While a 45km race might not be long for road racing, it is the longest race I have done. Errigal Youth Tour is different to the British youth tours because it has 2 hilly stages, and the races take place on open roads. I was really looking forward to the event as I have only raced circuit racing all year, this was my first of 2 opportunities to get a high GC position. My goal going into the race was a top 20, and a top 8 in the white jersey competition.
Stage 1
Stage 1 had 3 climbs, 2 categorised and 1 uncategorised. The main one started with 2.2km to go and was a kilometre long, this would be where the race would split. My starting position was good on the start line, and my main aim was to get onto the first big climb still in the peleton, to achieve this I would need to make sure that I was near the front.
After a left hand turn just before the first climb, there was a crash about 20 positions in front of me. I had to slow right down, and then sprint like crazy to make sure that I didn’t lose the group. This could have been a worrying moment, but luckily for me the front group didn’t seem too bothered at going quickly, so most people who had been held up managed to get back. I was positioned inside the top 15 going into the big climb, I had achieved one of my goals.
The pace up the first climb wasn’t too bad, and a reasonably large group was still together after the first lap. It was on the second lap where the pace increased and riders got dropped, to a group of around 30. On the third lap I felt strong enough to try and get a KOH point, which I did. I even helped chase down a solo attacker.
I wasn’t as well positioned on the 4th lap, which was the lap where Will Corkill and Oscar Onley broke away, whether or not I could have kept up I’m not sure. On the final climb I was thinking of attacking, when another rider attacked at a speed that would have been greater than mine. I finished in the main group in the sprint, and came 24th, but I only lost time to the top 3.
Stage 2
Stage 2 was a 3.7km TT, which is flat for the first half and then slightly uphill for the second. I didn’t do great on this TT last year so I hoped for a better result this time around. I warmed up in the same spot as last year, while Dad checked the live feed. My start was way better this year, and my power was slightly higher then I’ve ever done over that distance before. I finished in 6.18, 39 seconds faster than last year, and moved up to 17th overall and 7th in the white jersey.
Stage 3
Stage 3, while it doesn’t suit me as well as stage 1, was the most iconic of the race. The final climb up to the finish has huge crowds watching, so many that my mum calls it the ‘Alpe d’Huez stage’. My main aim going into it was to hold, and maybe gain on, my GC position. My starting position was pretty terrible but I wasn’t worried, I had 8km to move up before the climb.
The decent at the start of the race was one of the scariest things I have ever done in my life. We were going at 40mph, and I had people surrounding me completely, one mistake and I would be in hospital. Once onto the flat, I had a chance to move up, but I was still out of position as the road started to gradually go uphill. I moved up effortlessly, while the peleton was on the left hand side of the road I moved up on the right, and was riding with the best riders in the race. Unfortunately I didn’t get any KOH points, but the signs were positive.
On the second lap I did get KOH points, but the group wasn’t really splitting up. The climb was in 2 separate parts, and this allowed people who may have been dropped to get back in contact before the second half of the climb. I flew up the top section on the 3rd lap, going over the summit in about 4th position. On the flat on the 4th lap a Team Ireland rider attacked and I got on his wheel. I came through to help but he gave up and I spent about a minute off the front of the peleton.
By the final lap, I started to hurt, the first 2 stages definitely in my legs. I was positioned inside the top 20 at the start of the sprint, but unfortunately my legs cramped up and I lost 4 seconds. After a nervous wait for the results, I came 21st on the stage, but more importantly, held my 17th place. I was delighted with my result, but there was still one stage to go.
Stage 4
The final stage was a criterium around a retail park in Letterkenny. The organisers had added a small new section this year, which added a couple of extra sweeping right hand turns. I just had one aim, hold my GC position. I warmed up early to make sure that I wasn’t at the back at the start, and lined up to go into the pen on the second row. However, I was squeezed out by riders coming on the outside and ended up about halfway down the pack. I spent the first few laps moving up, and apart from a scare where there was a small split with me on the wrong side of it, I was comfortable in the peleton.
Not everyone was, however. The peleton was only 40 riders strong, which means that over half the field had been dropped. One of which was an Irish rider who was just ahead of me on GC. Going into the final few laps I decided that I wasn’t going to contest the finish, the pace was high and the madness of positioning had begun. I drifted to the back, which was probably a good thing, as there was a crash on the last corner, with about 4 or 5 riders going down. It meant no GC splits, so I had achieved my main aim of the day, and bettered it, the Irish rider lost 55 seconds and I moved up to 16th on GC.
Overall I was extremely satisfied with my result. I had comfortably achieved my goals of top 20 and top 8 in white jersey, where I came 7th. Next tour is North West Youth Tour, in which I hope for a top 25 finish. I learnt lots over the weekend of racing in Ireland, and I’m extremely looking forward to challenging GC and the other jersey’s properly next year.