Sean Lacey winning last year's Des Hanlon Memorial. He's coming into form after a quieter than usual start to the season. And while his Aquablue team mate Damian Shaw starts as favourite on Sunday, plenty of other riders are capable of doing damage and indeed winning (Photo: www.blackumbrella.ie)
By Brian Canty
Having been in great form since the start of the season just over one month ago, Damian Shaw of Aqua Blue will for many be the man to watch at this Sunday’s Des Hanlon Memorial in Carlow, the first ‘classic’ race of the year.
Shaw, who has just returned from a stint of warm-weather training, rode away from a quality field in the season-opening Lacey Cup in Tralee in mid February.
And a fortnight later he romped to victory in the Cycleways Cup in Navan, Co Meath, when he infiltrated the day’s break. He then bridged to a two-man move that got clear on the last lap and dropped it to take victory after spending approximately the last 5km out front on his own.
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He did the same thing on the opening stage of the Kerry Group Rás Mumhan last Easter and could well do something similar on Sunday given the lumpy parcours in the event.
The Mullingar man was eighth here last year and sixth in 2012. But he wasn’t watched as closely then as he will be on Sunday and that could pave the way for one of his team mates or one of the many other strong challengers in the field.
Of those most likely to contend, Ryan Sherlock’s win in the Boyne GP last Sunday underlined his good form. He rode out front with just Greg Swinand (UCD) for company for most of the day.
Sherlock was pipped by Peter Hawkins in the 2012 Des Hanlon and has never made any secret of his desire to win here. Though whether he can pull it off without a team remains to be seen.
UCD and Liquidworx-Fitscience look well placed to have a man or two in contention and the former will send Eoin Morton, the aforementioned Swinand, Con Collis, Ian Richardson, Sean McKenna and Anthony Walsh as their main contenders.
Any one of those can make the selection as they’ve done throughout this season and last, with Walsh perhaps the most likely to push for the win.
UCD CC are now among the very best teams in the country and won't be too far away on Sunday; seen here dominating the Newbridge GP two weeks ago. Left to right: Anthony Walsh, Greg Swinand and Sean McKenna (Photo: Sean Rowe)
Paddy Clarke and Chris Reilly of Liquidworx-Fitscience are both well suited to the parcours and should be capable of making the top 10.
Conor Murphy and Thomas Martin, both Caldwell Cycles-Omagh, should also be in the reckoning — the former making a phenomenal effort to bridge to the break by himself last year before eventually running out of gas in the final.
Fraser Duncan of (Northern CC-Dave Kane) already has a couple of wins under his belt since the start of the season and, always a very strong and willing rider, he could pull it off if the cards fall his way.
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His team mate Adam Armstrong has started to show some signs of the form that made him one of the men of the season the year before last and he too may make an impact, as will any of the Continental team riders who show up on the day, as they have tended to in recent years.
Last year's winner Sean Lacey of Aquablue has enjoyed a quieter start to the season that normal and having finished 2nd Rás Luimní the weekend before last, he is clearly in good condition. Javan Nulty of DID Dunboyne has also been going well and is another rider who can do some damage.
Conventional wisdom has it that the Hanlon is a course for climbers and one look at the roll of honour lends a certain amount of weight to that argument.
The flyweight Hawkins won in 2012 while Rory Wyley, another classy rider when the road goes up, won it three years in a row in the noughties. Ciarán Power won in 2006, while Paul Griffin won it a year before.
Those names alone give you some idea what kind of rider is going to be up there after 155km.
The A3 race will be no less intriguing, with the Nicolas Roche Performance Team sending a strong squad again.
Last year they had three in the first four with Danny Bruton taking the win from Dylan Foley. But with both now riding on A2 licences, it could open the door for Fintan Ryan who was just off the podium last year.
But with Eddie Dunbar and Dylan O’Brien of O’Leary’s Stone Kanturk and Limerick CC’s Stephen Shanahan travelling to Carlow, it will be a strong rider who wins it.
Another man who could cause a bit of an upset is Mark Gater (Waterford Racing Team).
Conor Murphy adds the McCann Cup in Omagh last Sunday week to his win at the Phoenix Grand Prix two weeks earlier, getting the 2014 season off to a great start for his new Caldwell Cycles club. He won't be too far away on Sunday (Photo: Marian Lamb – Cycling Ulster)
Promoted by Carlow Road Club, there are four races in total down for decision, with sign on at Graiguecullen GAA Club. Racing starts from 12noon, with the A1 and A2 groups off first together.
The second race is off at 12.10pm and is for A3s only, taking in 120km. The third race, for A4s only, starts at 12.15pm and is 80km while the women’s race covers one lap and again, is 80km.
Sign-on from Graiguecullen GAA club in Carlow is open from 9.30am. Contact Details: Seamie Brennan, 087 9170704.
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