One of the best emerging young riders in the country, Kevin McCambridge has overcome adversity to hit form and take his first elite win in France
He was best in the Souvenir Bruno Mura in Sorgues, Vaucluse, on Sunday when he got clear on his own and won the race by 30 seconds on the men chasing behind.
The 19-year-old, who is riding for French team AVC Aix En
Provence this year, contracted Covid-19 not long after arriving in France in
February, which set him back just as he was settling in.
And while he was quickly able to come back to racing in
March after that illness, he then broke his collarbone in a racing crash in mid
May.
However, those who watch the domestic road scene will be aware of McCambridge’s obvious talent and now having had a clear run at races and training of late, he has come good with a victory.
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Sunday’s race was a short and sharp 100.8km – some 21 laps of a 4.8km circuit. It was a race perhaps better suited to the bigger powerful riders, rather than a climber like McCambridge.
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However, that didn’t stop the Northern Irishman, who hit
the front of the bunch at the opportune time after holding back a little in the
early stages of the race.
He got clear in a breakaway almost as soon as he moved to
the front to join the attacks. Once he infiltrated the winning move, on a very
wet day for racing, the group worked very well.
With about four laps to go McCambridge attacked those he
was with and managed to get a gap. While the advantage he eked out was
initially modest, because the group continued to chase him, he kept working at
it.
Eventually his lead grew and once it did he looked good for the win; the 19-year-old hitting out hard for home with a flat-out solo ride for the final 15km.
At the finish line he had plenty of time to celebrate his victory as the first rider from remains of the breakaway was 30 seconds back; Alexandre Foli (AC Orange) finishing on his own in 2nd place. Florent Ferrero (UC Monaco) claimed 3rd at 1:30
Noah Knecht (Charvieu Chavagneux IC) then finished in 4th
place, at the head of a three-man group some 1:52 down on the Irish winner before
an 11-man group finished 2:30 down.
That’s a confidence-boosting win for McCambridge, who won silver in the U23 TT at the National Road Championships last year. He was 6th in the combined elite and U23 road race at those 2020 championships. McCambridge was junior Irish TT champion in 2019, when he also represented Ireland at the Worlds in Yorkshire.
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