Conor Hennebry has in the space of two years gone from beginner to being picked on the Irish Development Team. And last weekend took his first win; he tells us how (Photo: Sean Rowe)
By Brian Canty
Conor Hennebry bagged his first win of 2015 at the weekend, taking the Frank O’Rourke Memorial in Co Wexford from the break he’d been part of for much of the day.
The Carrick Wheelers rider has had an excellent season to date, going very close to victory on a number of occasions.
And his consistency was rewarded with a ride for the Irish Development Team at the Kerry Group Rás Mumhan; that international cap coming in just his second season racing.
The final-year UL student is hoping Sunday’s result can help him get back into the green jersey again before long.
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“Getting my first win of the year was unbelievable, it lifted a large amount of pressure from me,” he said.
“I’ve been reasonably consistent during the season so far but I always set myself high targets and want to do better.
“I was disappointed not to be selected for the Irish team for Ulster but I had exams so riding it was probably out of the question anyway.
“They brought a strong team so I can’t have any complaints. But as soon as I finish my exams I’ll be focusing on winning more races and doing everything in my power to be in the minds of the selectors.”
Hennebry said he didn’t feel too hot prior to Sunday’s race but he slowly warmed to the challenge.
The race saw the A3 bunch get a handicap of two minutes on the A1-A2 group but it was all back together at the start of the second lap.
Hennebry is another top rider from the Carrick Wheelers stable; they seem to make them in a factory by the Suir (Photo: Sean Rowe)
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Hennebry said the dead roads and breezy conditions made for tough racing but he felt once the field came together he had a good chance of winning.
On the penultimate drag of the second lap, Martin Mizgajski (Rosbury Racing Team), John Brosnan (Moda Kingdom Endurance) and Mick Ahern (Dungarvan CC) went clear before Hennebry and John Hodge (Dungarvan CC) bridged across.
A few minutes later they were joined by Con McDunphy (Lucan CRC) and Liam Cullen (Barrow Wheelers).
“We started working straight away and pulled out a gap of 30 seconds," said the eventual winner.
“The gap rose to about 50 seconds before a chase group started to come across but we held them at 30 seconds for a long time.
“But on the last lap our group stopped working and the gap started to close.
“I was trying to get everyone to work but some lads were out on their feet and weren't able.”
Coming to the line Hennebry's group had around 10 seconds to spare so it was all about timing his effort.
“Mick Ahern was on the front so he dragged us up to the line as no one wanted to work in the final kilometre.
“It came down to a four-man sprint. I started third wheel and went up the inside when everyone went on the outside and managed to get a couple of lengths.
“It was unbelievable, especially as my dad was there to see it.”
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