David Conroy is in the UK as part of his plans to ride the World Cyclocross Championships in the New Year and has taken victory in Durham (Photo: Dc Images)
Having established himself in recent seasons as one of the strongest emerging young riders on the Irish off road scene, David Conroy has taken a cyclocross win in England.
The Donnybrook Landscape-Scott Bikes teenager was victorious in the latest round of the North East CX League in Durham on Saturday.
He is in the UK to ride round 3 of the British National Trophy on Sunday.
That event is also being held in Durham, and with a race on offer on Saturday in the area Conroy decided to take to the start line and get two competitive outings during his weekend away.
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He is hoping to ride the World Championships in Zolder, Belgium, in the New Year and is planning to contest the remainder of the British National Trophy as part of his efforts to gain Worlds selection.
His victory on Saturday came as a welcome confidence booster.
While riding the event mainly as a warm-up for the key focus of his weekend on Sunday; he found himself out front after a fast opening lap.
One of the English riders soon caught him and the duo stayed together at the head of affairs for two laps of the circuit.
Seán Ó Tuathail of Bray Wheelers is also in Durham and rode to 11th place in the elite race on Saturday (Photo: Sean Rowe)
When his rival suffered a slight slip Conroy again found himself out front alone.
And as he was in a good position to take victory, he pressed for home with none of the others able to get back up to him.
“My plan to ride comfortably had gone out the window,” he said of the winning opportunity he was presented with.
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“So I pushed on to give myself as much of a cushion for the last lap as possible and then just kept it together to the finish.
“It will be full gas again for (Sunday). The difference over here is that the junior races are only 40 minutes; so shorter but more intense.
“Any mistake can lose you a lot of places. In the (British National Trophy) second round in Derby my chain dropped into the cassette on the second lap and I went from top 15 to last five and never recovered properly.
“The courses over here also differ a lot to back home,” he added of the British scene.
“The tracks are faster and taped wider. They still have technical elements and boards and corners but just in a slightly different layout.”
Also racing the UK this weekend is elite cyclocross rider Seán Ó Tuathail, who has been one of the strongest riders on the home cyclocross scene in recent years.
The Bray Wheelers man was also in action on Saturday; putting in a very solid showing to take 11th in the elite race in Durham from 63 finishers.
North East CX League
Sat, Nov 7th: Durham
Elite Men's Race
1 Paul Oldham Hope Factory Racing Sen
2 Tony Fawcett Vieri Velo RC Sen
3 Thomas Craig SCOTT Racing U23
4 David Lines Velosure Starley Primal Sen
5 Stuart Wearmouth MTS Cycle Sport Sen
6 Lee Shunburne Fossa Racing Sen
7 James Thompson Rutland CC Sen
8 Greg Taylor Blumilk.com U23
9 James Alder Cycleways Sports & Leisure Sen
10 Dean Penfold MTS Cycle Sport
11 Seán Ó Tuathail Bray Wheelers
Junior Men's Race
1 David Conroy Donnybrook Landscape-Scott Bikes
2 Simeon Young Pedalsport Cycling Club
3 Daniel Charlton Hetton Hawks Cycling Club
4 Nicholas Hamilton Mountain Goat Coaching
5 Daniel Hadnum Vieri Velo RC
6 Feargus Scherczer Vieri Velo RC
7 Craig Gow Tyneside Vagabonds CC
8 Jake Dobson Achieve Northside Skinnergate
9 Matthew Lynn Hetton Hawks Cycling Club
10 Reece Hesler Hetton Hawks Cycling Club
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