While best known for winning short fast races in a senior career than has spanned 30 seasons, Colm Bracken also held the yellow jersey in the Rás. And he counts stages in the Tour of Ulster and Rás Mumhan among his century of senior career triumphs. Seen here leading in a Murphy Surveys Kilcullen CC clean sweep of the podium in the Bikeworx Series at Mondello Park last Tuesday (Photo: David Ryan - www.davidryanphotography.ie)
He may be closer now to his 50th year than his 40th, but Dubliner Colm Bracken has once again shown the sprint and power that delivered him around 100 wins in a career spanning three decades when he took victory at the Bikeworx Series in Mondello Park, Co Kildare.
Bracken, who will be 48 years later this year, began the night in the A3 group and broke clear in a breakaway of six, which got on terms with the A4 limit men up ahead and was best in the charge to the line from the leaders.
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He has been racing for an incredible 33 years and had been an A1 since 1986, has lost count of how many races he has won but believes it is over 100.
“When you even it out over, say, 20 years that would be five wins a year on average,” he said.
“And in some years I would have constantly won three or four races and then in the really good seasons it was maybe up to eight wins. So when you take that into account over such a long time it would be over 100 wins.”
While best known for his sprint and taking victories in the Phoenix Park on the old two-liner circuit along with a range of criteriums, Bracken also held the yellow jersey in the Rás in 1992.
He held the green jersey that year too, and remained 2nd overall until the penultimate stage when Mount Leinster ended his hopes of the final podium.
He has also picked up stages in some of the other big Irish stage races, including the Tour of Ulster and Rás Mumhan.
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Asked if age holds him back now, he says it rules out riding races like the Rás and the harder smaller stage races like the Suir Valley Three Day.
“Some of the smaller races have stages that are as hard as the Rás, especially when you have riders from the likes of the An Post team coming over to ride,” he said.
“But in general terms I find once you prepare over the winter and get your good training in, then you should have some form during the season.
“I found the winter before last I got sick and I really never got going at all during last season. So that was a bit of a disaster. But over this winter I trained well again.”
His results to date this season already brought him to within one point of being upgraded before last week’s victory, which assures his A2 licence. While that means he will now race against A1s, he says he’s looking forward to it.
“I think it’s a good position to be in. There are plenty of prizes there to go for and having won last night I’d be hoping to try and win again this year if I can. We’ll see how that goes.
“Because of the age I am at, I downgrade again automatically over the winter for next season so it’s not a bad position to be in. The vets’ national championships are on in Mullingar in June and I was third in that before. So I’ll have a go at that.”
Bracken rode the Rás into his mid 40s and says the secret of staying competitive in elite races is to be dedicated during the winter and keep on top of your condition.
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