Alice Sharpe looks shattered and delighted as she beats Imogen Cotter to the Irish road race title after a breakaway ride into Derry City (Photo: Toby Watson)
Having emerged as one of the very best riders in the country in recent years, Alice Sharpe (WCC) has confirmed that status by winning the elite women’s road race at the National Championships in Derry City.
The road and track international saw off Imogen Cotter (SBikes Bodhi Cycling) in a two-up sprint for the title up Shipquay St; Cotter pushing her all the way to the line.
Their long-time breakaway companion Katharine
Smyth (Ballymena RC) survived to take the bronze medal, and the masters title,
having been distanced on the final lap.
The race saw the field split to pieces
after a combination of the terrain of the heavens opening made for some very
hard cycling.
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But at the end of it all Sharpe reigned supreme and now the Irish champion’s jersey will feature in the pro races of Europe on the shoulders of the new title holder.
Grace Young (Strata 3-VeloRevolution) came through for 4th place; best of those who had missed the key breakaway.
Young beat Sharon Bird (Velo Café Magasin) in the sprint that settled 4th and 5th places in the race and also decided the order of 2nd and 3rd in the Masters title race.
Finishing with them, and coming home 6th over the line, was TT bronze medal winner Eileen Burns of Ballymena RC; the Irish club placing two in the top six today.
Young's team mate, and defending champion, Eve McCrystal got stranded in a chase group and did not enjoy her best outing; begun on a bad note with an early puncture.
The five-lap race, promoted by Foyle
Cycling Club, was dominated by a three-rider move.
It featured the eventual medal winners Alice
Sharpe (UCI WCC), Imogen Cotter (SBikes Bodhi Cycling) and Katharine Smyth (Ballymena
RC).
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That trio got away on the second lap of five and that move was to prove the winning of the race.
Thursday’s TT winner Kelly Murphy of
Storey Racing got across to the three leaders alone later in the contest.
However, she closed a gap of over one
minute to the trio up front in about 15-20km after making her move on the third
lap.
And while that was impressive, the
effort clearly took it out of her. Soon after she caught the leading three she
fell into a pattern of being dropped and trying to get back on.
On one of those occasions she was
dropped for good, restoring the three-rider breakaway group to the original line-up.
With Murphy out of the picture it looked certain the three medals would be shared between the three leaders as a six-rider chase group was over 2½ minutes back.
And when Sharpe and Cotter distance Smyth on the final lap it was a two-horse race; the established Sharpe against her rapidly emerging rival Cotter.
In the end Sharpe took it from Cotter; the latter having based herself abroad this year for the first time and clearly reaping the benefits.
Sharpe is racing at the highest level in Europe and
was also part of the Irish track team quarter than broken the national team
pursuit record earlier this year.
And winning the title adds to what has already been
a really strong year for her on the boards and in the peloton.
More to come.
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