By Shane Stokes
Last Sunday will prove to be a very memorable day in the life of Amelia Tyler. The Cycling Ulster rider sealed victory in the best Irish-based rider at Rás na mBan, a huge result for a relative newcomer to the sport, and for someone who is just 18-years-old. Tyler then took her bags and her bike and began a new life abroad.
“I’m so overwhelmed,” she told stickybottle on Sunday afternoon, speaking about her Rás na mBan experience. “It was amazing. I loved every second, it was amazing, super overwhelming. I came into this with zero expectations. I only started cycling in February or March.
“I used to do triathlon. I just love cycling. I am passionate about the sport. And it just feels great. I'm so excited as well. And I actually go to uni today, I go straight to uni to Edinburgh today for my first year. So it's been a really big week.”
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Tyler was full of emotion at the finish, celebrating with her Cycling Ulster teammates after a strong five days of racing.
She took over the lead of the best Irish-based rider classification on stage two after Cycling Leinster’s Caoimhe O’Brien punctured. Tyler had her own bad luck on stage three, being caught up in a crash and conceding one minute and 52 seconds to O’Brien.
She then finished in the main bunch on Saturday’s fourth stage and, following Sunday morning’s time trial, finishing in the bunch again on Sunday’s concluding criterium stage.
That saw her end Rás na mBan first out of the 26 domestic based Irish riders in the race, one minute and nine seconds ahead of O’Brien and three minutes 37 seconds in front of UCD rider Emma Porter. She also led the Cycling Ulster squad to the best Irish team award, another important and motivating result.
Importantly, she showed a rapid ability to learn during the race, despite the challenging conditions.
“The first stage of Rás na mBan was…I thought it was horrendous,” she said. “I have never been in a bunch like this. It was my second all-women’s race. But throughout the race I felt more and more confident. I started to enjoy it more. And I enjoy climbing.
“I crashed on stage three so lost quite a bit of time. But I was able to find my legs again. I'm super happy. I couldn't be more delighted, and my team has been amazing.”
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A big crash and a new beginning
Tyler’s path into the sport is an interesting one. She took up triathlon when she was spotted by coach Eamon Tilly at a talent development day. She was just 11 at the time and he guided her in the years since, with Tyler enjoying the sport until a bike crash last summer.
“Unfortunately, last August I was in a crash and I broke both my arms and collarbone,” she explained. “So swimming was really difficult afterwards. And I just lost passion for the sport. I had been doing it for quite a few years.
“I was spending so much time in the water and I wasn’t really enjoying it as much. I just knew I loved the bike. So I just self-coached myself. I also just wanted a kind of a break from all that intense training.”
Tyler recovered from her injuries and started training on the road in January. She did some group rides and took up the sport properly in ‘February or March,’ doing what she described as ultra-endurance rides. She said she also cycled across France this summer with her father.
“I self-coached myself and did my A levels, and then got a coach a month ago,” she said. “I’ve only done four races this year, so I literally had to beg for selection. So I'm super shocked (with the result). And I think the whole team is as well. I’m really happy and I just feel passionate about sport. I just really love cycling.”
Tyler’s enthusiasm is obvious, and her Rás na mBan result leaves keen to see what she can do.
“This has totally inspired me to keep pushing. Definitely,” she said. “I am so excited because this will be my first winter training intensively, and only on the bike. So I’m super excited. And I’ve got my future as well, academics and cycling.”
Following the race, Tyler took a ferry from Dublin to Liverpool and then travelled by car up to Edinburgh, where she will study biomedical science for the next three years.
She acknowledges that living abroad will require a little adjustment, in terms of doing the sport, but would jump at the chance to be involved with more provincial teams and, if possible, the national squad. She’s on the cusp of a big adventure and is looking forward to the next phase of her life and to finding new bike routes to explore.
“My roommate, I don’t know if she fully understands the bike is living with us in the room,” she smiled. “I feel so passionate about it. I truly want to cycle, I really love training and want to find a good group and to just settle in.”
