Fifteenth for Murphy in Scratch Race at UCI Junior Track Cycling World Championships


JB Murphy has finished fifteenth in the Junior Men’s Scratch Race at the UCI Junior Track Cycling World Championships in Montichiari, Italy today. Daniel Babor (CZE) won the World Title, with Poland’s Filip Prokopyszyn and Argentina’s Ivan Gabriel Ruiz winning silver and bronze.


The silver medallist in the Elimination Race at the European Championships last month dominated his qualifying round, winning heat one of the 7.5km Scratch Race. In the 10km Final Murphy attacked with 3km to go, aiming to gain a lap. The Kildare man was frustrated to be reeled back in, disappointed with his final position.


Speaking after the race the Murphy Surveys Kilcullen CC rider said “I had high hopes for the race, and wanted a good result. The heat had gone really well, I stuck to the plan and attacked with 20 laps to go, and won the heat. But in the final I attacked to the boys up the road with 11 laps to go, and I just went through them. They wouldn’t work with me, not even for half turns, so I’m really disappointed. We had half a lap and could have made it.”


The Scratch Race is a bunch race where the first rider over the line wins; endurance riders aim to lap the field to gain an advantage.


“It was a gradual race, constantly going hard. I attacked a bit in the final, but nothing came of it. I have the Points Race tomorrow, and that’s a stop-go race, and that suits me better.”


It has been a busy year for Murphy, who competed in the World Cyclocross Championships in February before switching his focus to the track:


“It’s been a good summer, I have been training in Majorca a lot, and put a solid two months of training in there ahead of these World Championships. Hopefully I will wake up tomorrow with the legs I had this morning.”


The UCI 2017 Junior Track Cycling World Championships take place in Montichiari, Italy, from the 23 – 27 August 2017.



RESULTS:


Junior Men’s Scratch Race


Gold: Daniel Babor (Czech Republic)

Silver: Filip Prokopyszyn (Poland)

Bronze: Ivan Gabriel Ruiz (Argentina)

15th JB Murphy (Ireland)