By Marios Papaloizou
Eltham youngster Boru Pratt McCullagh admitted he was frustrated by his finish in the Prudential RideLondon youth boys' Grand Prix on Saturday, but claims the experience will live long in the memory.
The Chislehurst & Sidcup Grammar School pupil was part of the London team for the ten-lap race and ultimately finished 45th as West Midlands’ Jake Stewart came home in first.
Prudential RideLondon is a two-day festival of cycling and the youth Grand Prix allows riders such as Pratt McCullagh to compete on the closed streets of the capital.
And the 16-year-old claims he just needed a little bit more luck in order to feature at the business end of the race.
He explained: “It was a weird race – the pace kept on fluctuating.
“There’d be a sprint then everyone would ease up which was annoying to ride in the middle of.
“I got bumped on the second to last corner which was really frustrating because I was feeling really good and then someone dive-bombed down the inside and pushed me off to the side.
“It’s cool coming down the Mall, because that’s where all the big races happen and it’s the city where I live so that’s pretty awesome.
“I love the circuit because it’s fast and you basically never have to brake if you’ve got no-one in front of you.”
The youth boys’ Grand Prix was one of a number of events taking place over the weekend including the women’s Grand Prix, the RideLondon-Surrey Classic and the RideLondon-Surrey 100.
Crowds packed the streets in support of all the riders with each event finishing along the iconic Mall.
And Pratt McCullagh admits while it took some getting used to, being part of the London team made the day all the more special.
“Because we hadn’t ridden together before it was really tough,” added the Velo Club Londres rider.
“We talked about tactics beforehand but then it all goes completely out the window once the race is moving.
“There are team track events but we never get them on the road so it’s a great format.”
Prudential RideLondon is the world’s largest festival of cycling. Prudential is proud to support people’s ambitions.
For more information, visit pru.co.uk/ambitions
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