Colm Bracken (50) back winning despite recent cardiac scare
Colm Bracken gets the hand in the air to celebrate his win. The 50-year old Murphy Surveyors Kilcullen rider absolutely nailed the sprint that decided matters. And he is showing absolutely no signs of slowing down despite a heart scare in 2014 (Photos: Sean Rowe)
By Brian Canty
Almost two and a half years ago we published a story about Colm Bracken suffering a cardiac arrest.
That first health scare came in October, 2014. But as he heads into his 51st year, the Murphy Surveyors Kilcullen man is still winning races.
On Sunday he won the Waller Cup in Bohermeen in a bunch sprint when the break was caught with three kilometres to go.
He was sitting comfortably in the bunch throughout the 100-kilometre contest. And he was licking his lips when those up ahead ran out of gas late on.
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“I can’t explain it really, I like racing, it keeps you fit and healthy and it’s nice to win,” he replied when asked what brings him back year after year.
“In training I don’t do anything specific and I didn’t do any intervals over the winter. But hopefully with a bit of racing I’ll get a bit of form.
“I just did good, solid training and that’ll pay off – as will the years of experience.
“I keep fit anyway; I’m not going mad with training. I’m just enjoying it. I do decent training of between 300-500km a week.”
Bracken recalled Sunday's race thus: “There was a break away for the whole day and it went on the first lap.
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“About 10-12 went but they only ever had a minute. And I know from experience that breaks with a minute can still be caught at the end.
"Low and behold it looked like in the last lap they were coming back. We caught them at 3k to go and I said ‘this is great now’.
“I was third into the final corner and that was the perfect position for me. There was another break with a kilometre to go but he only had 20 meters.
“An Orwell guy started sprinting and I said if I got his wheel I’d be okay. So he died and I said I better keep going.
"It was a long sprint into the wind up the hill but I was glad to hold them off.”
Next weekend he will head to Wexford and thereafter is a long, hopefully fruitful summer.
“Wexford next weekend is the plan. That’s the one I won last year. Cycling is just part of my lifestyle now.
"It’s great to keep fit, great for the mind and the body and the heart is good at the moment as well.”
Colm Bracken on team mate JB Murphy
Asked how far his teammate and recently-crowned Gorey Three-Day winner JB Murphy can go, Bracken, 32 years his senior, said: “It was a great club thing to see him win.
“We had such a small team down there and there are no limit to the riders teams can have.
“NRPT had 10, Lucan had 12 and Orwell had another dozen. So for such a small team, I think we did great to lead it from start to finish.
“JB seems to be very good, he’s very determined so it’s all good at the moment.
“He did a great ride on the Saturday and did well to hold them all off on Sunday and Monday because there were some good, strong teams there.
“The Scottish team had eight riders and they were pretty handy and I hope there’s more in him.”
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