It was little wonder that teenager Jamie Blanchfield was unable to continue in the Rás with these injuries after a crash while descending on stage 1 yesterday.
Looking to ride his first Rás to gain experience and build condition for the rest of the season and beyond, Jamie Blanchfield’s race was over almost before it began.
The 19-year-old Carrick Wheelers man, riding the race in the colours of Cork Strata3-Velorevolution, was one of the fallers in a crash that occurred on the descent of the only categorised climb of the day.
With just under 90km covered, and coming off the cat 3 ascent and Lough Crew on the road to Multyfarnham, a couple of riders came down and Blanchfield fell with them, on a day marked by crashes.
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He sustained facial wounds that forced him out of the race, just over half way through the first stage of eight.
Blanchfield's helmet shows the signs of hitting the tarmac at speed coming down a climb.
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“The joys of bike racing I suppose,” said Blanchfield of his crash which featured in the stage 1 highlights video.
“Someone slipped out in front of me; a few lads just overcooked a corner and went down.
“One of their bikes slide across the road and sent me over the handlebars onto my face, I’m gutted to be out of it to be honest.”
Blanchfield, who took a bronze medal in the junior national road championships two years ago, added he was disappointed to lose the opportunity the Rás presented.
“I wanted to finish it and at 19 I would've learned a lot and gotten good legs for goals in the second half of the year.
”I was really looking forward to the stages into and out of Dungarvan, they're on some local training roads,” he said of Friday’s and Saturday’s races.
However, instead of riding on some roads he knows well towards the back end of the week, Blanchfield will be recovering having required treatment at the accident and emergency department in Mullingar after yesterday’s stage.
“I’ve stitches above my eye and road rash on my face, shoulders, my back arms and legs. I’ve nothing broken but it’s really disappointing to be out was my first Rás.”
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