Aaron Doherty took a huge win in Westport on Friday night when he won the T Bourke Memorial crit. The 16 year-old lapped a strong field and then rode across to the break of four up ahead. (Photo: Conor McKeown; feature image courtesy of Jimmy McElroy – follow Jimmy on Facebook and Twitter))
By Brian Canty
He might just be 16 years of age but Aaron Doherty’s win in the T Bourke Memorial Criterium over the weekend was one he deserves enormous credit for.
Twenty seconds was all he and the rest of the combined A3 and junior bunch had over a strong scratch group so instead of waiting to be caught, the younger brother or top Irish triathlete Con Doherty, took flight.
“My initial plan was to catch the A4 group and get the primes on lap 3 and 15," he said, adding he was then waiting for the group to catch him from behind.
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“I was getting time checks on all the laps but when I heard the gap was only 10 seconds and I saw the bunch ahead of me I finally copped that I was catching them, not vice-versa.
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“So once I caught this group I had to keep riding straight through them as there was a break ahead.
In the break were Daire Feeley and David Brody (both iTap), Anthony Murray (Cunga CC) and Sean Yelverton(Mego RAW Cycling team).
“I knew it would be a hard task to bridge but I put the head down and rode over solo, making sure I didn't blow the head gasket along the way.
“Once I had made contact with them it was just a matter of covering any breaks to the finish.”
The 45-minute plus three-lap race attracted a field of around 40 riders, with the local man representing the local club one of the youngest.
“It was definitely up there as one of my biggest wins, in front of the home crowd and also competing against some pretty big Irish seniors.
“It was a lovely feeling to win in front of a lot of people I knew and the way the race panned out obviously made it even better.”
Doherty will now turn his attention to the Errigal Youth Tour at the end of the month after which he’ll head to Belgium with the Irish Talent Team before going to the National Champs.
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