UPDATED WITH PHOTOS: Sherlock takes solo win after attacking breakaway in Wallace Caldwell RR

Ryan Sherlock (Cycleways) had plenty of time to celebrate (Photo: Marian Lamb, Cycling Ulster)

Ryan Sherlock (Cycleways) today, Saturday, put a quality winter’s training to good use by taking a solo win in the Wallace Caldwell road race, after it split to pieces in breezy conditions in Ballymena, Co Antrim.

The 30-year-old rode hard to get himself across to the main escape of the day, before attacking the lead group on the Tully long drag around 10km from the finish. He then blasted home in a tailwind, closely pursued by the others just behind.

Sherlock told stickybottle he felt he had benefited from going full time on the bike at the end of last year, having decided to take a sabbatical from his software consultancy career. He was recently training in Spain with the An Post-Sean Kelly team and before that had a stint in the US. He has also been coached in recent months by BMC coach Max Testa, which he believes has brought him on.

“I was really pleased to win today because even though it was a nice course with some rolling roads, hills are what suit me best so it will be good to get into some hillier and longer races to see what happens,” he told stickybottle.

He added that at the start of today’s race the field of around 180 was riding into a strong headwind and while groups were trying to go clear, none made any real headway. He managed to get away himself a couple of times only to be wrong footed when one of the counter attacks succeeded in pulling out a good gap.

The group that pulled away consisted of Mark Buchannan (North Pole CC), Fraser Duncan (Eurocycles) and Gary Cranston (East Antrim Audi).

“We then came to a part of the course where there were crosswinds and it looked like it could split; there were small echelons forming,” Sherlock said.

“So I went to the front and rode, and I took about six guys away with me. We rode pretty hard into the breeze and after I while I found myself on my own and got up to the break. There was a bit of a hill then and I was able to recover.”

“I knew when I saw Fraser Duncan around 45 seconds up the road and his team mate Tommy Martin off the front too that I needed to move. Fraser in particular is going really well, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him going so well.”

After Sherlock, and separately Martin, had bridged to the leaders, they were never going to be caught. They combined well together for the next 40km to maintain a lead of between 2:30 and three minutes for most of the way.

Sherlock said that on the run in towards the finish at Ballymena, the headwind had become a strong tailwind and some attacking began at the start of the last 2km drag at Tully; some 10km from the finish.

He said while he first pulled clear with one or two other riders, when he attacked again he managed to get away alone and put the head down all the way to the finish.