Martin O'Loughlin (centre) has won the biggest races in the country on his day, including the national vets' title. He goes into tomorrow's title race on the back of a great season so far and with a really strong team, any one of whom could lift the gold medal. Seen here winning one of two stages in the Kanturk Three Day this season.
By Brian Canty
The veterans’ road race at the National Championships is arguably the most eagerly-awaited in recent years and with over 130 set to take to the start-line tomorrow morning, Saturday, it promises to be a great contest.
It’s a mark of how competitive this category has become that it’s the biggest field of the weekend and that some of the best could make a mark in the elite race on Sunday if they were riding it instead.
Advertisement
Conventional wisdom has Greg Swinand (UCD CC) as the man to beat. But there are well over a dozen who can realistically win the race, which is what makes it so exciting.
First off, the course is not as hard as previous years and at 114 kilometres it’s not too long for a reasonably fit man to stay in the bunch.
Swinand, second and third in the last two years, is really pining for it this year and last weekend, served notice of his form with a brilliant second place in the Pat Flanagan Memorial in Kildare.
Keith Gater had plenty of time to celebrate his first win of the season and the latest for his Aquablue squad at the Dungarvan GP two weeks ago. Don't bet against the men in blue tomorrow (Photo: Dave Coleman - Dc Images)
Last month, he destroyed the field at the Deenside Cup, leading fellow veteran Martin O’Loughlin to claim the Canadian-born Irishman is “on another level”.
O’Loughlin is about as shrewd as they come and is definitely going to be in the mix again.
The Carrick Wheelers man has taken a number of excellent wins this year so far; two stage wins in the Kanturk Three-Day as well as the Carrick Cup on St Patrick’s Day, amongst others.
They were all won from bunch sprints, but that’s a scenario he will not want this weekend, given the calibre of rider he’ll be up against.
His team mate Hugh Mulhearne is the reigning champion and the course is perfect for him; a lumpy parcours where the breeze will be a big factor.
Mulhearne prefers the ‘cards on the table’ style of riding and will race from the front, as will their other main hope Rory Wyley. The team has a huge chance with such class, not to mind the other men in their seven-strong team.
It came down to a two-sprint between winner Hugh Mulhearne and runner-up Greg Swinand last year and the outcome of tomorrow's contest will be influenced by the same two riders, either of whom would make a fantastic champion (Photo: Toby Watson)
Related News
Speaking of big teams, Lucan CRC and Phoenix CC both have eight men entered and they each have men who can take the fight to the hot favourites.
Cathal Smyth from the latter made the break last year but suffered cruel luck when he punctured out of it, while Eugene Murtagh from Lucan CRC can sprint very well and has been well up there in many races over the last few years.
Aquablue’s Keith Gater and Joe Fenlon are both really starting to rock; Gater appears to have timed his form to perfection.
He won the Dungarvan GP recently, was 3rd in the Paddy Flanagan and 5th in the Kieran MacMahon Memorial last weekend.
The Cork-based outfit also has Timmy Barry calling the shots and experience like his in a race as tactical as this is impossible to ignore. Barry is unlikely to have the form to be a contender as he has taken a back seat from racing to manage the squad in recent years.
But as recently as the past couple of seasons he was winning the biggest races in the country and is a man who can use his bullets wisely.
Zippy Doyle (above) and Aidan Crowley are capable of getting right into the mix in tomorrow's vets contest (Photo: Gary McIlroy)
The VeloRevolution team are enjoying a fabulous debut season and would love to cap it off with a national title.
Zippy Doyle is probably their best hope of a result, and if he’s fully recovered from the An Post Rás, will be a good bet to make the break.
Aidan Crowley is a man who knows exactly how to suffer, and crucially, when to suffer. A group sprint is something the big man would relish.
Chris Troy (Castlebar CC), Craig Sweetman (Stamullen M. Donnelly), Gareth McCormack (Liquidworx-Fitscience), 4th last year Des Woods (Newry Wheelers), not to mention John Murray of host club Lakeside are all riders capable of ripping it up and taking a medal.
It’s going to be a war of attrition either way and it’s likely to go along similar lines to last year with only the very, very strongest in contention when the business end of the day comes around.
Numerical supremacy may be crucial if a select group of 10 or so is in contention in the finale. The pressure is on Swinand but we think it just may be a day for one of the Carrick men.
Topics
