"I died all the way to the line; there was nothing really strategic about it, just balls out"

Eddie Barry on his way to victory from a four-man breakaway at the Silver Pail GP in Fermoy, Co Cork, at the weekend (Photo: Brendan Slattery)

Sunday’s winner of the Silver Pail GP, Eddie Barry said he knew he had a chance of winning the race as soon as the opening two kilometres when the break slipped away with “the right men” in it.

The Liquidworx-Fitscience rider was at the front for the drop of the flag and when the road kicked up inside the opening kilometres he knew if he put the hammer down he’d have a chance of escaping.

“I’ve seen it before where the break goes straight away on that circuit and isn’t seen again,” he explained.

“The last thing I wanted was to go from the bottom of it and be caught three-quarters up and the bunch jump me and I’m out the back,” he said of his approach to the opening incline.

“So I waited until near the top and I saw Olan (Barrett) had just rolled away. So I got across to him, looked around and saw a few more coming.

He was joined by Paidi O’Brien (Osbourne Butchers-Edge Sports Shop) and his team mate Michael Crowley as well as Matt Slattery (Killarney CC).

However, while Barry felt that combination of riders looked like a winning one, it was not the escape that ended up clear. Instead it was some of those men that came from behind who would form what proved to be the winning breakaway.

“There was a stall and (Richard) Hooton came rocketing past and I managed to go with him. Olan was still out there and Ryan O’Donovan (Cork County CC) came up too and I thought that was perfect. They’re honest guys and with the two bigger teams in there I knew it was game on.”

With Barry away with the other three, they pressed for home despite escaping on the first of five laps.

“We rode our stones off for a lap and a half but when I heard we only had a gap of 45 seconds I was worried; surprised even. I was wondering who was chasing. Then again, there was a good bunch there and it was a fast course.”

From that gap of 45 seconds, the margin eventually swelled to over two minutes by the halfway point. But when a group of 12 got away to chase down the leaders, Barry knew it was anything but done and dusted.

“I knew we had to stay honest up front and credit to everyone, they took their turns and didn’t shirk it,” he said.

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“That gave us all a chance. It’s a hard circuit to get away on your own, but I don’t think that crossed anyone’s mind, not until the last few kilometres anyway.

“The last lap though, things started to change; Eddie Keogh came up in the car and told us there was a group right behind us but we still stuck to the job of riding hard. But Ryan got distanced and that changed things a bit.

“Coming into the finish I knew I had a chance but when I looked back and saw John Mannix (Killarney CC) screaming across it was shit or bust time.

“I like that finish though and just waited and waited until about 350 metres to go, put it into a light gear and just gunned it as hard as I could.

“I didn’t know where Olan and Richard were but I just went as hard as I could and died to the line. There was nothing really strategic, it was just balls out. I don’t think I even put my hands up in the air or anything. You can never be too sure of these things."

Hooton took second ahead of Barrett, and with O'Donovan fading from the escape in the closing stages, it was the fast finishing Mannix who took a very strong fourth place.

“It was great to win it, a really brilliant moment and I’m thrilled," said the victorious Barry.

"We were out there a long time and there were times when I thought it might come to nothing. So to win it is as much relief as anything.”

Barry will now turn his attention to this weekend’s Visit Nenagh Classic before lining up as part of the Liquidworx-Fitscience team for the Kerry Group Rás Mumhan.