By Caroline Martinez
French-based Irish international Siobhan Horgan yesterday, Sunday, showed a clear sign of her good early season form, placing 8th in the main A1/A2 race at Ras Luimni won by former An Post-Sean Kelly rider Paidi O’Brien.
She now plans to ride at least some of Ras Mumhan in Co Kerry over the Easter Bank Holiday Weekend.
The national road race champion was active throughout Sunday’s main event in Limerick, going clear in a number of breakaways that were caught. She then joined a chasing group that in the closing kilometres mopped up all of the early breakaway except the top three of O’Brien, Sean Lacey (both Dan Morrissey-Speedy Spokes) and Martin O’Loughlin (Iverk Carrick Wheelers).
Horgan was then 5th in the sprint from the chase group, bagging her the last of the eight prizes on offer in the main event.
“I knew I had good form going into the race because I’ve already done two races in Belgium and I felt strong there,” she told stickybottle.
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“I knew I wouldn’t be able to get into the main break of the day because I don’t have the same power profile as the men – so I was hoping to get into a chase group.”
The GSD Gestion rider said she felt good all day and tried to go with many attacks, a plan that paid off when she got away in the chase group that caught the remains of the day’s main breakaway on the last lap.
“We rode reasonably hard and I was delighted to get a placing as for me the racing here is a means to gain fitness for the women’s races abroad, so to get a placing is a bonus.”
Next weekend Horgan will ride a UCI 1.2 event in Cholet, France, with a World Cup event in Italy the following weekend.
“I’m then planning to come home for a couple of weeks and I’m hoping to ride some of Ras Mumhan. I haven’t decided how many days yet – but most likely two or three.”
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