Wozniak claims Cork GP but Smyth is biggest winner at end of superb season

*Agnieszka Wozniak just sees off Eileen Burns at the end of the Cork Grand Prix (Photo: John Coleman)*

Agnieszka Wozniak (Strata 3-VeloRevolution) has taken her
first Cycling Ireland National Road Series victory in the final round of the
2019 competition in Cork.

She forged clear with one of the strongest women on the
home scene, Eileen Burns of Ballymena Road Club, in the event in Whitechurch.

As the race was the final one in the season-long series,
it was a cagey affair. The gap between the two leaders and chasers continued to
grow and they simply rode away to fight it out.

At the finish Wozniak just got the better of Burns in the
sprint to take her biggest win.

Behind them, some of the strongest women in the race made
an effort to get across to the two leaders.

However, it was Katharine Smyth (Ballymena RC) and junior
rider Lucy O’Donnell (O’Leary Stone Kanturk) who got closest.

They managed to get away from what remained of the bunch and sprinted it out for 3rd place; Smyth getting the better of her young rival.

The big news in the battle for the overall title was the
absence of series leader Grace Young and Katharine Smyth continuing her
brilliant season to take the crown.

Young won the opening round of the series at the Des
Hanlon Memorial at the start of the season.

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The Strata 3-VeloRevolution rider had held the lead since
then but crashed while riding for Ireland at Rás na mBan two weeks ago.

She underwent surgery for a broken collar bone and was
unable to race today; when double points were on offer in the series.

However, Ballymena RC woman Smyth has had an excellent year and he is a worthy winner of the series.

*Out of Ballymena: Smyth in her national champion's jersey celebrates her series win today with team mate Eileen Burns (Photo: John Coleman)*

Smyth was the only rider from the domestic scene able to match European-based Alice Sharpe (UCI WCC) and Imogen Cotter (SBikes Bodhi Cycling) at the national road race championships.

And though they pulled away from her in the latter stages
of the race, Smyth wasn’t caught by anyone else and took the elite bronze and
Masters title.

Like Young, Smyth has been very consistent in the series
all year and went into the race in 3rd place in the series; on 178 points to
Young’s 200.

And while Young’s absence today was unfortunate, Smyth could
only beat those present. He 3rd place today, in what was a tactical race, was
good enough for her to take the series.

Smyth was forced to deal with her own issues today; a
rider crashing into the back of her bike just 10km into the race leaving her
with no gears.

She was stuck in the 11 sprocket with just the big and small front chain rings available to her. However, with a podium place on the day and the overall series win up for grabs, she made the most of the cards she was dealt.