Gavin Noble bagged Ireland's highest ever result in an Olympic triathlon in London and now he's going to give road racing a go.
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By Brian Canty
One name that stands out on the start-list for the Rás Dún na nGall this weekend is that of Irish Olympian Gavin Noble.
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The Enniskillen man, who recorded the country’s highest ever finish by an Irish triathlete at the London Games last summer in 23rd, is doing the race as part of his return to competition following a period of eight months out through injury.
Noble had surgery after the Olympics for a troublesome knee injury that curtails his running. But such is his keenness for competition that he’s taking part in the big race of the weekend on the domestic cycling calendar.
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“The boys from the Lakeland club had been talking to me at the races, asking would I be interested,” he told stickybottle.
“I’m normally abroad at this time of the year racing but because I’m injured I’m home. It’s hard seeing my friends and competitors away racing and it’s a long time without a race for me. So I need to put myself in a position at the weekend where I have to go to bed early and go through a little routine of being in a competition.”
Though he’ll ride solo for one of his sponsors – Specialized - he knows he’ll have help from his friends in Fermanagh. And recent experience has taught him he’ll need it because when he did the Shay Elliott a few weeks ago he blew up on the climb as he had no one to service him.
“I was in a group with (Sean) Lacey and (Damian) Shaw but as soon as we hit the climbs my legs just went, I didn’t have a team or a bottle so once I run out of energy it’s game over. But I kind of got back on in the cars and then I punctured and when I did the two boys (Conor Murphy and Thomas Martin) were up the front and their car wasn’t coming back. They had agreed to help me out but there wasn’t much they could do for me then!”
And while he enjoys the road racing, there’s no fear of him switching codes any time soon.
“I’m finding the cycling interesting. Triathlon is a more honest affair; everyone goes flat out. Cycling can be frustrating. I was going into races unsure of what I was doing - I wanted to just go and go. There could be 50 guys in the pack and only six or seven doing the work! I don’t want to feel fresh at the end I want to be worked over because it’s training for me. I know Donegal is hilly so it’s going to be a good weekend.”
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