Mark Quigley (Cunga CC) took a fine win on stage three of the Charleville Two-Day yesterday, outsprinting a reduced bunch at the end of the 90-kilometre contest. (Phone: John Coleman/DC Images)
By Brian Canty
Mark Quigley was a very popular winner of the final stage of the Charleville Two-Day on Sunday; the Cunga CC man charging clear of a reduced bunch for a fine sprint win.
The Mayo man, a former Irish junior and U23 international, used all of his experience to surf the right wheels coming to the line at the end of the 90-kilometre contest before timing his kick to perfection.
His acceleration was enough to see him surge clear of national A3 champion Cormac Daly (Manor West Hotel Tralee) and Saturday’s stage 1 winner Dillon Corkery (Cork Giant).
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“It’s been a long time since I won an open race but I won the final round of the Galway league last Thursday and knew my legs were good,” he said.
Indeed, when he was able to hurt a man like Simon Kelly (Burren CC) in that league race last week he went to Cork quietly confident of doing something.
“People forget and the younger (guys) probably don't even know Simon was 6th on GC in the Rás a few years back and second on a couple of stages. He’s a tough one to crack one-on-one.”
And when Quigley fell out of GC contention after the morning time-trial he knew it was all or nothing for the afternoon.
“I was disappointed with my TT in the morning so I wanted to see if I could do anything in the afternoon stage.
“I knew the climb (Ballyhoura) and while it’s essentially only a drag it's six kilometres long and twice up that grinds you down.
“GC wasn't a concern of mine so I let the (GC) guys do their thing and just matched the accelerations as best I could.”
The front group was whittled down to about 15 riders but coming to the finish another bunch came up from behind and while the chances of a win were ebbing away, Quigley knew where he needed to be.
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Quigley (front, closest to camera) said he let the general classification men attack each other and followed to win the stage (Photo: Sean Rowe)
“I spotted John Blackwell (Killarney CC) and while he's older now he has huge experience and I guess a lot of the guys probably don't even know the pedigree he has.
“When I was 15 he was one of the best A1 riders in the country. I have an okay kick and I just hit it at the right moment and it took me well clear.”
It’s brings to an end a tough season for Quigley who has come back from more than his fair share of injuries and bad luck.
And the win makes the hard days all the sweeter.
“It’s September and I know lots of people talk about races being 'easier ' towards the end of the year but it’s still never easy.
“I was well motivated because I've had a troublesome season and never got a proper run at it.
“I broke my shoulder in a race in March and I was just coming around again when I got hit by a car out training which was another setback.
“But I don't give in easily and setbacks can become motivation with the correct approach.
“On a personal level, I looked at my legs yesterday and was just thankful to be able to race.
“I spent six weeks in St Vincent’s (Hospital) in 2014 with legs that literally could not carry me. I was in a wheelchair at my worst so I'm just happy to be racing and competing.
“So while winning is nice, cycling is obviously a hobby to us guys. Competing, enjoying the sport and the healthy lifestyle is what mean the most.”
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