McGuinness crowned British champ
Cyclist wins Masters title
LLANRUG cyclist Gareth McGuinness has achieved a long-held ambition by becoming a British champion.
McGuinness was a very proud man after winning the Category D section for riders aged between 45 and 49 at the National Masters Road Race Championships in Buckinghamshire.
The Arfon man triumphed over 80 miles in the prestigious event held at Newton Longville, near Milton Keynes.
Gold medal success was extra special for McGuinness, who had already taken the bronze and silver medals in previous editions of this championship and was determined to acquire the full set.
McGuinness described how he came to achieve his latest feat.
He said: “After being on the podium twice before at the British Masters Road Race Championship, which included a silver medal last year, I had a sort of plan, to stay at the front of the race and monitor all the dangerous-looking attacks, and try and save as much energy as possible for the latter stages of the 80-mile event, with the intention of making a winning attack when tiredness and the undulating course would take its effect.
“Sure enough, as I thought with the best masters in the UK racing all wanting to be crowned British champion, the race was hard and fast with an average speed of 26 mph.
“With around 15 miles to the finish and around two and half hours of racing, there were three riders up the road with about 20 seconds lead on the peloton I was in.
“I sensed the time was right for my attack as I felt the other riders were weakening, so I hit them hard. I realised I was catching the other three fast, I had a look around and the bunch were chasing me.
“I was committed to this move and didn’t have the time to hang around so went straight past the other three breakaway riders, with one of them digging deep and following my wheel.
“The gap to the peloton grew as I pushed on as hard as I could with the other rider in tow. With two miles to the finish I had to rid the other rider, as I wasn’t prepared to risk a sprint finish for the British Championship title again, so I put a big attack on a 400-metre hill.
“I ‘gapped’ him but as I approached the top he got back on my wheel. I could hear him gasping for air so I kept pushing to the top. Seconds later he cracked and I had a gap.
“This motivated me and I rode the final two miles to the finish line alone to win the British Champion jersey that I now can wear for the next 12 months.
“After that I’m entitled to wear the British champion bands around the arms of my cycling kit, alongside the Welsh champion bands I won in 2012.
“As a former Welsh Road Race champion and wearing the championship bands on my arms, this was a very proud moment for me, winning the British Masters Road Race Championship 2016.”
The Clwb Beicio Egni representative was in 2012 the oldest rider ever to win the Senior Welsh Road Championship. He did not start cycling until he was 36.