Marc Potts from Omagh Wheelers takes a great victory in Belgium; his first away from home and the lastest in a series of very strong rides.
Omagh rider Marc Potts has continued his strong season, with his first victory on Belgian soil coming just weeks after he took two wins on a short trip home ahead of representing Ireland at the World University Championships in Poland.
Potts took his maiden win abroad in the town of Boezinge in west Belgium in a criterium that consisted of 40 laps of a 1.7km circuit.
On the final lap, when he was one of four men still dangling off the front of the rapidly closing peloton, he took the initiative and charged for the line to hold off the rest of the field and take victory aided by fellow Irishman Ryan Sherlock.
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“It's great when all the hard work pays off,” Potts told stickybottle from his base in Belgium.
He added the coaching he was receiving from UK-based pro rider Peter Hawkins (Madison Genesis) was working.
“Omagh Wheelers have also put a lot of time and effort into me and Angus (Fyffe) over the past two years and I know they will be over the moon with the news, as will Dany Blondeel of the Belgian Project who got me set up over here last year for month over the summer.”
Marc Potts, second from left, in the escape with Ryan Sherlock, far right, as the bunch closes in during the latter stages.
Potts’ trip has also been made possible thanks to the support of Peter Jones and Raymond Pauley of Lakeland Bikes in Enniskillen who have put resources into him and team mate Fyffe by supplying them with Cervelo S5 bikes for the season.
“It's great to have people like that supporting us and if it wasn't for these people I wouldn't be able to ride at this level,” he said.
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His Tomacc team were very active throughout yesterday’s race, infiltrating most of the escapes that went clear, while Fyffe also got away in some dangerous moves that were unlucky not to stick at a couple of junctures.
With two laps remaining, fellow Irish rider Ryan Sherlock, also riding for Tomacc, was up the road in a two-man move with a gap of around 15 seconds on the bunch. Potts covered an attack after the leading duo and with another rider went clear off the front of the bunch.
They made contact with the pair up front, making four at the head of affairs as they took the bell for the final lap will just a slender lead on the bunch.
As the pack continued to close, Potts shouted at Sherlock to ride hard inside the last kilometre in the hope of maintaining the gap on the peloton.
After they came off a cobbled section, Potts went for broke with around 200m to go and when he sneaked a glance behind with 50m remaining, he knew he’d done enough and had time to get his hands up in victory.
“As I crossed the line I could the Tomacc sports director Kris going crazy and it hit me that I’d done it; I honestly felt like I was going to cry I was so happy,” he added.
“My team mates rolled up beside me; it wasn't just me who won, it was the whole team. We work so hard in races and it was brilliant to get a win in the jersey.
“Its’ not a day I’ll forget in a hurry. I also owe Ryan Sherlock for that win, he sacrificed his race for me and I’ll repay the favour some day.”
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