Mark Dowling said he was delighted to claim the Leinster title, especially on such a hard day for racing (Photo: Karen Edwards - St Tiernan's CC)
By Brian Canty
Mark Dowling closed out the domestic season with a win in the Laragh Classic yesterday, the DID Dunboyne man crossing the line with a massive seven minutes to spare on runner-up Michael O’Loughlin (NRPT-Magnet.ie).
Behind the latter by three more minutes was Sean McKenna (Aquablue) who rounded out the podium.
Dowling only returned from a training camp in Lanzarote on Friday but showed no signs of fatigue when he went away early on in the five-lap, 120-kilometre event.
“I attacked at the start after Eoin Morton (UCD CC) got brought back," he said.
“We went over the top of the climb and eight riders got away before we steadied down.”
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Some of those present was the aforementioned McKenna and O’Loughlin, the latter’s teammate Jake Gray, Ian Richardson (UCD CC), Robin Kelly (Waterford Racing Team), Darragh O'Mahony (O'Leary's Stone Kanturk CC) and Simon Tuomey (Cork Giant).
The thousand-yard stares captured in Sean Rowe's photo are proof of a wet and cold day in the saddle on the tough roads of Co Wicklow.
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“I put in a hard dig on the second lap up the hill and I think the group broke up behind me because it was just myself and Michael then.
“After that we just rode up and over together to try and stay away, we knew the day was bad.
"And the roads were heavy so if we got any kind of a gap maybe they’d ease up on the chase (we thought).”
Indeed, that’s what happened as the two leaders raced clear, pulling out a huge gap by the second last lap.
And it was then that Dowling went solo.
“On the second last climb I attacked and got away; it was as much to try and stay warm as anything!
“It was a savage day, pouring rain throughout in 11 degrees so I was delighted to win like that. I knew the roads well and that stood to me.”
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