Ciara Kinch on her way to victory at the Deenside Cup; the Towers CC woman is now looking ahead with confidence to the National Road Race Championships (Photo: Sean Rowe)
Ciara Kinch took a fine win at the Deenside Cup in Kilkenny on Sunday; the Castleknock-based rider besting her breakaway companions after a tough 70-kilometre test.
It's an opportune time to be in good form, what with the national championships less than a month away.
But Kinch was just pleased to finally finish a race, having been sick a lot this season.
“It was actually the first of the four women’s national league races I completed, so to win was almost a bonus," she quipped.
The standard is rising year on year on the domestic front but Kinch knew she was in with a shout when she made the day’s break.
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"There were two up the road and we caught them before the first time up the climb," she recalled.
"About four or five of us attacked on a climb after and that scattered the group a bit.
Emma Walsh of Waterford Racing leads the front group as it works up and over (Photo: John Coleman – DC Images)
"Then we attacked again on the descent to scatter them further. That left just eight and we worked fairly well, up and over.
"The climb came around again and initially we had 30 seconds on the bunch.
“But once we came up over the climb again it had increased to 2:30. I don't know how, but it did!"
Sensing the race would come down to a sprint from the small front group, Kinch decided to test the others.
She was hopeful some attacking might help her avoid arriving at the finish with the likes of Emma Walsh (Waterford Racing Team), Sinnead Oakes (Nenagh CC), Michelle Geoghegan (Sint Martinus) and a few others.
"On the descent coming into the town at the 5k to go sign I decided to put in a big effort because I haven't a huge sprint,” she said.
"I just wanted to tire them out but I was caught coming into Castlecomer.
Kinch, centre, just about holds of Nenagh's Sinnead Oakes for victory on Sunday (Picture courtesy John Coleman – DC Images)
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“There’s a very sharp right hander and I nearly had to stop. There was a few flurries after that; Aideen Keenan went and I sat on her wheel.
"I was on Sinead Oakes' wheel with a rider either side of her so I had to come around them all.
"I put in a big effort coming to the line and I just about got there first.
"I was very happy with how it panned out; we all shared the workload and each girl who got up there deserved the win as much as me."
She knows the nationals will be an entirely different kettle of fish, but on a parcours suited to her she’s optimistic.
"I'm looking forward to them now; I like climbing and on a hilly course against all the best it sounds like a lot of fun."
Deenside Cup, Kilkenny (70km)
1 Ciara Kinch (Towers CC)
2 Sinnead Okaes (Nenagh CC)
3 Michelle Geoghegan (Sint Martinus)
4 Grace Young (De Ronde Van Cork CC)
5 Emma Walsh (Waterford Racing Team)
6 Aideen Keenan (DID Electrical Dunboyne)
7 Roisín Kennedy (Adamstown CC)
8 Monica Marconi (Orwell Wheelers)
Unplaced junior: Laura Cooke (Limerick CC)
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