Matt Teggart (Wiv SunGod) has made it three from three at the Cycling Ireland National Road Series when he won the Meath GP from a four-man breakaway.
Teggart - who won the Des Hanlon Memorial in Carlow followed by round 2 of the series in Knockaderry, Co Limerick - came to the line in Dunshaughlin, Co Meath, today in a four-man group and won the sprint ver strongly.
Luke Smith (Moynalty CC) continued a very strong season with 2nd place, just holding off the ever-present Darnell Moore (Caldwell Cycles), who placed 3rd. David Montgomery (Spellman Dublin Port) was also in the front group and finished just off the podium in 4th place.
Teggart (26) is an international road rider who spent several years racing in France – and formerly for the An Post-Chainreaction team – and is competing with UK Continental team Wiv-SunGod this year. But he is getting the chance to target the National Road Series on home roads this season.
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“It was a pretty flat and honest circuit, so really
fast racing all day,” he said after his win. “A good group of about 10 of us
got away early on. We pressed hard up a wee drag on a tailwind section so it
all split up. And from then it was just up and overs.
“It was honest riding all day until the last lap,
where four of us clipped away,” he said, adding while there were some attacks
late in the race from the front group, it came back together for a sprint.
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“I backed my sprint. I knew I had a half decent
sprint so I had the legs to get it in the end, I was happy enough.”
Teggart said while the course had no decisive climb,
the wind had played a part in the race.
“Just the way the wind was on the circuit, it
turned out to be a really fast tailwind up one of the drags and it stayed
draggy for a long time, so that made it very hard. So just knowing that;
knowing when to press on and where it’s possibly going to split, when to be in
the right position, that stood by me today.
“Normally I’d prefer a very hilly race but with the
right conditions and the right tactics you can split it up on a flat day too.”
Teggart added he was delighted to have maximum
points after the first three rounds of the series and his goal now was to
continue riding the Irish races with the goal of winning the series overall.
