Aggressive Racing in Junior Men’s Road Race as O’Loughlin is Top Finisher in 44th Place at the UCI Road World Championships, Ponferrada
O’Loughlin 44th, Dunbar 60th and Shanahan 92nd in Junior Men’s Road Race at the World Championships in Spain
With aggressive racing from the start, Ireland’s five riders strong cycling team was in the thick of the action in the Junior Men’s Road Race at the UCI Road World Championships in Ponferrada, Spain today. The early part of the race was animated by aggressive racing, crashes and some nervous riding, with the pace increasing as the race went on. However, the Irish riders were placed well throughout the race, with Eddie Dunbar and Michael O’Loughlin positioned well at the front of the bunch throughout. A blistering final lap tore the field apart, putting the Irishmen under pressure for the first time, missing out on the select group who were left to sprint for the title. Tomorrow morning the Elite Men will compete in the Road Race, with Nicolas Roche, Dan Martin and Philip Deignan representing Ireland. The Championships run from Sunday 21st September until Sunday the 28th September.
The early stages of the Junior Men’s Road Race saw a few crashes affect Irish riders Dylan O’Brien and Daire Feeley. Feeley got caught up in a crash after the first lap with a puncture and a slow service pushing him out of the front group. However, coming into the final lap Ireland had three riders positioned well in the front group.
Speaking after the race O’Loughlin described the race saying “It was relentless from the get go, every lap got faster and faster. There were a few crashes, and as the race went on riders were pushed out the back. The course wore you down, especially going up that second last climb, it was wicked tough.”
O’Loughlin is a first year junior, and finished the Time Trial on Tuesday in an impressive 8th place. Reflecting on the week he said “If you told me the week before coming that I’d be top ten in the worlds, I wouldn’t believe you. It was a huge surprise, on the day my legs were good, and I’m ecstatic about the whole thing. Next year I’ll be a year stronger, so it’ll be all to play for. This has given me lot of confidence, we were looked after great all week, so we just had to worry about the bike.”
Tomorrow the Elite Men’s Road Race will feature a strong Irish team, with Nicolas Roche, Dan Martin and Philip Deignan lining out at 9am Irish time, concluding racing at the UCI Road World Championships.
The Irish Team at the World Championships is sponsored by Armor-lux, PowerBar, Spin 11 and Dare2b. The UCI Road World Championships in Ponferrada, Spain, run from 21st September – 28th September.
RESULTS JUN MEN ROAD RACE:
Gold Jonas Bokelah (GER)
Silver Alexandr Kulikovskiy (RUS)
Bronze Peter Lenderink (NED)
44th Michael O’Loughlin (IRL)
60th Eddie Dunbar (IRL)
92nd Stephen Shanahan (IRL)
DNF Dylan O’Brien (IRL)
DNF Daire Feeley (IRL)
Full Team:
Junior Men
Eddie Dunbar
Daire Feeley
Dylan O’Brien
Michael O’Loughlin
Stephen Shanahan
Reserve – Craig McAuley
Time Trial – Mark Downey & Michael O’Loughlin
Junior Women
Josie Knight – Road & Time Trial
U23 Men
Conor Dunne
Ryan Mullen
Jack Wilson
Reserve – Eoin McCarthy
Time Trial – Ryan Mullen
Elite Women
Olivia Dillon (RR)
Elite Men
Philip Deignan
Daniel Martin
Nicolas Roche (& TT)
Reserve – Sam Bennett
| Day 1 – Monday 22nd September 2014 | Results | ||
|
| Josie Knight | Women Junior Individual Time Trial | 37 |
|
| Ryan Mullen | Men U23 Individual Time Trial | 2 |
| Day 2 – Tuesday 23rd September 2014 |
| ||
| Mark Downey | Men Junior Individual Time Trial | 34 | |
|
| Michael O’Loughlin | Men Junior Individual Time Trial | 8 |
| Day 3 – Wednesday 24th September 2014 |
| ||
| Nicolas Roche | Men Elite Individual Time Trial | 41 | |
| Day 4 – Friday 26th September 2014 |
| ||
| Josie Knight | Women Junior Road Race | DNF | |
|
| Conor Dunne | Men U23 Road Race | 72 |
|
| Ryan Mullen | Men U23 Road Race | 63 |
|
| Jack Wilson | Men U23 Road Race | 101 |
| Day 5 – Saturday 27th September 2014 |
| ||
| 08:00 | Eddie Dunbar | Men Junior Road Race | 60 |
|
| Daire Feeley | Men Junior Road Race | DNF |
|
| Dylan O’Brien | Men Junior Road Race | DNF |
|
| Michael O’Loughlin | Men Junior Road Race | 44 |
|
| Stephen Shanahan | Men Junior Road Race | 92 |
| 13:00 | Olivia Dillon | Women Elite Road Race | NOT COMPETING |
| Day 6 – Sunday 28th September 2014 |
| ||
| 09:00 | Philip Deignan | Men Elite Road Race |
|
| Daniel Martin | Men Elite Road Race |
| |
| Nicolas Roche | Men Elite Road Race |
| |