Marcus Christie might only be back training a month after coming out of retirement but he showed he's lost none of the class that made him an Irish U23 international. The Coleraine man was in the break all day and won from a solo attack with a kilometre to go. (Picture thanks to David McVeigh-TheBelgianProject)
By Brian Canty
Marcus Christie took the biggest win of his career today when he claimed the final stage of the AmberGreen Energy Tour of Ulster.
Riding for Omagh Wheelers this weekend, Christie was part of the day’s five-man break that went all the way to the line to contest victory.
And the 25-year old said his attack inside the last kilometre as the bunch were closing in was the only way he could win.
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“I was always going to go from a kilometre out because I wasn’t going to wait for the sprint.
“I said if they didn’t get my wheel when I attacked I might hang on and that’s what happened.
“I went over the other side of a traffic island and the four in the break with me didn’t respond.
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“Going long is the the only way I can win because I’m not a sprinter,” he said.
Christie was one of the day’s main aggressors after going in the first move of the day.
“The legs have been getting better and I said I’d be aggressive today so I went from the gun and I was away all day.
“Ronan (McLaughlin) came across first and then Morton (UCD-Fitzcycles.ie) joined and for the first 35 miles it was just us three dangling out front; it was hard riding but they were strong.
“Later, Angus Fyffe and Sean Noon joined and that was good but we never got over 40 seconds on the bunch.
“There were times when it was down to 20 seconds but we just persevered and we committed and it just all worked out.
“When I saw everyone suffering and I was feeling good I said I’d attack a kilometre out and catch them unaware.
“I always race well when I don’t put pressure on myself and I just enjoy it. I think that’s more important than having good condition sometimes.”
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