Eileen Burns in the Tour of Omagh leader's pink jersey on her way to overall victory - the latest win in a very strong season for one of Ireland's very best riders (Photo by Paul Carron - prints available from the weekend of racing in Omagh by following this link)
By Brian Canty
Eileen Burns warmed up for the upcoming An Post Rás na mBan with a narrow three-second overall victory in the SPAR Tour of Omagh at the weekend.
The Ballymena RC rider was representing an Ulster selection and after winning the stage two time-trial and taking the race leader’s pink jersey she held it all the way to the finish despite a nervous final day when the top six were separated by just 37 seconds.
“I gained three seconds on Claire McIlwaine (Cycling Ulster) and a further 12 seconds on Katherine Smyth (also Cycling Ulster) in the time-trial,” explained the winner.
Advertisement
Those two were her teammates so they had a few cards to play going into stage three, but they were determined to make sure they retained the race lead within the team though with a freer hand than usual.
“We entered as the Ulster Team and were using it as training and preparation for the Rás na mBan.
“We made the decision that each of us were to race (for ourselves) and by the final day if any of us was in pink then we’d defend it as a team.”
Related News
Burns suffered a mechanical on the final day and with the likes of De Ronde Van Cork pair Sinead Oakes and Nessa Rochford lurking they had to be very vigilant.
Alas, the Ulster team kept their cool and brought the race to a bunch sprint with McIlwaine taking the gallop from a bunch of eight, her second win of the weekend after also claiming the opening stage.
This season has been a rollercoaster season for Burns but she has been ultra-consistent.
“I set myself a number of goals, most of which I’ve accomplished,” she said.
“Being able to ride in the bigger British races such as the Isle of Man and the Crit series was an eye-opener.
"But my biggest highlight would have to be getting to ride for Ireland in the Dublin Track GP and winning the 3k pursuit.
“I hope to get more opportunities to further my racing on the track but it's difficult as we are restricted in regards to access to velodromes.”
For now, the goal is to target Rás na mBan where she will spearhead the Ulster squad.
“I’m quite excited as I think this is probably the strongest Ulster squad that has been entered.
“As a team we will discuss each other’s goals and work with it. I'll target the TT stage and we'll be targeting the team prize.”
Topics
