“I haven’t time trialled for a while so I didn’t know what I was going to get here."

Caroline Ryan (Garda CC - Richie's Bike Store) on her way to victory in the elite women's National Time-Trial Championships last evening in Carlingford, Co Louth (Stephen McMahon - Sportsfile)

Caroline Ryan of the Garda Cycling Club took her second national time trial championship title in three years in Carlingford last evening, Thursday.

A bronze medalist at the points race in last year’s track world championships, Ryan recorded a time of 57:56 for the race against the clock, beating Mel Spath of Team Tibco by 24 seconds on the mainly flat out-and-back course, with Ryan’s teammate Eve McCrystal taking bronze in a time of 58:54

“I’m delighted, really delighted,” said Ryan afterwards.

“I didn’t have that much done going into it compared to other years so I didn’t know what I was going to get here tonight.”

“I haven’t time trialled for a while and to be honest I found it awful hard on the way back. There was a tailwind out, which I suppose is why I felt so good on the way out, like everybody. I knew that going out, so I held a bit for the way back but it was still very hard and a lot draggier on the way back.”

With the track season yet to start, Ryan was last seen riding the Race the Ras charity ride in May and admits she hasn’t started serious training just yet.

“I have been back training on and off but nothing too serious. I’ve been doing fun things. For me, the track will start up again soon enough and once I get back into that, it’ll be full on. This is what I came to do but I really didn’t know where I was going to be in it because there’s such a strong calibre of girls and such a strong field.”

“I’m absolutely delighted to win it. I wish the road race was on Sunday but we have one day less recovery. I’ll have fun with it now. The road race is just to have a lash and enjoy it.”

Defending road race champion Mel Spath was a bit disappointed to have been so close to Ryan in the end and pinpointed a few probable causes at the finish, including a few daydreaming sessions midway through the test.

“It could have been better. I haven’t been on the time trial bike in the last two months and it took a while to get a good position on it. Only in the last week I felt comfortable on it and was putting out good power. I felt I wasn’t giving it everything during the race either. It felt like there was no wind on the way out but obviously I underestimated how strong the wind was on the way back and went too fast on the way out.”

“I suffered a bit on the way back. A few times I caught myself thinking ‘Mel you need to go harder’. I didn’t cross the line dying so that could have been a factor as well, but I’ll try again on Saturday in the road race. This year it’s not completely flat but it suits the power climbers so I like that kind of course. Now I know I can’t let Caroline go in the race on Saturday, so we’ll see what happens.””

Bronze medallist Eve McCrystal is only riding her bike seriously for little over a year and having finished fourth in last year’s TT was naturally overjoyed at picking up her first national championship medal on local roads.

“I’m absolutely thrilled,” she said.

“I’m just a year on the bike. I came in through triathlon, having done my first one in 2007. I had two kids after that and then I went on the bike full time in April 2012 so now. I’m a full time Garda, a full time mother and a full time cyclist.”

Her shift patterns as a Garda in Monaghan mean McCrystal is often out on the bike training at 5am and with the championships on home roads, she was keen to get something out of the weekend.

“Tonight was a home course for me. I know it, know every lump and bump in the road. I thought maybe that would make it easier but it wasn’t. I found it very difficult. I rode as hard as I could. I had nothing left. On the way back I didn’t expect as much of a headwind as there was but it was just a matter of putting the head down and, being on home soil.”

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“I knew the hills that were coming and once I got over them I knew I could go as fast as I could and it paid off, thankfully. I’m not under pressure apart this weekend, apart from the pressure I put on myself. I ride the bike because I love it. To get the bronze out of it today is fantastic because at least now I can say the early morning spins are paying off. I’m just over the moon.”

Having bettered her 2012 performance in the time trial, next up is the road race on Saturday where McCrystal hopes to improve again on her fourth place of last year, although she admits that the recent increase in women cyclists here means the race is wide open.

“Last year you could have counted the women to watch on one hand but this year there’s any amount of women. The women’s racing scene has completely changed this year. It’s got much better. It’s great.”

“There are a lot of girls on the up, who are starting to ride well and will keep us on our toes. With Sandra Fitzgerald, Caroline and myself, we have three strong girls and we’ll be aiming to win the team prize anyway. I know the course. I did the Louth championships on it, which was only four laps. People are saying it’s flat but it’s not as flat as people are saying. It’s tough. It’ll be a good course.”

Full Results Women's National Time Trial Championships

Melanie Spath, Team TIBCO, put in a repeat performance of 12 months ago, taking silver in the National Time Trial Championships in Carlingford, Co Louth, yesterday evening (Photo: Stephen McMahon - Sportsfile)