Damien Donlon produced an heroic ride to win the A4 event at the Laragh Classic. The Swords McNally CC man crashed hard while leading solo, broke his collar bone but remounted and still won the race. Brilliant! (Picture: Sean Rowe)
By Brian Canty
Damien Donlon produced an impressive race-winning ride in the A4 event at the Laragh Classic on Sunday, not least because he only bought his first race bike last year and was riding his first ever open race.
He impressively rode away from the bunch to capture victory on a cold and sodden day in Wicklow, but not before he crashed and broke his collar bone only to remount and plough on to the finish.
The Swords McNally man was out front solo for much of the race but on the homeward stretch he crashed at the Annamoe junction and broke his left clavicle.
Advertisement
Not thinking anything of it, he quickly remounted after giving his bike an impromptu service.
“Today it feels really great to have won,” he said of what has to rank as one of the most incredible rides of the season.
“When I crossed the line it was mostly a feeling of relief because the race was over and that I hadn't been caught and that the effort had been worth it.
“My clubmates came over to clap me on the back and I also remember thinking ‘please don't clap me on the left shoulder because it hurts’!”
Of the accident that threatened to derail his brave escape, he explained: “The rear wheel slid out on surface water as I turned and I came down on my shoulder.
“It was my own fault. I had slowed up but not enough. My initial thought at the time was “I've blown it!”.
He rode on bravely and wasn’t seen by the bunch before the finish.
Related News
“It wasn't as painful as you'd think. I was already in pain just trying to maintain speed.
“I had no idea whether the chasers were close or not and the adrenaline was pumping so in that sort of situation I think the pain was masked.
“But it was a different story at the finish… I don't think I’d have gotten back on the bike if I’d known it was broken.
“The issue for me at the time of the crash was damage to the bike.
“The front brake callipers were rubbing and I couldn't straighten them initially to get moving again.
“I ended up opening the front brake quick release lever to stop the rubbing and finished the remainder of the race with it opened.
“But it was totally my own fault and probably down to experience.
“The race marshals did an incredible job on such a shocking day and I’d like to publicly acknowledge and thank the medical personnel who treated me with such kindness following the race. Not a day I'll forget too quickly.”
Topics
