John Buller & PJ Doogan best at Euro Champs
John Buller was best of the Irish in the junior men’s road race at the European Road Championships in Herning, Denmark, today.
At the end of a flat race with a predictably fast bunch sprint finish, the Banbridge man finished 24th, with PJ Doogan just behind him in 25th place.
Michele Gazzoli (Italy) took the European title and gold medal. He won from Norway’s Soren Waerenskjold and Niklas Markl of Germany.
“It was a good team performance, and they stuck to the plan,” said manager Martin O’Loughlin.
“Typical of Junior races in Europe, it was totally strewn with crashes and punctures. Thank God nobody was seriously hurt, though.”
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The event was on a circuit of 20.1km, with a total race distance of 120.6km.
“We expected a bunch gallop, which it was, so we put all the powers behind getting John to the finish,” O’Loughlin said.
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“Ben Walsh was very aggressive in the race, but he punctured. And we were unlucky to lose Aaron (Doherty) in the first lap due to a crash.
“He got back on the bike, but had no chance of getting on.”
O'Loughlin told stickybottle the riders worked really well towards positioning Buller for the final sprint. However, that plan was struck a major blow when Walsh punctured with 10km to go.
Buller and Doogan finished on the same time was the winner, with a bunch of 83 riders arriving at the finish intact.
Walsh finised 106th, some 4:45 down; his puncture so late in the day leaving him no chance of regaining the peloton.
The aforementioned Doherty battled hard after being dealt a rotten hand but he would fail to finish. However, the grapevine has been fullsome in its praise for him this season.
Also among the non-finishers was Xeno Young, on a day when 40 of the 150 starters did not finish.
Tomorrow morning the Irish U23 men are back in action in their 160.8km road race. And in the afternoon Lydia Boylan is the only Irish woman in the 120.6km elite women’s race.
The championships conclude on Sunday when Sam Bennett leads the Irish team into the elite men’s road race.
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