Olympian Moynihan (36) on his more relaxed goal of enjoying his cycling
Cathal Moynihan battles the elements in Limerick. The Tralee BC rider was victorious the day before and said his focus for the year ahead is simply to enjoy the bike and strike the right balance between training and his other priorities (Photos: Brendan Slattery)
By Brian Canty
Saturday’s winner of the Michael Shiels Memorial road race in Limerick, Cathal Moynihan, said his focus for this year is to enjoy cycling more and not set himself any major goals.
The Tralee BC rider won from a four-man break that managed to escape late after 80 kilometres of tough racing.
Moynihan, a rowing Olympian in Beijing, added with a busy work schedule that demands much travel; his focus is more about racing hard, which he did on Saturday.
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“A group of four of us got away coming towards the finish; Stephen Murray, Mark O’Callaghan and Simon Tuomey," he said.
“Everybody got motoring quickly and we had 50 seconds to a minute on the group behind.
“It was like that until a kilometre to go. I wasn’t feeling great during the break but just the way it panned out worked in my favour.
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“Mark attacked first and someone closed him, I wasn’t able to respond as quickly as I normally would.
"But it just worked out because I was behind and I jumped with 500 metres to go.”
He held off O'Callaghan and proved that at 36 years old he still has plenty to offer.
“I’m more enjoying it to be honest, just enjoying the racing,” he added.
“I’m getting married in August so my year might be cut a bit short after the Rás, all going well.
“I don’t want to build major goals, I just want to enjoy it, race away hard when I can.
“I’m starting to find the recovery isn’t quite as good as when I was younger.
“For stage racing that’s why it’s a bit trickier. I’m travelling with work as well as getting four to five days training in a week which is a max of eight hours.
"So travelling and getting the training in is a balance you have to strike.
“If I pushed for more I probably wouldn’t gain much more, I’d end up tired. That’s where I am.”
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