Stephen Murray on his way to the runner-up spot behind Sean McKenna on Sunday in Waterford (Photo: Sean Rowe)
By Brian Canty
Stephen Murray has taken his best result of the season with a runner-up place in the Dungarvan CC-promoted CycleSports GP on Sunday.
The Strata3-VeloRevolution rider was only second to the man of the season Sean McKenna (Aquablue), having been out front in the break all day.
There had been a move of five early on, with Murray the instigator; but that would become three by the second lap, with Martin Mizgajski (Rossbury Racing) the other man for company.
“I attacked from the gun,” explained Murray, formerly of Dungarvan CC.
“My teammate David Coughlan came over to me, then McKenna and Ryan O’Donovan (Cork Giant) joined as well as Mizgajsi and we were gone pretty much from the start.
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“Ryan got a puncture just before the tailwind section; we were doing 65kph so there wasn’t a hope he was getting back on and David blew the next time up the climb so it was just three of us then.
“Mizgajski, to be fair to him, tipped through when he could but otherwise it was me and McKenna doing up and over for the rest of it.”
Sean McKenna pouncing for the win on Sunday just ahead of Stephen Murray, obscured (Photo: Sean Rowe)
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A quartet were closing in from behind, but that wasn’t a situation Murray wanted, given one of them was McKenna’s teammate and two very good sprinters.
“We were told Conor Hennerbry (Carrick Wheelers), John Hodge (Dungarvan CC), Colm Cassidy (Aquablue) and Robin Kelly (Waterford Racing Team) were at 1:30.
“I didn’t want them getting back on so we just put our heads down and pulled out the gap to three minutes.”
They were given a gap of 2:50 on the last lap and though they were being chased, still managed to maintain a healthy margin.
“Myself and McKenna just rode honestly,” said Murray.
“He jumped a couple of times coming up to the finish and he was on the front in the last kilometre coming into the finish; the last 300 metres he went but I couldn’t come around him.
“He’s very strong but I was happy enough. I’m where I want to be.”
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