"I hit the front early and rode. As I got time checks, I knew the damage was done"

Damian Shaw takes the chequered flag with plenty of time to spare at the end of the Lacey Cup in Tralee, Co Kerry, yesterday (Photo: www.blackumbrella.ie)

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By Brian Canty

Anybody who wondered if Damian Shaw’s bumper season last year would be difficult for him to eclipse in 2014 was left in little doubt in Tralee yesterday afternoon after the Aquablue rider threw down the gauntlet to the best riders in the country with a dominant display that saw him capture the Lacey Cup.

Backed by the Manor West Hotel and promoted by Tralee Bicycle Club, yesterday’s race attracted a 245-rider field, the largest ever.

Shaw, the reigning Kerry Group Rás Mumhan champion and bronze medallist from the National Road Race Championships last year, started the day in the scratch group for the day’s 75 kilometre loop around west Kerry. But the writing was on the wall inside the opening 15 minutes of racing.

Taking the bull by the horns, the eventual winner went to the front in the hope of getting the scratch group to ride through and catch the A2 and A3 bunches up ahead. But when he found himself off the front with just Anthony Walsh (UCD CC) for company he faced a dilemma; stay or go?

“I just went to the front from the start, started riding and stayed there,” he said afterwards.

“Myself and Anthony Walsh then went across to an A2 group. Then we saw another group of A2s up the road and we got into that. Then I said I’d go up and get the prime and I kept going after that.

“I was down here mostly to give (team mate) Sean Lacey a hand and we discussed a few scenarios. And I just thought I’d dangle out front so that would take the pressure off him.

“But the scratch group never really moved all day and it didn’t look like it was going to move even when I was there. No one was rolling through and I just kept bridging gaps and kept going.”

Shaw and Walsh caught the two A2 groups and the A3s by the first prime of the day, the first time in the history of the race the handicaps have been closed down by the opening prime point, according to Matt Lacey of the host club.

Shaw said he took the first prime “handy enough” and after Walsh had been distanced, the Mullingar man swept down the descent and before he was even in his 11 sprocket he had almost two minutes on a chasing group of four that had formed behind.

In that chasing quarter was his teammate and first year U23 rider Dylan Foley, Sean Hahessy (Iverk produce Carrick Wheelers) the aforementioned Walsh and Denis Dunworth of the host club.

“I half expected a group to come across at that stage,” continued Shaw.

“I was told a four-man group got together but with Dylan (Foley) there it was really a three man. They never really ate into the gap. I was getting blown along by the wind, it was a great day to be out on the bike,” he laughed.

The Aquablue car gave him a time check of 2.45 on the tailwind section heading back towards Castlemaine. But Shaw knew he had it in the bag when race commissaire came up and told him the actual time gap; a whopping four minutes.

“Maybe they didn’t want me to celebrate too early,” said Shaw of the message he was relayed from his team car.

“I rode hard, I could have done with a few extra gears on the bike; it was perfect with the tailwind. I knew I had 90 seconds when I got the tailwind and then the damage was done.

“I just thought if there was a group coming across Sean would be in it and that’d be okay too, so it was a great situation to be in. I often did long breaks on my own in races before but found it hard to hold on but I know I’m in better shape now and I feel stronger.

“The idea was to ride hard until the tailwind and there were no climbs; just rolly roads and the speed off one (incline) would take you over the next one.”

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Having time to savour the win was a nice way to kick off the season, but Shaw himself seemed positively underwhelmed by his afternoon’s work.

“I trained hard this week because I was off work. I did six hours on Tuesday on the gate,” he said of his infamous winter training bike with the panniers.

“Then I did four hours on Wednesday and I was on the watt-bike too. I didn’t really expect to win. I’ll rest up now for the Cycleways Cup, and go for the win there too because I was second there last year.”

While he has only one race under his belt in the new campaign, he believes he is much stronger than 12 months ago.

“I’ve another year of miles in the legs,” he said.

“I didn’t have to start off as far back and you know what you can do. I get very well looked after with rubs and everything and I don’t really get sick. There’s no reason why I wouldn’t be getting better and getting results.

“The altitude tent has improved me too, even if it was just for six weeks I’ve been using it. I think I’m going to buy a unit now because I can feel the benefits.

“But aside from all that, I think the one thing I’ll try to do is try and improve every year and turn placings into wins and that’s what I want to do. I’ve a bit more cuteness and I’ll just try to translate that to names on cups.”

His teammate Dylan Foley admitted he would have liked to have taken second but the Leaving Cert student says he’s pleased his legs were good.

“Yeah, second would’ve been great, I attacked on the last climb to try and get away because I thought I could descend to the finish but Sean (Hahessy) was very strong so I can’t complain.

“It’s a great start and the legs got a good opening so I’m looking forward to Navan next weekend to give them another hit.”

Behind those three were Walsh and Dunworth with Owen Cummins (Osbourne Meats/Blarney Village CC) winning a sprint from a fragmented bunch for sixth.

Matt Lacey of the promoting club Tralee BC said everyone had been very impressed with Shaw’s ride.

“I’ve never seen anyone as strong as him, he reminds me of John Mangan back in the 70s who won the Rás. If you gave John half a bike length he was gone and wouldn’t be seen again and Damian’s the same; a real strong rider. And you must remember he beat a lot of good fellas there today hands down.”

The A4 race was impressively won by Mark Gater (Waterford Racing Team) who took the one and only prime of the day at Gleann na nGealt as well as the sprint for first.