Paidi O’Brien beats Olan Barrett to Silver Pail GP; Dylan Foley & Paul Burke win undercard races

Paidi O’Brien has taken his latest win of the 2013 season when he galloped to a fine victory in the Silver Pail GP in Fermoy today.

The Planet Tri rider made it back-to-back wins in the rain soaked 100 kilometre race, denying local man Olan Barrett (AquaBlue) his first win in the A1 category.

O’Brien and Barrett had been part of the day’s five-man break that escaped on the first of five laps and stayed away to the finish, with a mini chase group coming over the line some two minutes afterwards led by his team-mate Michael Storan. Several riders, when out of contention, decided to call it a day as conditions deteriorated, leaving less than 20 riders by the finish.

But the day belonged to O’Brien. Despite being outnumbered in the break with the presence of Aquablue’s Keith Gater, Robin Kelly and Barrett, he matched their best. When Barrett jumped away with 10km to go, it was the Banteer man on his wheel and in the finishing sprint there was only going to be one winner.

Barrett can be very pleased with his afternoon’s work though as there’s certainly no shame in coming second best to O’Brien. And with next month’s An Post Rás looming, Barrett knows he’s on the right track if he maintains his current form.

The race got off to a lightning start with the strong tailwind on the back stretch of the 16 kilometre lap whittling down the bunch inside the opening kilometres, mainly led by the pace at the front set by the big Aquablue contingent.

A threatening eight-man escape almost broke the elastic as the riders headed for Glanworth, but strong riding from the Iverk Produce Carrick Wheelers contingent pulled that one back.

But just as it was brought back O’Brien jumped away, and with him went Kelly, Barrett and Gater — one of the star riders of the Aquablue team in their successful Kerry Group Rás Mumhan last weekend. Mick Fitzgerald, a runner up in the Lacey Cup in February, was the last man to make it across.

That group worked well and from an initial gap of 30 seconds that widened to 50 seconds by the end of the lap and they were never reeled in. By the end of the fourth lap they had almost two minutes and though there were a few efforts by riders to jump across it was never likely; with Sean Lacey and Timmy Barry reduced to domestique duties. Eddie Barry and Storan had similar obligations for Planet Tri.

On the final lap, a small group jumped away and in it were Lacey, Timmy Barry,  Storan, Simon Ryan and Mark Nugent to mop up the minor placings.
Donncha O’Brien led in the third group on the road to take the unplaced A2 prize.

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In the A3 category, Dylan Foley (Nicolas Roche Performance Team) stormed to yet another victory when he attacked on the first lap, took four riders with him and they worked well together for three laps.

On the final lap Foley went again and only Eddie Dunbar could go with him. Foley outsprinted his youngder adversary on the slight drag up to the finish. The 17-year-old has now taken four wins and four runners-up places this year.

Meanwhile, Paul Burke of Carrick Wheelers took the honours in the A4 event when he led in the bunch after three laps.