"Last year's win was my biggest ever; amazing. But to defend it, I'm really happy with that"

Mel Spath was amazed with her win last year at the Nationals, but having raced in the US this season, her victor today was perhaps more expected (Photo: Adrian O'Connor - www.blackumbrellaphotography.com)

Blazing home ahead of a 21-strong front group, Melanie Spath (Team TIBCO) clocked up her second consecutive Irish women’s road race title today.

The US-based rider beat Siobhan McNamara (DID Electrical Racing Team), Mary Costelloe (Alliance Environmental) and eighteen others in the dash to the line, with these riders remaining together despite multiple attacks during the race.

The riders who sought to break things up were foiled by a course which lacked tough climbs, and also by a conservative racing approach which saw many riders try simply to close attacks down rather than to bridge up to groups and to keep the move going.

Spath rode well during the race and positioned herself well just before the final gallop to the line. She was elated with the result, believing that it confirmed what she had achieved last year.

“On the last lap there were numerous attacks,” she told stickybottle after the finish.

“Olivia (Dillon) tried a few times. I tried and a few other girls tried. It was hard enough but because we knew nothing would get away in the last bit, the bunch kind of sat up and rolled towards the finish; almost taking up the whole road together. It was all about who was going to take the sprint.”

“Last year I just could not believe I had won. It was probably my biggest result ever, because it was my first year road racing properly. It was a big thing for me, amazing. I knew going into this race now that I would be the defending champion, I would be watched a lot more. It is very nice to pull it off as defending champion. I am very happy with that.”

McNamara was best of the rest, finishing a length behind Spath. She revealed afterwards that she had a mechanical issue during the race which cost her energy, although she fortunately had sufficient time to settle down afterwards.

“I expected it to break up,” she said.

“My saddle fell off during the race. It was lap three or lap four. I had to change bikes and get back on. On the same lap there was a crash I was stuck behind that, so I was pretty knackered afterwards.”

“It was quite whittled down by the time we came in (for the finish). I was thinking that I am normally not very comfortable in the bunch. I just kept cool, I thought that maybe a gap would open (for the sprint), and it did.”

Costelloe finished third in the national championships in 2009 at eighteen years of age and repeated that placing today, four years later.

“I liked this circuit, I thought it was good,” she smiled.

“Going into the last two laps that with the hills there would probably be a lot of attacks and I just need to try to stay with them as I was hoping for a bunch sprint.”

“I tried to keep on Melanie Spath’s wheel during the sprint. I didn’t have enough to come around her but I’m happy with third.”

How it played out:

A total of 48 riders lined out for the 2013 women’s road race championships in Carlingford, starting several minutes after a very heavy shower. With wet roads but dry skies, they raced out of the town for the first of seven 12.8 kilometre laps of a mainly flat to undulating circuit.

Last year’s champion Mel Spath (Team Tibco) was the first attacker of the day, but was brought back soon after the start. She has been racing on the US circuit this year and has been performing strongly. Other attacks followed, but the bunch kept a tight rein on things.

Mary Costelloe (Alliance Environmental) and Judith Russell (Phoenix CC) clipped away after eleven kilometres and opened a fifteen second gap.

This went to half a minute, but dropped down to twelve seconds. Costelloe was caught sixteen kilometres after the start, having scaled the climb on the second lap, but Russell remained out front. She was then reeled in.

Lydia Boylan (unattached) went clear and was joined soon afterwards by Sandra Fitzgerald (Garda-Richies Bike Store). They too were reeled in, as were several subsequent efforts by others.

As occurred in previous years, there were many lulls in the pace, with the strongest riders being closely marked by the others.

After 32 kilometres, Costelloe decided to try once again and jumped clear. She was joined once again by Russell, and together they built a gap of twenty seconds. They were chased soon afterwards by Eve McCrystal (Garda CC-Richies Bike Store), but she was temporarily hampered by what seemed to be a bike problem.

Everything came back together 35 kilometres after the start, after which the riders headed back towards the finish for the end of the third lap. Lydia Boylan (unattached) was next to attack and held a small advantage after 42 kilometres.

She was caught and then Fran Meehan (Aqua Blue) accelerated clear. The bunch reacted, though, realising that she was strong and therefore also dangerous. After she was reeled in Roisin Kennedy (Adamstown Cycling Team), Judith Russell (Phoenix CC), Lydia Boylan (unattached) and Rachel Withers (West Tyrone Velo) jumped clear but once again the reaction was fast.

National time trial champion Caroline Ryan (Garda CC-Richies Bike Store) and Boylan then surged ahead, driving hard to try to make their move stick. They rounded a wet left hand turn and while they negotiated without problems, several riders clashed in the bunch and caused a split.

The peloton came back together several minutes later and, after 51 kilometres of racing, Ryan and Boylan were twenty seconds clear. This grew to 26 seconds, dropped to eighteen and then opened up again. However it had petered to twelve seconds after sixty kilometres.

The strong wind before the finish then burned up the remaining dregs of their energy and, with two laps to go, they were caught.

The peloton remained en masse for most of the penultimate lap, with an attack by Fran Meehan being unsuccessful.

On the final lap, Caroline Ryan attacked repeatedly on the rolling drags and succeeded in opening a gap. The new time trial champion sought to use her solo strength to stay clear, but she was closed down by the others.

Several others tried to jump clear but a bunch sprint was inevitable. With Spath feeling good and placing herself well, she blasted home ahead of Siobhan McNamara and Mary Costelloe for her second consecutive championships win.