Big in Japan: Bryan Keane's crash on the bike leg in Ishigaki couldn't stop a strong & determined performance
The former international cyclist Bryan Keane has overcome adversity to take his first podium at a World Cup triathlon when he finished in the silver medal position in Ishigaki in Japan yesterday.
Keane, who rode the FBD Rás on the Irish team in 2005, was second behind Ryan Fisher of Australia, with another Australian Dan Wilson in third.
The Irishman was with the two Australians in a breakaway on the bike and only lost contact with them after crashing.
He recovered as quickly as possible and held the two leaders at around one minute for the remainder of the 40km bike in the second round of the ITU World Cup series, while putting time into the 12-man chase group behind.
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But while he caught and passed Wilson on the 10km run to move into the silver medal position, Fisher was too far ahead and too strong for the Irishman to get back on terms with.
“You crash in any race you’re lucky to get up thankfully,” a delighted Keane said afterwards.
“It was a silly crash, I’d been careful throughout the race and came down three laps to go so had the bones of 14km or so by myself. I was so far behind I just had to put my head down and keep chasing. The race is never over if you crash, just get up and keep racing you never know what’s going to happen.”
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“I’m second, but with a podium you’ve always got to be pleased with it. It’s my first World Cup podium so…. fourth in Mooloolaba (in Australia last month), I kind of messed that one up and I felt I missed the podium there. So it’s pretty sweet after I crashed (out of the race) last weekend in Auckland and to come back and to get a second opportunity – crash again – but I still finished second.”
A former member of Dublin Wheelers CC, Keane came to cycling from a career as a runner of some note and then progressed to triathlon. Originally from Cork, he has been one of the very best triathletes in the country for many years.
Yesterday, the Australian pair Fisher and Wilson broke free on the bike leg with Keane on the third lap after most of competitors had earlier emerged from the swim within seconds of each other.
In what were very wet conditions for the bike, the Irishman suffered a mishap with two laps remaining and he came down on the slippery surface.
Keane didn’t hang around and remounted quickly after pausing for a brief period to make sure his bike was in working order. He then spent the rest of the cycle leg alone chasing the Australian pair up the road.
By the end of the bike, as the leading men left the transition area to begin the run, Keane was almost a minute down on the Australians. It was a lot of time to make up but he had shown great mental and physical strength not to let his fall define his race and he at least went out onto the run still very much in the hunt.
After he embarked on the run, a further 1:30 would elapse before the group that Keane and the Australians had ridden away from would emerge from the transition area to begin their final leg.
At the head of the race, Fisher put his foot down and immediately began to distance his compatriot Wilson on the 10km run. By the end of the first lap he had pulled out a gap of 30 seconds.
And as Wilson saw victory running away from him, he was also hunted down by the determined Keane, who overhauled the fading Australian and moved into the silver medal position with 1.5km remaining despite losing so much time to him on the bike.
Fisher was too far ahead and would go on to take the gold – his first in a World Cup. Keane continued to storm home and took the silver while Wilson hung on for bronze.
In the end, Keane was only 1:04 down on the winner and perhaps could have pushed Fisher very close or even beaten him to gold had it not been for his crash.
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