Irish rider Michael O'Loughlin tackles the cobbles in Bergen. He won't forget his ride at these World Championships in a hurry, though he will be eager to put it behind him and move on (Photo: Sean Rowe)
Michael O’Loughlin TT mechanicals at World Champs
The Irish U23 champion on the road and against the watch, Michael O’Loughlin endured a nightmare outing at the World Championships.
He went into today’s 37km test in Bergen hoping to pull something big out of the bag after a late season body blow.
In the Tour de l’Avenir he would crash on the penultimate stage last month. And medical checks would reveal a fractured elbow.
To his credit O’Loughlin wasn’t prepared to let that misfortune end his season. And while he decided to give the road race a miss at these worlds he lined up on the TT start-line very hopeful.
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But a series of mechanicals knocked him sideways. Any chance of a strong showing was gone after the first spot of trouble, though two more blows would follow.
Michael O’Loughlin would in the end trail home in 54th place, some 7:21 down on winner and new world champion Mikkel Bjerg (Denmark).
“My gears stopped working about 4km from the end of the first lap,” he said of his electronic set-up.
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“I carried on for a few kilometres while the course was flat, but once I came out of the tunnel and the road started to rise, I had to get a bike change.
“I just wanted everything to run smoothly, but there is nothing to do once something like that happens.
“Once I hit the rise, I was stuck in too big a gear, and it was time to change the bike. You just have to think about what to do next, how to solve it.
“Everyone in the support car was great, and they got me going really fast. I just wanted to finish as best as I could for them.”
Any hope he would just have the one mishap was ended pretty soon after he got going again.
“I had two more mechanicals,” he said of his frustrating TT ride.
“When I got back going I hit a few speed bumps 2km later, and my saddle dropped.
“I had to stop and raise my saddle – and then it happened again after that!”
His disappointment was compounded by the fact he was competing on the biggest stage of all.
“The Worlds were one of my biggest goals,” said O’Loughlin, who placed 8th in the junior TT at the Worlds three years ago.
And while his fractured collar bone last month “put a spanner in the works” he was determined to battle on.
“Luckily, a few days after that I was doing Watt Bike session, and within a week I was on the road.
“My goal switched from striving for a top ten to looking for my best performance – but I felt good when I was here. I felt fresh today, but unfortunately mechanicals can happen.”
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