Having led the National Road Series for the full season, Grace Young is now in a battle against time to defend her leader’s jersey this weekend.
The Irish road international broke her collar bone in a crash at Rás na mBan two weeks ago while riding in the green of Ireland.
She had to undergo surgery to have a plate inserted and while the injury is healing rapidly, her participation in this Sunday’s Cork Grand Prix is far from guaranteed.
And because there are double points on offer at the last round of the series on Sunday, Young not only faces losing the series victory but also even a place on the final podium.
Young (Strata 3-VeloRevolution) won the first round of the National Road Series, the Des Hanlon Memorial.
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She has held the lead in the series since then after finishing in the top four in every race.
Going into the last round of the series this weekend there are still four women who could deny her the title: Maire Claffey (UCD Cycling Club), Katharine Smyth and Eileen Burns (Ballymena Road Club), and her team mate Agnieszka Wozniak.
Young has 200 points, Claffey
is on 179, Smyth has 178, Wozniak has 146 and Burns has 143.
Normally there are 40 points
for winning a round of the series down to 8 points for 20th.
But because there are double
points this time around, movement up the standings could be significant even if
the riders who can still win take a minor placing.
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And if Grace Young does not race this weekend as a result of her injury, she is very likely to lose the overall win.
Furthermore, once the others in contention hold their form, there is also a chance Young would not feature in the top three overall in the 2019 series.
Claffey has been in great form of late; among the best of the international field at Rás na mBan and also winning the Laragh Classic on a very hard course.
The UCD Cycling Club rider would pose a handful for Young in the final round if both were fit. But if Young is absent, her final placing is completely out of her control.
She came close to winning the series in 2015 and says it would be difficult to see it slip away in the final round once more.
“It came down to
the last race,” Young of the
2015 narrow loss of the series overall title.
“Aideen Keenan and I were tied for first place and she
won that last race. I finished second, so she beat me by a point.
“I don’t want that to happen again, not when I have
worked so hard all season for this, so I am going to do everything in my power
to ride on Sunday. But it does look doubtful that I will make it.”
Of her current condition she said: “It’s two weeks since the crash but only a week since I had surgery.
“It was a bad break and needed a plate
and pins. At the moment I have limited movement of my right arm but it’s
improving every day.”
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