Armstrong looked very impressive today (Photo: Bronagh Kirk, [email protected]/www.ardscyclingclub.co.uk)
Adam Armstrong may have missed the first weeks of the season due to work commitments but he has continued his rich vein of form of the past fortnight by taking another decisive victory today, this time at the Red Hand Trophy in Broughshane.
The Eurocycles rider pulled clear with Simon Williams and powered on to victory with almost three minutes in hand by the finish.
However, while delighted with today’s performance he told stickybottle he is treating every race he rides with just one goal in mind; a stage win in the An Post Ras.
“That’s obviously the dream goal, getting that stage win. If you want to be remembered that’s the one to get isn’t it? Last year it was the county prize GC but this time around I have to be aiming for that stage win.”
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“It definitely can be done. Even with the form I already have now I think I could do it. You just have to get into the right move, you have to have the form but it also has to go right for you on the day; maybe to try and do something like Martyn Irvine last year.”
Armstrong has begun working in Tesco in Belfast of late, in a job that requires him to do night and weekend shifts. He said while this means he cannot race every weekend, it appears to be giving him a routine he is thriving on.
“I’m always training hard and I really think that even with the work hours, I’m in the best form I have ever been in. I won in Balbriggan two weeks ago and I really think that was the best result I have every got in a one day race. When you look at the field that was in it and the way the race went, I really was very happy with it.”
“Today I was attacking hard with 60 miles to go. In a way it was crazy to be doing that but if I am going to realistically try and win a Ras stage I need to be riding as hard as I can, really making it hard for myself in the races I am riding now.”
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He said he was going well last weekend in Ras Mumhan but had perhaps lacked some confidence in is climbing, causing him to attack on some of the stages too early.
“On the Conor Pass stage I went too early because I was thinking I wouldn’t be able to get up the climb with the leaders. But looking back on it, I would have; with Dowling and Sherlock. I should have had a bit more confidence, because then I went and won the climbers’ jersey.”
His riding style today was deliberately all out from the start to give himself the best workout possible.
The running in the opening miles was made by his team mate Fraser Duncan who attacked in the first couple of miles, gaining around 30 seconds on the bunch and holding it for four or five miles.
When nobody went across to him, Duncan was caught. The A1/A2/A3 bunch then made its way through Clough, where Armstrong took full advantage of the climb and crosswinds to attack and pull clear on his own, never to see the bunch again even though there were still 60 miles remaining.
He almost instantly pulled out a gap of around 30 seconds and held that for 15 miles on his own before Simon Williams (Curran Racing) joined him up front, followed by Leo McAllister (ChainReactionCycles-Vitus) and John Madden (Curran Racing).
When Madden and McAllister fell back after around 10 miles up the road, it looked like the two remaining riders would have a tough task staying out there.
However, Armstrong and Williams absolutely ploughed onwards; having a gap of around one minute and 35 miles still to go when they dropped the others.
On the climb with around twelve miles to go, that gap had gone out to two minutes. The leading duo then simply continued to ride away, before Armstrong got clear of Williams in the last two miles to take the win from him by around ten seconds, with the bunch 2:50 down.
Red Hand Trophy: Broughshane
- Adam Armstrong (Eurocycles)
- Simon Williams (Curran Racing)
- Conor McAllister (Chain Reaction Vitus)
- Thomas Martin (Euroycles)
- Ryan Sherlock (Cycleways)
- Peter Williams (Curran Racing)
- Gary Jeffers (East Tyrone)
- Gary Cranston (East Antrim Audi)
- Jason Henry (U/A)
- Simon Taggart (Ballymena Chain Reaction)
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