Aine Doherty (VC Glendale) is preparing to make her debut at a junior World Road Championships for Ireland next week and the Belfast teenager looks like she has timed her run to perfection. She broke the Irish junior 10 mile TT record, subject to ratification, by a huge margin last night.
And to underline the quality of her ride, the 17-year-old first-year junior has now displaced Lara Gillespie - a three-time European champion - as the 10 mile TT junior record holder, once the new marker has been officially ratified by Cycling Ireland.
Doherty clocked a time of 22:11 at the Ernie Magwood Super Six Series- on the Frosses Ballymena-Coleraine Carriage Road course. That time was 28 seconds faster than the 22:39 recorded by Lara Gillespie back in 2018.
The time by Doherty, who is one of the best emerging young riders in the country at present, comes as she is about to ride both the junior road race and TT for Ireland in Glasgow. She also recently took silver in the junior road race and TT at the National Road Championships promoted by Island Wheelers in Co Tyrone.
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Also very much on the mark last night was Masters rider Hazel Smyth (Kinning Cycles), who did a time of 21:11. That was 44 seconds faster than the Irish Masters women's record time of 21:55 she set on the same course just last week.
Quickest in the combined category and gender race last night was Marcus Christie; the Banbridge CC rider putting in a blistering time of 18:23, some 25 seconds faster than runner-up Lindsay Watson of Powerhouse Sport. Ian Inglis (Kinning Cycles) was also moving very quickly last night, taking 3rd place in a time of 19:12.
While Doherty and Smyth broke Irish records in last night's round of the series, Eileen Burns (Ballymena CC) was fastest woman; the Irish road and track international really returning to form of late and clocking a time of 21:53.
Stuart McCaughey (Phoenix CC) was 4th on the night, and first Masters 40 rider, in a time of 19:20, seeing off fellow Masters 40 rider Erwin McKee (Banbridge CC) by just two seconds. Curtis Neill (Team Caldwell Cycles) was best junior - placing 7th in the combined field - in a time of 19:33.
