Eve McCrystal was out on her own at the end of the Red Hand Trophy; taking the third round of the Cycling Ireland National Road Series (Photo: Sharon McFarland)
Eve McCrystal stamped her authority on the Red Hand Trophy today, taking a solo win in what was the third round of the National Road Series
The Strata 3-VeloRevolution rider only two weeks ago was top of the podium with Katie George-Dunlevy at the Paracycling UCI World Cup.
And while she and Dunlevy are masters of their class - world road and TT champions and Paralympic champions - McCrystal is a serious proposition in her own right on the road.
She is reigning national elite road champion and has in the past dominated many of the National Road Series events.
And while beaten in Blarney in the last round when Mia Griffin took the Donal Crowley Memorial, it was business as usual again for McCrystal today.
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She dominated proceedings; getting clear on her own and simply riding away from the nine-rider chase group that formed behind her.
WOMEN'S Eve MCCRYSTAL, Irish National Road Race Champion, wins the 2019 Blair International Red Hand Trophy ? in splendid isolation ? ? pic.twitter.com/G5N4GpkDOw
— Cycling Ireland National Road Series (@CINatRoadSeries) June 1, 2019
However, Eve McCrystal told stickybottle afterwards she was unfamiliar with the course and was surprised by a long climb when she got clear by herself.
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McCrystal had initially broken away in a group of 10. However, with three of her own team in the group and three Ballymena Road Club women also present, it was tricky composition.
And while
McCrystal didn’t feel she was on a great day, she decided the best course of
action was attack.
On the coast road Ellen McDermott (Team Boompods) put in a big dig, with Strata 3-VeloRevolution covering that move via Agnieszka Woźniak.
McCrystal then
countered when that duo was brought back. And though she was about 30km from
the finish, her move was to prove the winning of the race.
She put her head
down and went for broke, gaining a two minute gap which was halved up the climb
that she was not expecting.
Once up the hill,
and still clear, she had continued rolly terrain and a headwind to contend with
all the way to the finish.
However, while the gap between the lone leader and the chasers continued to fall, dipping below 30 seconds at one point, there was no catching McCrystal.
She had the engine to keep it going and in the end ran out a clear winner.
McDermott took
the sprint for 2nd place, with Máire Claffey of UCD Cycling Club 3rd.
Series leader,
and Des Hanlon Memorial winner, Grace Young (Strata 3-VeloRevolution) was 4th
and retains her overall lead.
More to come.
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