"It was tough; there was nothing that took the pressure off, you were working all the way"

Michael Hutchinson (In-Gear Quickvit Trainsharp RT) on the way to gold in the elite men's National Time-Trial Championships in Carlingford, Co Louth (Photo: Stephen McMahon - Sportsfile)

Michael Hutchinson has retained his national time trial title in Carlingford, Co Louth, recording a time of 50 minutes and seven seconds to beat former champion David McCann (Synergy Baku) by 58 seconds in the near 40km test.

Dubliner Colm Cassidy of the Canadian based OCCTO Cervelo team took bronze, with a time another half a minute slower.

“It was quite a tough course to ride because it was just dead straight, windy and lumpy,” said Hutchinson afterwards.

“There was nothing that took the pressure off you. You were working the whole way and had to concentrate very hard on being consistent, holding your position and riding tidily.”

Hutchinson, of the In-Gear Quickvit Trainsharp Racing Team, was one of the few riders who judged the wind correctly and the Antrim man seemed to have more left in the tank than most on the way home into the headwind.

“I thought there was more headwind on the way back than there was tailwind on the way out, but I suppose that’s the way it is,” he laughed.

“Certainly it eased as you came back because the course turned left the whole way home so you were always turning away from it slightly.”

“There was a long drag on the way back which, into the headwind, was pretty hard going but by the time you got to that point you had only around 5km downhill to the end. So it wasn’t the worst thing in the world.”

“You more or less looked at finishing the race at 35km or 36km in, because after that you weren’t going to gain anything, you just rode to the finish.”

Although Hutchinson had almost a minute on silver medallist McCann, U23 winner Ryan Mullen was a lot closer to the 39-year-old defending champion, finishing just 16 seconds behind the former university lecturer.

“Ryan is good and he’s improving, which is the other thing. He’s getting better as he goes on. I remember him racing as a 16-year-old in the UK doing a lot of great rides and he’s pushing on and getting better.”

“At the minute, he seems to be getting better every week. He’s a big powerful guy who’ll rock a course like that. It was all about power today and I guess he’s got some good form at the minute too. I wouldn’t exactly say I’m an amateur but I’m not quite a pro either so it’s nice to come to something like this and compete with Ryan, who’s a young pro on the way up and David McCann, who’s kind of, like me, an old pro on the way down.”

Although McCann’s time was bettered by Mullen on the night, as Mullen is an U23, McCann took silver, which for the former pro now turned directeur sportif for the Synergy Baku team, was an unexpected bonus.

“I’m surprised to be that close,” admitted McCann afterwards.

“I felt far, far, off my best so to be within a minute... I’m shocked actually. I wish I had done a bit more now. I’ve done less than ever. Basically tonight is a hangover from last year more than anything I’ve done this year but I’m still not far off and hopefully I’ll be in or around the mix on Sunday in the road race.”

Although he announced his retirement after London 2012, and has taken to the team car rather than the bike in recent months, McCann is finding it hard to let go altogether and even at 40 years of age, proved he can still mix it with the best.

“This is retired!” he laughed.

“I retired about five years ago but nobody noticed. This is me retired. I want to keep active you know. I enjoy riding the bike. There’s a good atmosphere in the sport, a good community, so it would be hard to just walk away from it all.”

“The young guys are running us close which is the way it should be. I would have been seriously depressed about the state of Irish cycling if none of them could beat me tonight. I’m pleased for Ryan (Mullen) to have done a good ride.”

“When I was that age I wouldn’t have been happy unless I was up there with the leaders. I’m pretty busy with the Synergy Baku guys right now but whenever I can do anything to help the Irish lads I will and I’m looking forward to watching their progress at the worlds and Europeans in the years to come.”

If McCann was surprised with his silver medal, then Colm Cassidy was even more amazed.

“I’m shocked,” said the Clontarf man of his bronze medal ride, before admitting the course suited him down to the ground.

“It was perfect for me. It looked a little bit rolly coming over it in the car but it was good. I got the wind mixed up like an eejit though. I went out a bit hard in the tailwind and ended up suffering a bit on the way back. I though the wind was the opposite but time trialling is all about just riding hard anyway. I was watching the heart rate all the time, keeping it going. I’m delighted with the medal.”

Cassidy is now based in Canada with the OCCTOS Cervelo squad, where the time trial scene near Toronto is a lot stronger than over here.

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“I’d kind of gone off the boil in the last few years and haven’t spent much time on the time trial bike. There’s more of a strong time trialling scene in Canada, certainly local to where I am in Richmond Hill, and that’s helped, not as much as I’d have liked, but it paid off a bit today. I was a minute and a bit down on Hutchinson but I wasn’t expecting to be anywhere near that so I’m happy enough.”

Full Results - Elite Men's National TT Championships

David McCann (Synergy Baku) on his way to silver during the elite men's National Time-Trial Championships in Carlingford, Co Louth (Photo: Stephen McMahon - Sportsfile)

Colm Cassidy (OCTTO-Cervélo Team) is back from his base in Canada and said he was amazed to win bronze (Photo: Stephen McMahon - Sportsfile)