Matt Teggart, second right, wore the Irish jersey with pride at the An Post Rás last week. The Banbridge rider was unfortunate to crash on day one and lose time but he acquitted himself very well as the week progressed (Photo: George Doyle)
By Brian Canty
Matt Teggart has said riding for the national team at the An Post Ras last week is something he’ll never forget.
And between the low of crashing out of general classification contention on day one, to seeing teammate Eddie Dunbar win on day seven, he reckons he’s a better rider for the experience.
The 20 year-old Banbridge man came down in a crash into Multyfarnham on the opening stage and lost over two minutes, but he rallied and coped admirably for the remaining stages.
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Of course, being based in France where he’s exposed to a consistently high standard helped prepare him for the rigours of last week.
“It was massive for me to pull on the Irish jersey,” he said.
“It's the one everyone aims for and bases their season around so to be on a five-man out of everyone in the country was an absolute honour.
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“We got the biggest cheers and best recognition at the start and finish every day and going through all the towns all you could hear was people cheering for us.”
“I was pleased with how I got on considering a bit of bad luck as well as not knowing (beforehand) how I’d cope with an eight-day race.
“Of course, being based in France and riding all the Nations Cups this year helped me so it was just as I expected; it was no harder or no easier.
“The eight days in a row was the real challenge as this was new territory but I was well pleased with how I managed it and how I recovered each day, as well as avoiding sickness or injury.
“All in all, it gives me confidence going into more stage races now.”
Teggart will head back to his base in Besancon in France this week after which he’ll fine-tune his preparations for the national championships in Blessington.
The U23 road race will be an absolute cracker and if he’s fit and healthy, he should be there or thereabouts for a medal.
“I’ll get stuck in to some more racing for the next few weeks, including another stage race or two before returning for Nationals where I'd be hoping for a decent ride.
“I'll not look far beyond then just yet, I'll focus on just the week ahead and keep the head down.”
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