Adam Ward has taken his first Ulster road race title today when he came away from the elite men’s race at the Ulster Road Championships in Aughnacloy with the gold medal.
Ward, a former Irish junior road
race champion and now an U23 international, was very active off the front of
the winning breakaway in the closing stages today.
And though the attacks he started or
joined were not successful, he still had the legs to win the sprint from the
breakaway, though Nathan Mullan (Dromara CC) pushed him all the way.
Ward (20), riding for Spanish team Antiga Casa Bellsolà Club Ciclista this year, has just returned from international duty with the Irish U23 team that rode the Tour de l’Avenir and made the most of that form today.
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In the Island Wheelers promotion in
Co Tyrone, the main event was over three laps of a 34km course. And while the
opening phase of the race was high speed, with lots of attacks, it took a
prolonged period before a breakaway got clear and stuck.
However, once that breakaway of about 10 riders managed to establish a decent gap, after about an hour of racing, they settled down and shared the workload for about two laps.
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In that breakaway, along with Ward and Mullan, were, among others: Gareth O'Neill (Caldwell Cycles), Conor McCann (Inspired Cycling), Shay Donley (Dan Morrissey-MIG-Pactimo), Cathir Doyle (Powerhouse Sport), Leo Doyle (Tempo Hoppenbouwers) and Mitchell McLaughlin (SwiftCarbon Pro Cycling).
On the final lap, the attacks began
from the breakaway, with eventual winner Ward among those active off the front;
attacking hard on the climb with about half a lap remaining.
While he got a gap and his fellow
escapees at that point, it wasn’t large enough to succeed and he was soon
caught by the other breakaway men. Others also tried, but their efforts were
cancelled out too, paving the way for a group sprint at the finish.
Conor McCann (Caldwell Cycles) went early in that sprint, with Ward on his wheel and coming off it just before the line. And while Mullan gained on him as the line neared, Ward had the power to make it to hold him off and claim the Ulster title from Mullan.
Donley prevailed in a tight battle with McCann for the bronze, with O'Neill 5th, Doyle 6th and McLaughlin in 7th.
More to follow, including results when we have them.
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