Paul Kennedy takes victory in horrible conditions at the weekend, with the more established riders in the distance (Photo: Darragh McManamon)
Paul Kennedy has credited his new coach Ryan Connor with his top early season form.
The Newcastlewest CC man won the Mick Lally Memorial in Summerhill, Co Meath, last Saturday and was runner-up in the Lacey Cup, Tralee, Co Kerry, on Sunday.
And he believes the one-on-one coaching plans developed by former international rider Connor, and the constant contact with him, has seen him whipped into top shape over the winter months.
“It’s very personal coaching,” he said. “It takes into account things like your family life. He’s ringing you the whole time and emailing you; he’s in constant contact.”
Kennedy, now aged 37 years, is relatively new to cycling having only begun racing two years ago.
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“My first race was the Lacey Cup two years ago,” he told stickybottle after the Mick Lally on Saturday.
“The club in Newcastlewest are putting massive investment into us now. We’re putting in a Rás team this year; a full A1 team.
“We have Aaron O’Brien, Shane Kenny, Bobby Coleman, Paul O’Connell and myself. So we are looking for big results the whole year in Newcastlewest.”
Asked why he came to cycling so late and where from, he said: “The GAA; I actually got too heavy for hurling so I took up cycling and I lost 22 kilos.”
He’s made the transition from chunky team player to class act on the bike in no time.
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And he not only showed his class last weekend but also his race craft.
That craft has been impressively picked up over just two years and was intelligently put into action on the road last Saturday – not to mention 24 hours later when only Sean Hahessy (Aquablue) would better him in Tralee.
“Marc Potts and Philip Lavery were attacking each and I just took advantage of it,” Kennedy said the final 22km lap of the Mick Lally.
“They’re the big guns, they tired each other out and then I just slipped away,” he said of his winning solo move with just over 2km remaining to the finish.
However, though he got a gap on Potts (Neon Velo) and Lavery (AC Bisontine), he knew the final stretch was very hard, with a steep ramp up to the finish to be tackled into a strong headwind in the rain.
“I time trialled to the finish; the boys were still watching each other, it seemed they didn’t want to lead each other,” said Kennedy of Potts and Lavery who likely believed a win from behind was still possible.
In the end though Kennedy arguably looked the stronger of the three on the line; taking the chequered flag with plenty to spare on the two chasers, who really looked like they had been in a battle.
Kennedy said the race was characterised by “constant attacking from the gun”, adding that Lavery was making a nuisance of himself with his strength and aggression.
“When a group of five of us got away, there was no iTap riders, no UCD and (Matteo) Cigala and no Daire Feeley,” he said.
“So we were kind of worried about having guys like that back the road and we knew we had to ride through very honestly all the way.
“There was really only attacking from the break on the last lap.”
Apart from Kennedy, Lavery and Potts in the escape was Mark Shannon (Burren CC) and emerging A2 rider Peter Leahy.
Giving chase for a long time were Aquablue’s Cigala and Rás stage winner Eoin Morton (UCD CC), though they never bridged the gap to the leaders.
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