Sean McKenna. “I was happy in yellow last year, it was a bit of a shock and a novelty. But this year I wanted to hold it” (Photo: Pat Doherty)
By Brian Canty
Sean McKenna is still coming to terms with the biggest victory of his career to date after winning the Kerry Group Rás Mumhan last weekend.
The Aquablue man on Monday lies out to France ahead of his Irish debut at an U23 Nations Cup event La Cote de Picardie.
“It was a bit of a shock to win,” said the 21-year-old of last weekend’s successful outing with the Irish development team in Kerry.
“There was a lot of pressure on me going into it so it was nice to finish it off, especially for the lads in the team who gave up so much; they rode their nuts off for me and it was nice to bring it home.”
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McKenna said all of the Irish team rode really strongly to keep him in yellow and cited the experience of Martyn Irvine, above, and national team manager Neil Martin as especially valuable (Photo by Stephen Kelleghan - for a full set of excellent Rás Mumhan photos like this one, click here)
McKenna held an 11-second lead over Bryan McCrystal (Team ASEA) going into the final stage last Monday.
But with a strong team around him, including former track world champion Martyn Irvine, it was his to lose.
“Irvine was unbelievable, every 10 minutes he was coming back to me telling me to stay cool and relaxed,” said McKenna.
“He knew exactly what he was doing and all I had to do was as he said.
“(Sean) Hahessy and (Daniel) Stewart were there as well last year when I had the jersey and they were just as good, they knew what they were doing.”
McKenna driving the key breakaway on the queen stage into Waterville. He would finish 2nd to Bryan McCrystal and move into the yellow jersey for the final day (Photo: Brendan Slattery)
However he said the experience of Irvine, the only member of the team not an U23 rider, and manager Neil Martin were invaluable.
“I was happy in yellow last year, it was a bit of a shock and a novelty but this year I wanted to hold it and thankfully it all went well,” added McKenna.
Even with such a strong team, and his Aquablue teammates also lending a hand at the front to chase down attacks, McKenna said he wasn’t confident of holding the jersey.
“I couldn’t be; the ASEA lads had me worried,” he said.
“Look what happened with the crash on the third last lap, I could have easily been caught up in that so I didn’t want to be cocky.
McCrystal takes a fantastic stage win into Waterville ahead if McKenna, who said he was very wary of the challenge of the Dundalk man and his Team ASEA squad to the end of the race (Photo: Brendan Slattery)
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“Anything could have happened; 11 seconds is nothing and someone like McCrystal is capable of anything.
“He stayed in front of the bunch for how many kilometres on the Saturday? So he was well able to do it again.
“Riding up Coomanaspic on the Sunday was class…I’ve never ridden in big races but that was like riding in the Tour, it was class going up with the crowds.
“It was a case of waiting for the right move to go and I had really good legs so I rode across to it.
“I didn’t do much the previous two days so I knew I’d be okay,” he said in reference to the decisive five-man move he infiltrated.
While Dave Watson has also made a huge impression so far this year, McKenna has been the man of the season. Seen here winning the Mick Lally Memorial when the new campaign was just a few weekends old (Photo: Darragh McManamon)
Try as they might on Monday, ASEA never managed to take the jersey from McKenna and when he crossed the line as race winner he could scarcely believe what he’d done.
“It was a class. My phone was lit up when I came back after the presentation.
“There were no words to describe it, I never expected to win a race like that.
“I’ve been an average cyclist for years but the last couple of years its come together.
“To win something like Rás Mumhan is something I’ve only dreamed of and I really appreciate all the nice messages I’ve been getting; I’m still getting them.”
McKenna showed some good promise riding for UCD CC over the last couple of seasons. But the run he has gone on this year, with eight wins so far, has blown away anything he had done before. And he has now been deservedly rewarded with his first Nations Cup start (Photo: Pawel Sadowski – Shutterstills.com)
Getting the call to race for the national team in La Cote de Picardie was no surprise, but McKenna isn’t getting too carried away.
“I haven’t a clue what to expect,” he said.
“The only race I’ve done abroad is the World Student Games last year and if it’s anything like that I’m sure it’ll be a hard day out.
“I’ll just go out and give it a lash and see what happens; be it help out the lads or get a result, God knows. I’ll just go out and give it a go and see what happens.”
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