Glenn Kinning said his ride in the UCI Cyclocross World Cup was an amazing experience and the riders are hoping for Cycling Ireland support for the World Championships in January now.
By Brian Canty
One of the really in-form riders of the domestic scene this year, Glenn Kinning had a day to remember at the UCI Cyclo-Cross World Cup in Milton Keynes yesterday.
He was one of three Irish riders on the start line in the elite men’s rate, with David Montgomery (Chainreactioncycles-Vitus Bikes) and Tim O’Regan (DID Dunboyne) also taking their places in the star-studded field.
The trio performed admirably but against a world-class field on a difficult course, they were pulled out with two laps remaining as they fell outside the time cut.
“It was an incredible event,” said Kinning, who rides at home in his own Kinning Cycles colours.
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Kinning mid race with one of the Team GB riders. Yesterday's event was the first time a UCI Cyclocross World Cup event was ever held outside mainland Europe.
“I’ve done stuff like that before with the mountain-biking, but that was my first cyclo-cross race for Ireland and it was some experience.
"It was totally different to anything I’d done before; if anyone ran that event back home the locals we would call it crap!
“We were all gridded to start in the last row,” he said of himself and the other two Irish men.
"Me and David had a bit of a crash but I don’t think it was that much of a deal really.
“We all had a few crashes and mechanicals but you just have to take it in your stride as best you can.
David Montgomery makes his way through the mud; while the Irish trio were entered as the Irish team, the fact it was a self-funded trip saw some of them wear their own team colours.
“It was really tough, it was a fast start. There was a bit of a bottleneck on the course but once we got through that we could ride steadily and I kept my tempo as long as I could.”
Given the strength of the field and the fact most international races pull riders out in the closing laps if they are not at or near the front, Kinning said he, Montgomery and O’Regan felt from the start it would be difficult to finish.
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"So every lap was a bonus,” he said.
"The crowds were amazing and it really was a special experience.”
Some bemoaned the conditions afterwards but Kinning had no complains there.
Tim O'Regan has ridden cyclocross races abroad before, but taking part in a World Cup event was a massive step up.
“It was what I expected, it wasn’t so much muddy; a bit of rain would have actually helped to wash the mud away a bit.
"Everything went the way I wanted it to go, there was nothing more or anything better I could have done.
"We had a team manager and had some support, everyone helped us out and it worked out really well.
“So hopefully this will get the ball rolling for the World Championships; there’s been a bit of talk about that.
“A couple of the other guys and myself were talking; hopefully Cycling Ireland can get behind us a wee bit and back us for that.”
The crowds packing the course made for a fantastic atmosphere for the Irish riders to be part of.
Those Championships are on in the Czech Republic in January.
Before that, Kinning has the small matter of the National Championships on January 11th to worry about and he will need to beat the ever dominant Robin Seymour (Expert Cycles) if he is to take the crown.
“There’s one or two races before the Nationals too that I want to do well in.
“And then I’ll try to get a good block of training in before the nationals and see how we go.
"I think I have a good chance but Robin is always hard to beat, he’s the main man. But I want to give it a good go.”
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