Bryan McCrystal on his way to securing overall victory in the new National Road Series at the weekend (Photo: David McVeigh - The Belgian Project)
By Brian Canty
Bryan McCrystal clinched overall victory in the National Road Series on Sunday despite finishing outside the top 10 in the North Down GP, the last of 16 rounds.
The Team ASEA man won from Mark Dowling (DID Dunboyne) by 294 points to 287 with Eoin Morton (UCD CC) taking third on 274 points.
The presence of three of the top riders in the country on the final podium represents a positive development for the fledgling project.
McCrystal said winning the season-long series ranks up with his best ever achievement in cycling.
“I got it done,” McCrystal said afterwards. “When it’s still in the balance you can’t take it for granted and you can’t take your eye off Dowling.
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“Sunday was not a day that suited him but you could never underestimate him,” he added.
When the breakaway became established on Sunday without series rival Mark Dowling and McCrystal then got clear with team mate Damien Shaw, leading, and top junior Jake Gray, third in line, the national series crown was secure (Photo: David McVeigh - The Belgian Project)
For Dowling to snatch it from the Dundalk man he needed to win in Down and for McCrystal to be outside the top three on the day.
But when Dowling was heavily marked on the flat course and McCrystal managed to escape with teammate Damien Shaw it was game over.
“I wasn’t riding the race thinking about the series,” explained McCrystal. “I think others were more worried about it than I was.
“A lot of guys were saying I needed to win but the break went away and we had Chris Reilly in it so we were happy to see it go.”
That break featured eventual race winner Connor McConvey (Team 3M), Adam Armstrong (Dave Kane Northern), Eoin Morton (UCD CC), Ian Richardson (UCD CC) and David Watson (North Down CC) among others.
They pulled out four minutes on the chasers so McCrystal decided to take flight.
McCrystal said with a rider like Dowling still within reach of the series win going into Sunday's final round, it was imperative Team ASEA did not underestimate the danger he posed. Above, Shaw marks Dowling as the DID Dunboyne man goes on the attack (Photo: David McVeigh - The Belgian Project)
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Before it got to that hefty margin, McCrystal got to within 30 seconds before finding himself back in the bunch again.
He went again, however, with Dowling and Damien Shaw as well as a number of others.
Shaw and McCrystal, along with top junior Jake Gray (NRPT-Magnet.ie), left that chase group and trimmed the margin to 1:50 but they’d get no closer.
They would eventually cross the line 4:03 down on McConvey, ensuring the series win for McCrystal.
“It’s good to have it on the CV; it’s one of my biggest achievements,” said the big man from Dundalk.
“It’s been a great year for the team and we’ve exceeded our own expectations, winning this and the national championships are two of the biggest events on the calendar.”
McCrystal said this win in the Wallace Caldwell Memorial back in March gave him a lot of pleasure in what was a very successful year for him and his Team ASEA (Photo: David McVeigh - The Belgian Project)
McCrystal has taken some superb wins this year but there are a few that stand out.
“I had it on my radar that I wanted to win the Wallace Caldwell Memorial in March,” he said.
“I like the race and the type of race it was but the one that gave me the biggest sense of achievement was the third stage of Rás Mumhan.
“That was a war of attrition, the race was stopped twice and it came down to who wanted it most.
“I didn’t win the overall but I gave (Seán) McKenna a good run for it.”
McCrystal, a former pro footballer turned triathlete turned cyclist, plans to take in some triathlons now and has events planned in Newry and Kerry as well as an Ironman in Barcelona in October.
He also suggested Team ASEA would be announcing some new riders for the squad for next season.
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