Kelly Murphy gave it her all and said she made sure she was on her last legs much earlier than she normally would (All photos by Sean Rowe)
The first of Ireland’s elite riders into action at the World Championships in Innsbruck; Kelly Murphy was delighted with her TT ride while Eileen Burns was disappointed with her’s.
Both riders have filled the top two spots in the TT at the National Championships for the last two years.
And when the squad was being picked for Innsbruck they were the natural selections for the test.
Murphy, the reigning Irish champion, was riding her first Worlds and was clearly impressed with the experience.
Burns is more experience at this level and she was very honest in her appraisal of her performance, saying she had hoped for more.
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The podium was filled by the women in the orange; the Dutch hit squad taking gold, silver and bronze.
Winner Annemiek van Vleuten flew around the busy 27.8km course in a time of 34:25 to retain the title she first won last year aged 34.
Next was Anna van der Breggen; the reigning Olympic road race champion some 30 seconds down.
And claiming the bronze, a further 55 seconds back, was the European TT champion and former Worlds gold medallist Ellen van Dijk.
Ireland’s Kelly Murphy finished in 33rd place at 4:19. Eileen Burns was 41st at 5:11.
Burns was riding her third major championships of 2018, having also competed in the Europeans and Commonwealth Games.
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“The crowds were immense and the team and staff in Cycling Ireland do a really great job of making sure I was calm and collected,” said Murphy, who also rode the Europeans in Glasgow.
“It was a fast course and we’d (ridden) it a few times on open roads. You kind of know it’s going to be fast.
“I laid it all out there and it was all over in the blink of an eye. It was a really wonderful experience.
“The weather was great the roads were smooth and fast. It was a strong headwind out and tailwind on the way back; it was just immense.”
Murphy said she went out steady and then when the climbs hit she rode very hard to be sure she was almost spent with 10km remaining.
With a long descent late on the course, she said she made sure she had emptied the tank before getting a breather on the descent and going again.
Burns said the climbs were hard and had taken a lot out of her. She found it hard to recover after them.
While a little disappointed, she said she had to be reasonably content with her performance after such a long season.
“I was very happy with how I got on in the Europeans in Glasgow,” Eileen Burns said.
“But since then I feel my form has dipped a little; both physically and mentally. So I wouldn’t say I was the best coming into it.
“However, being selected to represent your country; you come here and try to put everything out that you can on the day.
“If I was honest, I’m disappointed. But I know that my form wasn’t the best coming into it. You do what you can on the day.
“It was maybe a little windier than I expected on the faster sections. It started off into a headwind which wasn’t expected.
“I gave it everything I could on the day. If I had the form I had in Glasgow I maybe would have gone better.
“But with the condition I came here with; I gave it what I could on the day. That’s all you can do.”
There are two Irish riders in competition tomorrow afternoon; Nicolas Roche and Ryan Mullen competing in the 52.5km men’s TT.
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