Peter Hawkins in last weekend’s Peter Young Memorial Race in the UK; he’s back in Carlow this Sunday to defend his Des Hanlon Memorial title from last year
By Brian Canty
Peter Hawkins will be back to defend his title at the Des Hanlon Memorial when the first of the year’s major one-day races takes place this Sunday in Carlow.
The IG Sigma Sport rider, who enjoyed a fabulous year last year, said the 157kilometre event is one of his favourite races on the Irish calendar and though he knows he’s going to be a marked man all day, he said that motivates him to perform even better.
The Belfast man got the better of Ryan Sherlock last year, after they had been part of an elite selection that surged clear of the peloton. And while Sherlock is currently riding the Tour of Taiwan and won’t be in Carlow this weekend, those with designs on winning Sunday’s race are in no short supply.
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“I’ll definitely be out to win,” Hawkins told stickybottle.
“It’s probably my favourite race in Ireland and with it being the weekend before Easter and the Tour of the North I really want to go home and do well in it. It should be a good form-tester and a good workout as well and hopefully it’ll bring me up a level before Easter. I’ll be looking to gauge my fitness as well compared to other years.”
As regards being followed everywhere he goes, he didn’t express too much concern.
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“That’s the way it was all last year, I did a lot of racing (last year) and right from the first weekend I was winning so I don’t think anyone will plan to go anywhere without a bit of a fight (from me) so I’m sure it’ll be the same again on Sunday. It’s just going to mean I’ll have to work harder, especially when you’re on your own you have to work that little bit harder but it makes it more satisfying when you do win.”
Hawkins hasn’t raced much this year, preferring to focus his energy more on training but he did notch a seventh place at last Sunday’s Peter Young Memorial. Prior to that his only race was the ill-fated event that claimed the life of former Irish triathlete Junior Heffernan, an event he said “shocked” him and many others who were there.
“It was worse for the guys who actually witnessed it. Luckily I was at the front of the race and everything happened behind me so I didn’t actually pass it but it was pretty shocking for the guys that saw it and the guys who came and stopped and attended him. Anyone who saw it came up and spoke to the guys at the front of the race and told us, they knew it was serious, maybe not that he was going to lose his life but they could tell that it was a serious accident. It was pretty shocking, you know you’re working with risks when you’re on open roads but an accident like that is very rare thankfully. It’s just really sad.”
After the Easter weekend, Hawkins’ race programme fills up pretty quick, and he can’t wait to get going.
“We’re going to be back in England for a few weeks after (Easter) because the British racing scene really picks up. From April it’s really busy right through until August, we’ve some Premier Calendars, the Lincoln, a couple of races on the Continent, the Tour Series, the Rás, so it’s pretty full on. We’re riding the Tour of Serbia and the Nationals as well.”
And he added a Premier Calendar is one of his top priorities this season.
“I was competitive last year in them, I was getting up there, got on the podium once and got a few top fives so that’s really where I’m focussing my training on, that and the Rás. They’re similar races so I’ll be preparing for those races and hopefully performing at those.”
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