Martin Mizgajski leads home Gorey Three Day 2014 winner Mark Reilly of Lucan CRC at the Frank Moore Memorial promoted by Wexford Wheelers in Camross in May (Photo: Sean Rowe)
By Brian Canty
Wexford-based Martin Mizgajski came to Ireland from his native Poland 10 years ago and has established himself on the home scene as a strong man on his day.
While already a man of the Rás, he gave the race a miss this year because he could not commit the time to training, given family and work commitments.
However, it’s an event he plans to return to in the future.
“I decided to concentrate on just three races this year; the mountain bike national championships in Poland, the Frank O'Rourke Memorial in Wexford which I won, and the Wexford County Championships which I also won for the third year in-a-row.
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“To win the Frank O'Rourke was great; I was happy with that because I can put my name on the trophy next to Sam Bennett who won a few years ago.
Battling hard on the Rás in 2012; a race he could not compete in this year but says he will return to (Photo: Brendan Slattery)
“I was in the break with him that day. I turned around to see how much of a gap we had.
“I was under serious pressure and he was eating a gel, not holding the handlebars; that’s a hard race.”
He also enjoyed his win in the county championships, saying the race is a major event in the region and one he could not have won without the help of his Barrow Wheelers team mates.
“After that the plan was to do a good Suir Valley Three Day to prepare for the mountain bike championships in Poland the following month,” he said.
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"I was happy with my eighth place on the final stage and the form was coming but then I did something crazy with my friends and that finished my good legs for the rest of the season,” he said, referring to the Malin Head to Hook Head charity cycle on August 10th.
"We did 524 kilometers with an average speed of 27kph. But f**k me, I was bollo*ed for days.
“So I only managed to finish 12th in Poland which was a bit disappointing.”
Winning the Wexford county championships again this year, a race he said is "like the World Championships" in the south east where he has settled having left Poland a decade ago (Photo: Sean Rowe)
For now he plans a relaxed approach to training but is confident his form will come when he needs it, saying he would again pick some one-day racing goals in 2015.
“I want to go back to finish the business in Poland in the mountain biking, but I won't start training hard until the beginning of the year.
“I can see guys getting excited and putting a huge amount of work in in the shit months and then when the weather is great they are not racing.
"My season will start in May and I’ll be hoping to get in the top 10 in each race from that time on.
"I think the Des Hanlon would be the race I’d like to really win but that's a dream.
"For me to win; I would have to be in the break on my own and then if they stop the race behind me for 15 minutes I would have a chance!
"But I’m not fussy; any race or any win makes me happy and I’ll take what I can.”
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