Young Patrick O'Loughlin (12) takes his first ever win on the same day father Martin nudged his career tally further north of the century mark (Photo: John Coleman – Dc Images)
He has a father who has won in excess of 100 races and represented Ireland more times than you could shake a stick at.
And his brother was Ireland’s best junior and has already secured a Continental level contract as a first-year U23.
But it’s no bother to 12-year-old Patrick O’Loughlin, who took his first ever open race win last weekend.
And he did it on the same day that father Martin added to his huge list of victories at a different venue.
Patrick’s brother is Michael O’Loughlin, the 19-year-old talent in his first season with Team Wiggins who is just about to move up a gear now that his college exams are complete.
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And while Patrick has no such worry about exams, last weekend’s win at the U12 race in Newcastle West was his first open race victory; a very exciting milestone.
Martin O'Loughlin - now aged 48½ - takes his latest in a long line of wins last Sunday in Castlecomer (Photo with thanks to Brenda Murtagh)
Patrick came home at the head of a small breakaway, beating those he came to the line with last Sunday morning to the win in Newcastle West, Limerick.
And having heard news of his youngest son’s win before he started his A2 race at the Deenside Cup, Castlecomer, O’Loughlin senior knew he’d be in trouble around the dinner table that night if he didn’t pull something out of the bag.
And so having broken clear in a seven-man group, the veteran waited until he was inside the last kilometre of the 5km steady climb on the last of four 35km laps to make a solo race-winning move.
He put the head down and held off the chasers to win alone and complete a very rare – if not unique – double in Irish cycling; father and son winning on the same day.
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“I was hard enough now, and it came down to a sprint and I won,” said young Patrick. “I’m probably better on the flat.”
He added while talk in the O’Loughlin household often veered towards cycling, he didn’t feel any pressure due to his family history.
And he was simply looking forward to enjoying his bike as much as he could.
“We’ll just see what happens,” he said, espousing a nice and relaxed attitude.
The other O'Loughlin; 19-year-old Michael is making his way into big time racing with Team Wiggins this season (Photo: Sean Rowe)
“I started in 1980 when I was 13,” said his now 48½-year-old father Martin.
Asked how many races he had won down the years he reluctantly offered: “Probably well over 100 if you include youth races. I don’t know; but senior races, maybe 60 or 70.”
Those victories include four stages wins in successive Rás Mumhan’s he competed and two national vets’ road race titles; one of them finishing literally outside his house in Carrick in 2007.
The following year he won again and also took two stages at the Suir Valley Three Day as a ‘supervet’.
The Lincoln GP was among those races he represented Ireland at, with eldest son Michael riding the same event this weekend with Team Wiggins.
“Last weekend was great,” he said of winning on the same day as son Patrick.
“I had the result of his race even before I left home for mine. I was hoping I would win myself and I felt I was going well enough, so it really worked out well."
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