Irish national road race champion Lydia Boylan in points race action for Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games on Australia’s Gold Coast.
Northern Ireland cyclists react to Commonwealth Games track races
Having enjoyed considerable success on the road with Team Wiggins since the end of his international track season, Mark Downey was back on the boards today at the Commonwealth Games.
He said his scratch race final was run off at “frightening” speeds, adding he was on the back foot.
Downey would finish 12th, in a race Xeno Young and Marc Potts also qualified for. However, they were among the non finishers in that final.
Also in action for Northern Ireland today in Australia was national road race champion Lydia Boylan.
She took on the women’s points race and claimed 11th place. The event was won by world and Olympic champion Elinor Barker; who won Rás na mBan last year.
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The winner scored 40 points in the 25km event, double the silver medal winner. The race was dominated by the British riders, with Scottish duo Katie Archibald and Neah Evans 2nd and 3rd.
Boylan, a medal winner in the Europeans last year in the madison and WNT-Rotor Pro Cycling road rider, said she was happy to be back on the track.
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Xeno Young, Marc Potts and Mark Downey all in action in the scratch race final at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in Australia. We're used to seeing them in the green of Ireland but they're representing Northern Ireland this time around.
“After a disappointing Worlds I just wanted to get back to enjoying racing,” Lydia Boylan said after her race.
“I tried not to think too much and didn’t put any expectation on myself. I’m happy that I put myself out there with some big attacks.
“But unfortunately you need to score the points too,” she said, before adding she felt she was going well.
“I’m really happy with my form. So I’m definitely looking forward to leaving it all out on the track tomorrow in the scratch race.”
For his part, Mark Downey said the speed in the men’s scratch race was incredible.
“That was definitely a quick one; 55 kilometres per hour is as quick as I can remember for a scratch race,” he said.
“My pre-race plan was to give it a couple of goes in the middle of the race and maybe try to get a lap.
“But I think the pace of the race was just so frightening quick nobody was really being let away.”
Downey was happy he had gone out and raced and was content with his performance, if not the result.
When he had attacked, the Australians would counter. That left him under pressure and emptying the tank to hang on.
“Every time Cameron Meyer kicked through I was put on the back foot. And I ran out of legs in the last lap,” he explained.
With the points race up tomorrow; he said every nation would have three riders and the Australians would be the ones to watch. But if he felt good again “anything could happen”.
Australia’s Sam Welsford won the scratch race today from New Zealand’s Campbell Stewart and Christopher Latham from England.
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