I left off on my previous blog just at the end of July/beginning of August. I had just ridden the European Championships in Switzerland and done some nice 1.12B races building towards Ronde van Namen and Ronde van Oost Vlaanderen. Next I went to Bambrugge which was a two-day 1.12B classement and I got myself 7th overall after two high placings! I had a string of nice results and performances but still nothing to be screaming and shouting about.
They were all good signs building up to the Ronde van Namen, a 5 day race in Belgium on some hilly terrain. One I was looking forward to all year!
Namur was a perfect type of race for me! It was very hilly but not mountainous, and it was hard enough that it sorted out the men from the boys. My one complaint for this period of the season was that it never seemed to stop raining! Made me feel right at home! A crash filled first stage in Namur ended my chances of a good result in the race. I hit the deck hard after about 130km on the first stage! I was ok when it came to road rash, that was all normal (still sore) but I had really hurt my calf muscle. It was agonising, even to touch! So when I got up and got riding to the finish I could barely turn the pedals! I got to the finish on more or less 1 leg. When coming back through the cavalcade after just 1km of riding I came to another mass pile where my team mate Liam broke his leg. Conor also his ribs early in the stage so that put everything into perspective. At least I could make it to the finish!
I was so disappointed to have hurt myself from day one, because now I knew I had to ride for another 11 days on a battered body as I was also entered to ride Ronde van Oost Vlaanderen, another 5 day race, just two days after Namur finished.
I spent a few days limping around in Namur wondering if I’d be physically capable of continuing.There was no way I was going to give up! Mentally I was at the races and I showed my condition was good despite getting injured by making the front group splits on the final of a few of the hard stages, but I was nowhere near 100%. I was close to a top result on a few occasions but just didn’t have that last percentage that I needed. I was also fighting at the front solo, so I reckon with some better team support I could have scored a really nice result on some of the stages. Top experience in the bank however, it was time to look forward…
Oost Vlaanderen was not a great race for me on paper, and it turned out to be the same on the road. I just couldn’t do much, there were very few opportunities for a rider of my style. I tried going on the attack but had no luck and had one bad day where I nearly pulled the plug. I helped the team as much as I could but unfortunately we didn’t come out of the race with much. Zeno was our big hitter at Oost Vlaanderen, getting into the early breakaway twice and putting us on the radar! Sterk Jongen!
I had 10 days of great racing in the space of 12 days. So a week easy was definitely on the cards before I raced again. I then jumped back into some kermesse action to hunt for some results, and to try and show myself! My next 2 races didn’t go as I would have liked, and I felt pretty average in both. I hadn’t fully recovered so I didn’t reap the benefits of my heavy block of racing just yet. It was time to be patient.
A few easy days later I made the race winning move and got my best result of the season in Verrebroek 1.12B. I was 2nd place in a 2 man sprint behind kermesse king Guy Smet. I was gutted not to win! (Interesting fact: 42 year old Smet has 446 wins, and 260 2nd places in his career. He knows how to win a race, that’s for sure!). It all seemed to click from here on in. My next two races saw me make the race winning move again, but didn’t quite manage a top result.
Next I had planned to go to Tour du Moselle. A 3 day race in France, but I was forced to withdraw as I came down with some sickness. I was gutted but it was the smartest thing to do as I was now a named reserve for the Irish National Team for the UCI u23 Road World Championships in Ponferrada, Spain. I took some days easy to recover and opted to do some more structured training as well as some races incase I needed to be called up. Turns out I wasn’t needed in Spain, but if I was to get the nod I would have been in great shape. My last 2 races I also made the race winning move, and managed to bag a nice 5th place. This showed my form and tactical decisions were working as I managed to make the race winning move in my last 5 races of the season. It’s a pity none of these races or finishes really suited me!
I packed up and left Belgium late September. At this time I was still unsure whether or not I would be needed in Ponferrada so I kept training. I trained and enjoyed the bike right up until the 1st of October. I ended my season with a session of lab testing in the Mardyke done by Trevor Woods. Not the easiest of ways to draw the line under my 2014 campaign, but beneficial all the same!
That’s a wrap - the 2014 season is over! Where the hell did it go!? I had a great season, and ticked off most of my goals. I would have liked some nicer results, but I think every bike racer on the planet thinks the same. To me progression is the most important and I feel I’ve made lot’s of it this year. I represented Ireland at the U23 Nations Cups and rode a hell of a lot better than 2013. I rode my first major championships at the European’s, and almost my second at the World’s. I made my mark at the An Post Ras. I rode my first, and hopefully not last, race in the Alps. I had numerous top 10’s and even a few podiums in Belgium. And above all I am progressing for 2015. All in all I am a happy camper, a stronger and more experienced happy camper!
Although the 2014 season has just come to an end, 2015 is just around the corner. The time will fly! I won’t be staying with Team Terra Safety Shoes for the 2015 season, but I would like to thank them for the last 2 years. They were crucial for my development as a bike rider and I am grateful for your support. It will be a time I will never forget!
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| Get your Dave Rayner Fund Cap from Prendas! |
I am proud and honoured to have had the support of the Dave Rayner Fund for 2014. Without such a fantastic organisation young riders, like myself, would find it very difficult to chase their dreams of racing abroad and reaching their full potential. It wouldn’t have been possible this year without your generous help. I can’t wait for the dinner! You can get information and buy your tickets for the Dave Rayner Fund Dinner, in Leeds on the 8th of November here - http://www.daveraynerfund.co.uk/dinner/
Now it's time to chill for a few weeks before I have to dig out the winter kit. I'm super excited for what lays ahead! Stay tuned for more news soon... Follow me on Twitter and Instagram for more frequent updates on my progress:
Twitter: @Eoin_McCarthy
Instagram: @eoin_mccarthy
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| Now it's time for some more of this! |
Thanks for reading!
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