Martyn Irvine took flight from the rest of the field in the Shay Elliott Memorial and rocketed into the finish to win a race that has broken his heart in the past (Photo: Stephen McMahon - Sportsfile)
By Brian Canty
Martyn Irvine took the most significant road victory of his career for quite a while on Sunday when he absolutely shredded the field in the Shay Elliott Memorial in Co Wicklow.
He crossed the line with minutes to spare on runner-up Ali Macaulay (Team ASEA) and Sean McKenna (Aquablue) in 3rd place.
The Newtownards man said winning the Elliott was something he always wanted to do having tried - and failed - for many years.
Irvine on the front of the key early escape. He got across to it with eventual runner up Ali Macaulay (Photo: Stephen McMahon - Sportsfile)
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“It’s a race I always wanted to do well in before I went to the track,” he said.
“The race broke my heart a few times, a lack of experience cost me when I rode it back in the early road years.
“I was always kinda gassed when it came to the key split and missed the moves. It was depressing so I’m actually really happy to win it.
“I know when I have a good day I’m as good as anyone so I just went in yesterday and kept my powder dry and I came around eventually,” he added.
As the road went up Irvine decided not to hang around and see what might happen when Sean McKenna and Bryan McCrystal got across (Photo: Stephen McMahon - Sportsfile)
The start wasn’t such a fast and frantic one recalled the World Track champion.
“We were riding into a block headwind and I was sitting at the back of the bunch feeling sorry for myself.
“Then a group formed at the end of the road where the prime was.
“I was floating around the bunch when the break was established and a group of guys got away.”
Once he put a bit of daylight between himself and the others Irvine switched to training mode and simply committed to ride for home (Photo: Stephen McMahon - Sportsfile)
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Irvine managed to tag onto the back of that with the aforementioned Macaulay and they got down to business.
“It wasn’t very organised but we did enough to keep it moving.
“I did more than the guy who did the least but I didn’t do too much,” he said.
Things started to hot up when Irvine heard Bryan McCrystal (Team ASEA) and Sean McKenna (Aquablue) were screaming across to the break.
He used his bike handling and speed from his years on the track and his time as a road pro in the US and Asia to good use going downhill (Photo: Stephen McMahon - Sportsfile)
“McCrystal and McKenna were on our heels but I kept my powder until the climb and then I thought it was now or never.
“If McCrystal and McKenna got up (to us) it would have been game over so I got out of dodge.
“I’m happy to commit and I just went into training mode.
“I got away and had 15 seconds over the top (of Glenmalure) and I took the downhill as quickly as I could.
“The gap was a minute for a few kilometres and all of a sudden it was 2:15 but I kept going as hard as I could.”
At the end of it all he was clearly thrilled with his win; great to see a man so decorated internationally getting such a kick out of winning an Irish race (Photo: Stephen McMahon - Sportsfile)
Irvine took the acclaim on the line with a ball of time and goes into the Rás full of confidence with his road legs firmly back on.
Back in 2012 he won a fantastic stage 7 of the race from Kildare to Tramore after being clear in a breakaway for most of the stage.
As the main field closed in behind, the then Giant Asia rider took flight from the move and held off the pack that absorbed all of the other escapees but couldn't get the Newtownards man back.
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