After three top 10 placings for the Irish team in the U16 boys and girls TTs at the European Youth Olympics, it was the turn of Sam Coleman today to lead the way. The Shelbourne-Orchard rider finished a fine 10th in the U16 road race on a day when the speed, and some crashes, split the field to pieces.
Coleman's two team mates in the road race - Seth Dunwoody of Orchard CC and Patrick Casey - had finished 5th and 10th in the TT earlier in the week but were unlucky today with crashes.
Casey came down early in the event during one of a high number of incidents while Dunwoody was in the lead group with Coleman when he crashed approaching the finish.
In the end, the front group sprinting for the medals was down to just 22 riders when they approach the finish in Banska Bystrica. Cedric Keppens of Belgium put in a fantastic final burst of speed to hold off the two Poles who took silver and bronze; Patryk Goszczurny and Michal Strzelecki.
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Ireland's Coleman was to the fore in the group approaching the finish and took 10th place. His club mate Dunwoody was a little further back, in 27th at 44 seconds. Casey was 33rd at 2:41.
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In the girls race, Aine Doherty - who placed 10th in the girls TT earlier in the week - was in the second group on the road, behind those sprinting for the medals. It looked for much of the last 15km of the race that Doherty's group would make the catch before the finish.
However, with the Dutch and the Italians keeping the pace up at the front - and the speed ramping up after Luxembourg went on the attack - Doherty's group was distance again a little in the run in to the line.
Up front the lead group was down to just 16 riders on the line, where Cat Ferguson sprinted in for the gold medal, to add to her TT triumph just two days ago. Jessica Paula Ostiz Taco claimed her second silver of the week after also finishing 2nd in Ferguson ion the TT. Beatrice Temperoni of Italy claimed the bronze.
Doherty (VG Glendale) was in a 16-rider chasing group just 32 seconds behind the winner, with the Irish rider taking 25th place. Ailyah Rafferty (Island Wheelers) was 41st at 3:44 while Mya Doocey (Navan RC) was 69th at 15:52.
U16 Boys Race
1 KEPPENS Cedric Belgium 1:32:33
2 GOSZCZURNY Patryk Poland 1:32:33
3 STRZELECKI Michal Poland 1:32:33
4 SCHOOFS Jasper Belgium 1:32:33
5 GRAF Cedric Switzerland 1:32:33
6 REMIJN Senna Netherlands 1:32:33
7 PAKOT Andras Gusztav Hungary 1:32:33
8 HOCHULI Florian Switzerland 1:32:33
9 KHARKOVETS Yevhenii Ukraine 1:32:33
10 COLEMAN Sam Ireland 1:32:33
11 FIETZKE Paul Germany 1:32:33
12 GRINDLEY Sebastian Great Britain 1:32:33
13 BESSA DURAES Rafael Portugal 1:32:33
14 MOREIRA Jose Miguel Portugal 1:32:33
15 HALTER Nicolas Switzerland 1:32:33
27 DUNWOODY Seth Ireland 1:33:17 +0:44
33 CASEY Patrick Ireland 1:35:14 +2:41
- There were 94 riders in the race
U16 Girls Race
1 FERGUSON Cat Great Britain 1:32:08
2 OSTIZ TACO Paula Jessica Spain
3 TEMPERONI Beatrice Ilaty
4 WASATY Weronika Poland
5 KEPCZYNSKA Oliwia Poland
6 SANARINI Linda Ilaty
7 BULEGATO Alice Ilaty
8 GABORSKA Anna Poland
9 KANKOVSKA Nela Czech Republic
10 HEREMANS Ella Belgium
11 HEZINOVA Daniela Czech Republic
12 MESSEMER Joelle Germany
13 ARENS Megan Netherlands
14 GRIESSER Ramona Austria
15 LIEHNER Lara Switzerland +0:06
25 DOHERTY Aine Ireland +0:32
41 RAFFERTY Ailyah Ireland +3:44
69 DOOCEY Mya Ireland +15:52
