Ireland's Matt Teggart on his way to a great result at the U23 Tour of Flanders. However, he had pulled clear and was only caught with 1km to go (Photos by Jens Morel)
Matt Teggart raging after U23 Tour of Flanders
Matt Teggart took a very strong result at the U23 Tour of Flanders but was bitterly disappointed at his 11th place on the day.
However the Team Wiggins man, riding for the national team in Belgium yesterday, will have plenty to reflect on when his disappointment fades.
In the business end of the race he was among just a dozen men riding off the front and away from the rest of a quality field.
Eventual winner James Whelan from Australia had broken clear solo before the final 18km finishing circuit.
But just behind him there was mayhem; well over 3½ hours of speed, pavé and climbs taking their toll on the field.
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What remained of the bunch split to pieces on a late climb. And Teggart would go clear with 10 or 11 others in pursuit of Whelan.
In the group and pulling away as the racing was really on, Teggart was daring to think big as the finish line loomed. But with a lack of cooperation among those he was with, 15 chasers got back to them.
Whelan hung on for a brilliant win on his own out front. Teggart was left to fend for himself in a sprint for 2nd place.
He said he still felt great but ran into congestion on his chosen sprint line. It ruined his run at the line and saw him slip down to eleventh.
That was far lower than he felt he was capable of. He said it left him “raging” at the finish.
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“I’d super legs and was aiming for a podium finish,” he said of the Nations Cup fixture, won by compatriot Eddie Dunbar last year.
“We were only caught by the big group of chasers with about 1km to go. We messed about before the sprint.
“It was all going so well until the last 200 metres. That’s bike racing; it’s a cruel sport. But there was nothing I could have done really.
“It was just bad luck; I picked the wrong side of the road to sprint.” Though disappointed, he said he was hopeful for the months ahead.
“This year I’m aiming to be right up there in the U23 category winning these types of races,” he said.
“We got clear just through the race being so hard. It was just a wearing down match over all the cobbled climbs.
“Then with one lap to go on the finishing circuit we smashed it up one of the climbs. It blew to bits with only 11 or 12 of us sticking the pace.
“We were away for about 18km but we were never really riding. We were always attacking, and cat and mouse because we were at the front of the race."
Team effort by Ireland
The race was 166km, both starting and finishing in Oudenaarde. And with the climbs of Muur van Geraardsbergen, Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg to deal with, the pressure was relentless.
Darragh O’Mahony and Dermot Trulock spent time up the road in breakaway groups early in the race.
Apart from Teggart; Daire Feeley and Conn McDunphy also finished for Ireland. They were 61st and 68th respectively, in the same group 6:13 down.
Trulock, O'Mahony and Jake Gray were not among the finishers, with half the field abandoning.
Australia's Whelan won by six seconds from the 27-rider group Matt Teggart finished in. Max Kanter (Germany) won the sprint behind from Robert Stannard, another Aussie.
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