Jake Gray looks delighted with his victory in Flanders, with Irish team mate Marc Heaney taking 2nd place on the day the Irish excelled (Photo with many thanks to Martine Verfaillie)
Irish riders Jake Gray and Marc Heaney have taken a fantastic 1-2 in Belgian, leaving the home riders in their wake.
The Nicolas Roche PT riders having been ripping it up all season at home; Heaney one of the really strong emerging young guns on the home scene and Gray the new national road champion.
And against a field of Belgian riders on their home turf today, the Irish were not slow to take the battle to them and executed their strategy clinically.
The circuit race event in Bavikhove, west Flanders, was 28 laps and just under 60km long.
Gray was first out of the traps and once he was gone he was never seen again.
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He attacked on the opening lap and took one of the Belgian riders with him; that duo combining very well to open up what would prove to be a race-long winning move.
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Jake Gray and Marc Heaney after a brilliant display in Belgium brought them a 1-2 ahead of the home riders (Photo: Martine Verfaillie)
Sharing the workload Gray and his Belgian breakaway companion well together until three laps remained.
The Irish champion decided to go alone and when he attacked and reached for the afterburners his Belgian rival had not answer.
Gray put the head down and rode solo to victory, having plenty of time to celebrate his win coming down the home straight for the final time.
Just behind him, Heaney rode a great race in blocking on behalf of his team mate.
He showed his class and tactical nous by forging ahead with one of the Belgians from the peloton and catching the rider Gray had dropped.
And in the charge to the finish line Heaney made not mistake in seeing off the Belgians to complete an impressive 1-2 for the Irish visitors.
Gray would take victory by seven seconds from Heaney; the latter beating the two Belgians he was with for 2nd place.
There then followed another group of three Belgians a further 24 seconds back with the best of the rest coming home 2:01 behind Gray.
For full results of today’s event please follow this link.
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