Sean Hahessy of Iverk Produce-Carrick Wheelers continuing his strong start to the year with victory in the A3 race at the Newbridge GP yesterday (Photo: Amy-Norah Farrell)
Three weeks into the racing season and Sean Hahessy is one of a small number of riders to really make an early impact.
Yesterday the Iverk Produce Carrick Wheelers man secured his promotion to the A2 ranks with a superb win in the A3 race at Newbridge, Co Kildare.
A first year U23 rider and bronze medallist from the national junior time trial championships last year, he had already notched second place in the Lacey Cup before his win yesterday.
And but for being sent the wrong way in Navan last weekend, he might have been up there in the Cycleways Cup too.
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But he put that frustration behind him yesterday when he again made the escape of the day in the Newbridge GP and attacked late in the race to open his account for 2014.
“I’m happy to get the win,” he said.
“But I was sickened last weekend the way it turned out because I had better legs then and we were sent the wrong way. I wasn’t sickened, just more annoyed I didn’t get up to A2. That was the goal. But yesterday has made up for that.”
Hahessy managed to escape with 16-year-old first year junior Michael O’Loughlin (NRPT) on the first climb when they literally blew the 150 plus rider field to pieces.
They were soon joined by Martin O’Loughlin, Hahessy’s Carrick Iverk Produce team mate and father of breakaway companion Michael O’Loughlin. Added to that trio was another bright young thing new to the junior scene, Adam Stenson of Lucan CRC.
Combining well, they pulled out a significant gap by the three-quarter stage of the race.
Hahessy attacks breakaway companion Michael O'Loughlin in the latter stages of the penultimate lap on Sunday (Photo: Sean Rowe)
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Though O’Loughlin junior was strong, Hahessy showed the fruits of his winter training programme.
“I attacked at the end of lap three, I’d say Stenson wasn’t expecting it but in fairness to him he held it at 30 seconds,” he said of pulling away with O’Loughlin junior and senior.
“Then I got away (alone) about a kilometre to go on the last lap and once I got over the second drag I put the hammer down and drilled it to the finish.
“I maybe had a minute or so at the end. The course suited me because there wasn’t much recovery time; I like the rolly draggy stuff.
“I put it down to the winter I’ve had, it’s been brilliant, probably the best ever. It’s mainly due to the fact that I’m in college and I had most of December off; I hardly missed a day.
“I trained both weekend days since October and then Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday during the week; five days a week during December I’d say so that is definitely showing.”
A first year Sports Coaching and Performance student at Waterford Institute of Technology, Hahessy said he will now turn his attention to Rás Mumhan and hopefully a stint in Belgium for the summer, as well as the national championships.
“This is probably the best crop of juniors and U23s we’ve had in ages,” he said.
“When it comes to the (U23) championships you have Dylan Foley and Thomas Fallon and then there’s Jack Wilson (An Post-Chain Reaction) and Cormac Clarke (Newry Wheelers) and Ryan Mullen (An Post Chain Reaction).
“I know how good those guys are but we’ll play it by ear; the championships are a long way off. After that I’d love to go to Belgium, that would suit me better, nice hard races and a few bergs too.
“I was there as a junior in 2012 and I loved it. I’d go back straight away. A lot of the competition goes out of it here in Ireland later in the season and I’d be keen to keep racing as long as I could.
“I’ll just keep the head down. My goal was to get up to A2 by St Patrick’s Day and I’ve done that now. So I’ll ride in Blarney next Sunday and Carrick on Monday, my home race; so I’m looking forward to that.”
