How craft and power got Damien Shaw his first pro victory
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Damien Shaw is the man of the moment at the UCI 2.2-ranked Tour du Loir et Cher in France.
By Brian Canty
Damien Shaw has retained his advantage of six seconds at the top of the general classification at the Tour du Loir et Cher (2.2) in France today.
The An Post-ChainReaction rider finished in the same time as winner Alex Frame of JLT Condor. Shaw was 109th after the 184-kilometre stage from La Ferté-Imbault to Vernoe-en-Sologne.
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It was a pretty flat afternoon in north-west France so the first hour of racing was extremely fast. The bunch completed over 48 kilometres.
With 60 kilometres completed it was still all together and not even a couple of climbs could break things up.
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Eventually, a four-rider group stole away and they built a gap of 40 seconds over the main field, with Shaw present and correct behind.
The break eventually went over a minute clear. But they were always kept in check, with An Post Chain Reaction doing their share of the work towards the front.
With 60 kilometres remaining the gap went out to almost two minutes.
But with two 23-kilometre circuits left the An Post-ChainReaction team went to the front. And also helping with the pulling was the U23 Lotto-Kern Haus team.
It was fast and chaotic in the final 20 kilometres as the break was brought back.
A fresh wave of attacks began but at such a pace – and several teams sensing a stage win - nothing managed to get away.
And with the help of fellow Irishmen Conor Hennebry and Sean McKenna as well as Jonas Bokeloh, Przemyslaw Kasperkiewicz and Jacob Scott, Shaw saw it out.
It has been an amazing 48 hours for the Mullingar man as yesterday he won the opening stage of the race.
Now he has another day in the yellow jersey, and three stages remaining to take as much as he can from the race.
Damien Shaw takes the opening stage yesterday on his own just ahead of the breakaway.
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The 32-year old Mullingar man is in his second year with the Continental-ranked An Post Chain Reaction outfit. And he is absolutely loving every minute of it so far.
“I’m delighted, I wasn’t sure what to expect yesterday so it is a surprise,” he said.
“I won’t get too carried away. I’ve had a few near misses in UCI races before. So it’s good to get over the line.
“Going out the road at 50k an hour there were crashes going off like hand grenades. And I thought ‘this is as much motivation as I need to get up the road’.”
Shaw took flight in a group of three that later swelled to five when two more made it across.
But it was the decision to ease the pace and allow eventual runner-up Thomas Rostollan into the move that proved crucial.
“The guy who ended up second (Rostollan) was 20 seconds back and it was important to let him on,” said Shaw.
“He’s part of a strong Army team and once he was involved we gave ourselves more of a chance.
“The gap went out quickly, up to four minutes at one stage. And I said it to the boys ‘we should calm down a bit because the group will start chasing behind’.
“It also meant we kept something for the last 30-35k.”
There, Shaw was among the strongest in the race and he began to think of how he could win.
Not keen to take it to a sprint, he knew it would be a solo move that would be his best chance.
“I’m always honest, whatever break I’m in. I want to work but there were times when I was maybe showing a bit too much.
“Once I was able to make a move and they were struggling to close me down I knew they were shot. And if I made the right move I knew I could make it work.
“So going through the finish line Rostollan attacked. They were all apprehensive going with him.
“I knew I could get across but I wanted to go alone. There was a chicane section on the course and I went across there. I was happy the way it worked out.”
But there was more to it than that, as Shaw outlines.
“I stayed 10-15 seconds off him and pretended I couldn’t get across. And then I jumped him when I got across with 3k to go.”
He admitted his anxiety during those final three kilometres when he repeatedly told himself “don’t fall!”.
But when he crossed the line with four seconds to spare he knew he could relax.
“I’ve got a stage win after a couple of years of trying in UCI races. And I’m happy with this. It’s not defeatist but whatever happens after this is a bonus.”
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