Mark Dowling's problems have been many of late. But he is finally coming good. Above, on the attack on his way to victory on Sunday (Photo with many thanks to John Hammer)
Top Irish cyclist Mark Dowling on facing adversity
One of the best riders on the home scene for many years, and having showed his superiority in many of the hardest races, Mark Dowling took victory on Sunday.
His win in the Eddie Tobin Memorial was his first of the season; opening his account in late June a strange scenario for such a prolific winner.
But having endured the worst period in his cycling career since late last summer, he wondered if he would race at all this season.
Gradually, however, he’s gotten back on track. A strong Rás, in which he was 15th overall and made a bid for the yellow jersey, has clearly polished up his condition.
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He goes into the National Road Race Championships, on an undulating course that can suit him, with low expectations but happy he is back influencing and winning races.
Dowling said his experience of Eddie Tobin Memorial was that the circuit was of the breakaway usually only going clear late in the day.
And so he tilted his race place towards that scenario on Sunday. With Alexis Roche clear in a breakaway early, Mark Dowling was attacking in pursuit.
Dermot Trulock (Lucan CRC) and Damien Shaw (Holdsworth Pro Cycling) were active with him in that regard.
Mark Dowling has competed for Cycling Leinster selections several times this year. Above, on the attack in provincial colours at the Victus Tour of Ulster (Photo courtesy Tour of Ulster - Stephen McMahon)
Dowling on the attack during the Wicklow section of the Rás. He went all out to take yellow. And though his attacks on Glenmalure and the Wicklow Gap were neutralised he got satisfaction from being willing and able to give it a proper rattle (Photo: Bryan Keane - Inpho)
Eventually Dowling would catch the leaders in a small group that included Shaw. With the front group swelled, they cooperated well together for the following laps.
“I was riding quite aggressively, trying to get a hard race in the legs thinking of next weekend,” Dowling said, referring to the Irish Road Race Championships elite men’s race next Sunday.
The eventual winner broke clear solo and was joined later by Shaw and Matt McCullagh (Sundrive Track Team).
Dowling would then press on alone for the final 25-30km, chased all the way by an eight-man group; Conn McDunphy (Holdsworth Pro Cycling) off the front of the chasers trying to hunt down Dowling.
In the end Dowling won it by a street. It was a win that came as a relief after many months of problems.
“Through the winter, after getting sick during the Suir Valley Three Day last year; since that race I’ve been sick nine times including pneumonia.
“I’ve been on antibiotics eight times. And I have three long term injuries as well; so between the sickness and the injuries I basically haven’t been around for most of this year.”
Those injuries include a knee problem and a tear on his Achilles and hamstring. His illnesses included chest and sinus infections and serious allergy problems.
“It looked at one point like I wouldn’t race this season,” he says of the winter and spring.
“Even during the winter I was training up to five times a day some times in an effort to get back to form.
“I would have been doing two rehab rides, a swim and two gym sessions at times. So that was the kind of effort that went into getting back on the road; to try and make the Rás. Then after the Rás finished I was on antibiotics again.
“I didn’t think I’d be riding the Rás until the week before. I went into it; the fact I was even racing my bike meant I had a different angle on it.
“I was just enjoying it and I ended up going quite well. I would always go in aiming to get stage win. But going into it this time I was worried about whether I’d get around.”
Riding for Ireland in Kreiz Breizh Elites (UCI 2.2) in France in 2016. Dowling said he would like to see more teams being picked (Photo: Be-Celt.com)
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In the Taiwan KOM Challenge two years ago; a testing climbing event that often features top WorldTour pros. Dowling is hoping to return this year.
The 31-year-old did more than get around; finishing 15th overall and on the same time as the 8th placed rider overall.
On the penultimate stage, through Wicklow, Dowling made a serious effort to try and take the yellow jersey. He had started that stage one of 15 riders just 35 seconds off the race lead.
He attacked up Glenmalure – “to try and reduce the field down so it wouldn’t end up as the usual 40-man sprint”.
“I wanted to leave everything on the road. I got over to some of the riders in the break and I got caught at the top of the climb,” he explains.
“Then I went away on the Wicklow Gap. At one point during that stage I think I was something like 48 seconds up on the yellow jersey and started the day 35 or 36 seconds down.”
And while he got few plaudits – perhaps a feature of an excellent career to date – he put in a fantastic ride.
The accolades never came because his attacking came to nothing; expect, that is, personal satisfaction at being out front and challenging deep into the race despite all his problems.
“I was trying to get into the yellow jersey that far into the race. I attacked even though I knew I was likely to get pulled back. But I was satisfied with my ride. It made all the struggling worthwhile.
“A few times (in winter) I travelled to Lanzarote, to my brother who lives there, to train. And it all fell apart. And then I decided to pack it in for the year to try and get on top of my problems.
“It was very difficult; the hardest year I’ve had. But it’s like a drug addiction.
“And because I was putting the effort into other training methods (apart from cycling) I was saying to myself that if I just got a few weeks training I’d do a good ride. And I felt I proved that to myself on stage 7 at the Rás.
“Even though nothing came of it, I was happy with it. And I’m more or less in a similar position going into the nationals.
“I’m struggling with injury but before or after a race I’m doing two or three hours of training; trying to get ready for a 180km race.”
Mark Dowling has finished as high as sixth in the nationals. But he said some years “it can just not work out”. He’ll take any good fortune that comes his way this time around.
Asked how hard it is to compete against the WorldTour riders and the others racing abroad he says: “You can compete, you can.
“You always expect they are going to rip the legs off you. But the Irish-based riders showed in Omagh; a lot of the Irish-based riders got away on the harder part of the circuit that year.
“And the foreign-based lads were in a chase group. They got the gap down to seconds at one stage but we upped the gas. That was the year Shaw won, and Dunbar was 2nd. I managed to get 6th.
“Of course the (top pros) will be up there on Sunday. But you could get a situation where you get clear in a break and you’re gone.
“My money this time would be on the likes of Bennett and Dunbar; unless they get marked out. Even if there is climbing, with the condition Bennett had at the Giro I can’t see anyone beating him.
“It would be great to see somebody like Dunbar with the (champion’s) jersey. Or to see Bennett up in the sprints in these huge races in the jersey.”
In the longer term he is also looking to the Taiwan KOM Challenge again towards the end of the year.
He finally got the chance to ride for Ireland in recent years when riders from the home scene were picked on some national teams; to ride in French and US races.
But this year no such teams have been selected; a source of disappointment for Dowling.
At times he says he feels like “the invisible man” when it comes to national selection.
“It would be great to see some teams going away; there’s still time, still plenty of races out there,” he says.
“The form is coming now and if there was something like that it would really help to focus and work towards that. But I’ll keep Taiwan as a longer term goal, just to be sure not to lose the head,” he laughs.
“When I’ve gone away to foreign races, I’ve never had a terrible ride abroad. The harder races have suited me and I’ve gone quite well.”
On riding unattached this year, Dowling said because his winter and early season were so precarious he never set about pursuing a place in a team.
“I’ve kind of always been a one man band anyway,” he said. “Even when I am in bigger teams, I am still like that.
“But not knowing whether I was going to be racing, I couldn’t have committed to a team.
“And riding that way; there’s no pressure to turn up to races. I can do my own thing and I am happy doing that.”
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