. He was also 2nd in the U23 TT to Healy and recorded the second fastest time of the elite and U23 combined field. He is a huge prospect for Ireland going forward.
Top Irish pros can be beaten
Conn McDunphy’s win in the TT should offer encouragement
to every ride racing against the pros in future championships as it proves, if
proof were needed, that the top pro rides can be beaten. McDunphy (CC Nogent
Oise) is not quite a plucky amateur as he has been based in France in recent
years and has represented Ireland abroad at the highest level as an U23.
However, he prepared well for his TT and went for it on the day, just holding
off Roche by two seconds for the elite gold medal. Similarly, amateur rider
Daire Feeley Strata 3-VeloRevolution was 5th in the road race; further evidence
that the pros can be challenge by riders who are not competing at the same
level as them.
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