The Irish U23 team before the start of the European Road Race Championships on Sunday. Left to right: Jack Wilson, Ryan Mullen, Stephen Clancy and Conor Dunne (Photo with thanks to Kurt Bogaerts)
Riding his first year with the An Post-Chainreaction team based in Belgium, Jack Wilson was best placed of the Ireland U23 team at the European Road Race Championships in the Czech Republic yesterday, Sunday.
The recently crowned National U23 Champion came home in 29th spot. Wilson crossed the line some 1min 53sces off winner Sean De Bie of Belgium, with the field between the winner and Wilson's small group scattered mostly in ones and twos under the pressure of the final laps.
The champion led home a five-strong group who were all clocked with the same time and were just seconds ahead of a clutch of riders they had distanced as the head of the race fragmented in the finale and sprint to the line.
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Ireland’s only other finisher in the U23 title race, Conor Dunne placed 60th in a group 7:40 down on the winner. Ryan Mullen and Stephen Clancy were non finishers, on a day when over the half the field abandoned.
Team Ireland manager in the Czech Republic, Kurt Bogaerts said he was happy with the performance and was especially pleased with how Wilson had ridden. Bogaerts, a Belgian managing an Irish national team for the first time, is the manager of the An Post-Chainreaction Continental-ranked professional team that counts Wilson as one of its riders.
“He rode really strong, (on) a hard circuit at high altitude, finishing well despite a slight mechanical from someone riding into his wheel,” Bogaerts said of Wilson.
“It is good to see his performance improving. He wasn’t going so well in April and May, and was sick for the Nationals (Championships in June).”
“For Conor, it was not a suitable course. But he recovered well from the (time trial last Friday) and it was really good to finish.”
“Stephen got caught behind a crash in the first lap on a fast descent into the cobbled climb, and the job for himself and Ryan, who peaked at the track championships, was to help in the first half of the race.”
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Mullen went into these championships straight for the European U23 Track Championships in Portugal a week earlier, where he won two bronze medals.
Bogaerts also revealed that Ireland’s best performer in the junior road race at the Europeans on Saturday, Eddie Dunbar, had overcome a couple of setbacks to take a very solid 26th place in his first year as a junior and riding his first major championships.
He was 1:31 down on winner Frank Bonnamour of France at the finish.
Dunbar’s team mates, Ciaran Campbell and Danny Bruton were listed as non-finishers of the 126km race.
“This is a very good result for Dunbar,” said Bogaerts.
“He did amazing on that course. He is very young and definitely lacked experience. Although he crashed in the neutralised section and was pushed to the side of the road in the race, he still came back to attack at the halfway mark to get to the front group.”
“He showed himself, and so showed his potential for the future. If he works hard he can get somewhere, he was the 7th placed first year junior. For Campbell and Bruton this was good experience, and it will help them get better.”
Cycling Ireland’s head coach, Brian Nugent said the participation of the riders in the championships at the weekend is part of a long term plan.
“This year we put a system in place to carry on from our junior programme last year and we are very pleased with how it is working for both our junior and U23 riders. It is great to have someone like Kurt on board, with his wealth of experience, to educate and progress the riders at this top international level.”
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