Action from last year’s Cork Champs, won by Brendan McLoughlin (Photo: Fermoy CC)
By Brian Canty
Blarney rider Brendan McLoughlin will aim to defend his title as Cork county champion when he takes to the start-line tomorrow night, Tuesday, for the Cork Road Race Championships in Fermoy.
McLoughlin won a thrilling race last year when he edged out local man Mick Hennessy and he’ll be looking to make it two in a row as he forms part of what is likely to be a strong Blarney contingent.
Eddie Barry is the other obvious contender from the Blarney club as he can win from a sprint as well as from a breakaway. Crucially, he appears to be showing no ill effects from a gruelling Rás a few weeks back.
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He was active over the June Bank Holiday races, notching up fifth on the Saturday night criterium as well as scampering off the front a few times during Sunday’s Donal Crowley Memorial.
He won the league race in Fermoy the week before last and is hard to match on that slightly uphill finish to the line.
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One man who will be watched more than most, however, is Paidi O’Brien (Dan Morrissey speedy Spokes). He took his first win of the 2012 campaign in Fermoy at the start of the season when he edged McLoughlin in a bunch sprint.
O’Brien is in good shape after his second place at the Leahy Cup at the weekend and will start as the pre-race favourite.
His team-mate Mick Fitzgerald is another who should be in the reckoning, while Olan Barrett and John Murphy will be the men to watch from the host club.
Barrett won the A3 race last year and has since been upgraded to A1, while Murphy was runner-up in the A2 race last year.
The 2012 title race starts at 7.30pm tomorrow and is seven laps of the Castlehyde circuit, with sign-on from 6.30pm at the start-finish area.
A1s, A2’s and A3’s will all start together with a separate A4 race. There is also a full programme of underage racing, where the Birchall’s and Dion McCarthy (all from Fermoy) will be looking for some home town glory.
The U16 race is always an enthralling event, with Dylan O’Brien, Eddie Dunbar and Josh Francis (Kanturk) all likely to be in the mix for the win.
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