"When you're a bit older you have to measure your efforts; but at 46 the sprint is still there"

John Priest takes the Ian Gallahar Memorial ahead of Bob Murray (Nenagh) at the top of Dorey's Forge this afternoon (Photo: Darragh McManamon)

One of the best sprinters in the country in his 20s, Dubliner John Priest turned back the clock today to win the bunch sprint that settled the A3 Ian Gallahar Memorial near Summerhill, Co Meath, today.

The Lucan CRC said despite a fast and aggressive race, while some moves went clear he felt none would stick so bided his time for the finish at the end of three laps of the Dorey’s Forge circuit.

“On the last lap a good group got away and I saw Paddy Callaly getting into that so I thought about going across to that but then that came back to us,” he said.

Once the finish approach he said the racing became slightly more tactical and slower which gave him a chance to position himself for the finishing sprint with the help of his team mates including Shay Murphy.

“There were a couple of attacks coming in the road and then once we got to 3km to go everybody fanned out a bit, slowed down,” Priest told stickybottle after his win.

“I just had to make my way through the group, follow the wheels. A guy just ahead of me starting sprinting with around 200 metres to go so I got on his wheel and just got him 50metres to go; I was happy enough.”

Priest, now aged 46 years, was a feared sprinter in his day and was best in criteriums in which he scored plenty of wins. And after a break of 16 years from the sport and “playing a bit of football” he came back four seasons ago.

“I stopped when I was 26 or 27,” he said.

“I was injured last year, I had an Achilles injury from playing football so I never really got going; did nothing. I had a very good winter; plenty of miles and sub threshold stuff and then just the past three or four weeks a bit of speed stuff to sharpen up the legs.”

He says while he is older now and nowhere near his physical peak of his 20s, there have been some pleasant surprises in his comeback period.

“When I came back I thought, ‘I’m not going to be able to sprint so what’s that going to be like’. But in fact the sprint was OK. I hadn’t quite got the kick but it came.

“I think as you get older what you find is that you can’t repeat the efforts. When you were younger; I often would jump across to a break, two minute flat out effort. You could do a few of those in a race. But now two of those; for me anyway, it’s game over.

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“You have to be more streetwise, think about what you’re doing, conserve a bit. But we’ve a few juniors in the club now and it’s a great buzz riding with them; passing on the bit of knowledge. So that’s satisfying and it’s great to be going decent on the bike yourself.”

He says whiles some of the racing was dangerous with a lot of new riders in the sport, he has enjoyed a smooth transition back into the action.

“I started back A4 and I think I did about two months (before being upgraded). It was a little bit nervous. You have guys coming from triathlon and other sports.

“So it’s taking them a while to get the hang of it but there has to be a way to come into the sport so you have to accept that there will be a bit of that going on; it’s part of the game.”

Having won a stage in the Gorey Three Day two years ago, he will go back there at the Easter Weekend looking for more success with the form he has at present.

“I think I’m upgraded now to A2 after winning today. So I have to ride against the A1s now. I think for a guy like me who is working full time and is a bit older; it’s a big jump from being A3 to riding with A1s. Bar a couple of races like the Gorey, the A2 category doesn’t really exist as a standalone category.

“I find what a lot of guys are doing is yo-yoing between A2 and A3. They get to A2 and they haven’t a chance against some of the guys. They take a break when they get upgraded and then if you are 45 or older you can drop back to A2 the next year.

“Maybe they could look at that if the numbers expand in the next few years; have more races specifically for the A2 riders.”