Double Champ: Ireland's Eoghan Clifford on top of the podium for the second time at the Paracycling World Championships in Greenville, South Carolina (Photo: Jean Baptiste - Sportsfile)
Following on from Eoghan Clifford’s opening day gold medal at the World Paracycling Championships in the C3 time trial and Mark Rohan’s bronze in the MH time trial, the Irish medal run has continued with another gold and a silver.
Competing at this level for the first time, Galway man Clifford added to his time trial gold with another world title in the C3 road race yesterday in Greenville, South Carolina, United States.
And Katie-George Dunlevy and Eve McCrystal have stormed to silver in the women’s B tandem road race.
Clifford pushed ahead with three laps to go in the road race, which featured seven loops of a 10.2km course. He extended his gap all the way to the line, with Steffen Warius of Germany taking silver and Fabio Anobile of Italy rounding out the podium.
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Bryan McCrystal pilots James Brown to 9th place in their time trial last Friday (Photo: Jean Baptiste - Sportsfile)
“I can’t believe it,” Ireland’s new double world champion said after winning his second rainbow jersey.
“I had planned to not show in the first few laps, but it was very explosive, and I was struggling pretty bad, so hung in towards the back.”
Clifford felt while others in the field wilted over the race distance, he showed better stamina.
"And in the technical section just after the start-finish area going out onto the third last lap he got a gap of between 20 and 30 metres and decided to go for it alone with 30km remaining.
“I am the kind of rider that if I can get a gap I can hold it, and they would have to commit to a chase to catch me, I didn’t want it to come to a sprint,” he said.
“When I got up to two minutes ahead, I knew I had it,” adding he was very thankful to the Irish management team and staff.
There have been no medals in the US for Colin Lynch, though the Irish camp is in great spirits after taking four medals so far (Photo: Jean Baptiste - Sportsfile)
In the women’s B road race, also yesterday; Katie-George Dunlevy and Eve McCrystal very nearly won gold, with the photo finish camera called on to separate their tandem and that of Great Britain.
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The Irish duo looked comfortable from the start, and positioned themselves well in the closing kilometres of the 81.6km race.
Maidenhead-based Dunlevy and pilot McCrystal, from Dundalk, pushed hard for the line, only to be narrowly beaten by Great Britain, with Spain third just behind.
The event was eight laps on a 10.2km circuit. On the opening laps, the Irish women stayed close to the front of the bunch; looking stronger as the race progressed.
With one lap to go, the women’s race had to be neutralised as the men were approaching, bringing everyone to a standstill.
Once racing again, the Irish pair focused on moving towards the front, despite a mechanical, and took a long sprint for the line. Unfortunately the British tandem lunged passed them at the finish.
Mark Rohan from Ballinahow in Co Westmeath took a bronze medal in the men's MH time trial in the US (Photo: Jean Baptiste - Sportsfile)
Dunlevy said despite being so narrowly beaten, they were delighted with silver; especially having punctured in their time trial on Friday.
“All the hard work has paid off,” she said.
“As we got into the race, we felt brilliant, and as it went on we felt better. It’s been a long few years waiting for this, and with Eve we make a great team. I’m really excited about the future.
“After the neutralised section our gear was stuck in the small ring for the last half lap. But we still just time trialled from the last roundabout; we are good at the long sprint, so we just went for it.
“We have great support here, my family were here to watch us, and it was really nice to get the medal in front of them, after all the support they have given over the years.”
Colin Lynch finished the MC2 road race in 10th place; an event won by Colombia’s Alvaro Galvis Becerra.
The men’s tandem of James Brown and Bryan McCrystal finished in 17th position in their road race, which was won by Spain.
Katie-George Dunlevy and Eve McCrystal took silver in their Worlds road race in South Carolina; seen here in time trial action last Friday when their medal chances were wiped out by a puncture (Photo: Jean Baptiste - Sportsfile)
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