Jake Gray looks like he's been to hell and back as he crossed the line after the men's junior road race at the World Championships in Richmond, Virginia last weekend (Picture: Sean Rowe)
Jake Gray has been a real find this season and the first year junior proved his worth yet again with a fine display at the World Championships at the weekend.
The NRPT-Magnet.ie man was in the main bunch for much of the event but two mishaps that necessitated frantic chases back on saw him burn his matches by the time the real attacking got underway.
“I was really happy, I think I’ve learnt a lot this season from the Nations Cup and positioning is one of the most important things,” he said.
“I felt I did well and rode a really good race. It was hard the first time up the climb; I hit my max heart rate of 202 beats.
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“The second time I positioned myself more mid-bunch and I found it a bit easier so I sat there from then on, though it was getting harder each lap.”
Things were going well for him with three laps to go when, sitting mid bunch, a German rider came down in front of him and that spelled his first disaster.
“I was coming into the bottom of Libby Hill and a German lad came down. I went over the top of him and it left about 10 of us out the back.
“I got back on but there was another incident where I had to clip out.
“I got back on again but going up 23rd Street, just because of the efforts, it was very dodgy and I had nothing left and I blew.
“It hadn’t gotten really hard – that probably came later. But I was gassed from my own efforts.
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“It was just unfortunate I wasn’t there at the front. I’m sure it’d have been insanely hard.
“Michael had a really good result, but his performance was better. It was just unfortunate he didn’t have the legs in the last 5k, but he was flying.
“I really think if the race was a lap shorter he would have been top 10 because most of the guys he was in the break with were top 10 so he was definitely capable of a higher result.
“I’d have loved to see how the race would have went if I had no incidents but there’s always next year…”
Still, there were many positives to be taken from representing his country at what will hopefully be only his first Worlds.
“It was an absolutely great atmosphere and the Americans love the Irish,” he said.
“The place was amazing, like having people call my name; I didn’t even know who the people were!”
“I was in a group after I went out the back, two Americans were there and I heard their fans shout ‘Go Ireland!’ I loved every minute of it.”
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