L to R: Damien Shaw, Felix English and Paidi O’Brien (This photo and homepage photo by Kevin Monaghan)
New National Criterium Champion Felix English has said he is delighted with taking the title and is very much looking forward to wearing the Irish champion’s jersey on the criterium circuit in the UK in coming months.
Having checked out the championship course in detail well in advance, English appears to have been single minded in is approach to last night’s title race in Mullingar.
“It was a very wet night,” he told stickybottle.
“I turned up early and watched the support race and saw a lot of crashes on a specific corner. I then checked over the course in detail afterwards and I think that really stood to me.”
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“I attacked straight off the line and only Daniel Clifford came with me. There was a hard technical section at the back of the course where I think I was making my time and then the small climb and headwind straight were tough when I was on my own.”
“I attacked on my own when I was with 15-20 minutes out from the finish and finished on my own about 45 seconds to 60 seconds up. It was a great course, with great organisation. I’m absolutely ecstatic to have the opportunity to wear the Irish jersey over the next few months in the national crit series in the UK.”
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Clifford (DID Dunboyne) was riding very well until he was distanced by English when he started to suffer from cramp. The race was run over 50 minutes and five laps.
English, who is based in Brighton and riders for Rapha Condor-Sharp, took his impressive victory from local man Damien Shaw (Lakeside Wheelers), who was taking his second consecutive silver medal in a crit championships.
Rounding off the podium was Paidi O’Brien from Dan Morrissey-Speedy Spokes, with the Cork man showing he is still in great form even though he is no longer a full time Continental-based rider.
On the tight 1.3km circuit English simply opened what was an unassailable lead on the others, stretching his advantage to over one minute and taking his win in front of a massive crowd that had come out despite the elements.
After Shaw and O’Brien had mopped up the silver and bronze medals, it was Orwell Wheelers’ Brian Ahern – a winner of the county rider award on a Ras stage this year – who took fourth.
After him came John Lynch of Kilcullen in fifth with Gary Cranston of East Antrim Audi taking sixth.
Earlier, in the cat 3 curtain-raiser, Barry Griffin of Comeragh CC was first across the line with local Lakeside Wheeler Robbie Kenny in second and visiting French rider Gael Hoarau of VCE in third.
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