Mark Downey can rightly hope to move up in the cycling game on the strength of his recent riding.
By Brian Canty
Mark Downey said Sunday’s win in France was probably the greatest result of his career so far in terms of the quality of riders he beat on the day.
The Banbridge man, racing this year with Division Two outfit VC Toucy, edged his fellow breakaway men at the end of the 167-kilometre contest which served as the final stage of the Tour Nivernais Morvan in central France.
“I think judging by my reaction crossing the line you can tell how much it meant,” he said.
“I saw my teammates who were out of the race because of bad luck and I think they were more ecstatic than I was, you couldn’t have made it up.
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“We got a wild-card entry to the race because we are a Division Two team so against Division One teams it was pretty big for us.
“I’d say that’s the best win of my career, or one of the best results I’ve had,” the 19 year-old Irish international continued.
“Looking at the quality of the field; there were 10 ex-pro tour guys and five going to the pro continental ranks at the end of this season so that shows you the standard of guys I was racing against so to beat them shows I can compete at that level.”
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It was even more impressive from Downey given he was at a numerical disadvantage in the break and with a few teams represented - some of which had three riders, he knew he had to play his cards right.
“I just had to bide my time, there was a split happening in the last 5k and I was letting ones and twos go across because the group (up ahead) was getting bigger.
“We brought it back literally as we swung into the home straight and that’s why I started the sprint so early because I was so far back.
“So I went from 500 metres to go, I think the adrenaline kicked in with the huge crowd there.
“There were two riders in the same team ahead of me and the guy in 2nd looked over and tried to flick me but I just had enough momentum to go to the other side of the road.
“I saw him put his hand up, I don’t know what that was about, I past him in a flash because he was stopped. I don’t know if he thought he was going to win or what.”
Clearly, Downey is at or somewhere near the form of his life, meaning he will be impossible to ignore this weekend at the national championships this weekend where he will start the U23 road race as a favourite.
“I don’t really know, the national champs are always a lottery, it’s just about being in the right place at the right time and (seizing) the right moment.
“For sure I’ll try my best and that’s all I can do.”
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