WHEN Marcus Christie feels he has a point to prove there aren’t may time-trialers in the country that can keep pace with the Bready man.
And that was the case on Sunday afternoon when the 30 year-old left the rest of the field in his wake to win the Ulster 25 mile TT title on the Woodgreen circuit in Ballymena and break David McCann’s 13 year-old National record in the process.
McCann’s record of 47.06 minutes was set in 2008, the year before Christie started competing and it’s a mark he has had his eyes fixed on over the last 12 years and it’s one he is delighted to break, especially after doing so with injuries from a recent high-speed crash
“I was hoping to do a 47 so I was definitely happy when I went under it and did 46,” beamed the Bready man who finished the 25 miles in 46.30 minutes.
“It means a lot to break the record because when I started cycling I could see that record in the record books and I could see the average speed and I thought ‘how the hell can anyone ride that fast?’, so trying to get close to McCann is the pinnacle.
“It was a good confidence booster because I had a bad crash a month ago. I was going down a descent at around 60kph and at the end of it we veered left and this guy in a van wasnt even looking and turned right in front of me, so it was a significant collision.”
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