The domestic road season threw up some fantastic performances in the one-day and stage races across the country from mid February to September.
When it came to selecting our highlights of the year, there were a huge number of candidates.
In this second instalment of two, we reveal the rides we think were among the very best.
You can read the first part here: Part I - Stickybottle’s pick of best domestic performances in 2015.
Martyn Irvine storms away with Shay Elliott
The Madison Genesis man added his name to some of the country’s most illustrious riders on the Shay Elliott Memorial trophy after he crossed the line with minutes to spare over Ali MacAulay (Team ASEA) and Sean McKenna (Aquablue).
Irvine rode a perfect race over the course of the 140 kilometre event, keeping his powder dry until he needed it most. That came towards the base of the gruelling ascent of Glenmalure where he attacked.
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He got clear on his own from the breakaway and went into time-trial mode, cresting the summit with some 15 seconds to spare on what was left of the escape and riding alone to the finish.
Martyn Irvine takes off from the quality breakaway in May, making the others look ordinary and never to be seen again (Photo: Stephen McMahon – Sportsfile)
David Watson stylishly grabs Tour of North
David Watson went into the final stage at the Tour of the North as the race leader but level on time with Ronan McLaughlin (Team ASEA).
The North Down CC man rode from the front and attacked the race, going clear in an initial group of eight that would later be trimmed to five on that final 115km leg.
He made sure of his overall win by taking the final stage with the yellow jersey on his back; never an easy thing to do.
Watson, in the yellow jersey, takes the final stage of the Tour of the North to wrap up overall victory (Photo: Marian Lamb – Cycling Ulster)
Ryan Mullen's An Post Rás
For a rider who has won silver medals in the U23 TT at the World Championships and in the junior TT at the European Championships - not to mention two bronze at U23 level on the track Europeans - a strong overall ride in the Rás with no stage win is perhaps not spectacular.
However, Mullen stayed in contention day after day to claim 3rd overall and also win the U23 classification, his first result of that kind in a UCI-ranked race.
Such a strong performance over eight hard days against some very strong opposition bodes well very for the future, especially if he can use his strong TT engine in short pro stage races with a race against the clock.
Ryan Mullen's 3rd place overall in the Rás demonstrates a road ability that, if complimented with strong TT rides, could be very effective in short stage races.
Eileen Burns shatters 10 mile TT record
Okay, so it wasn’t performed on home roads so it’s not a domestic performance, but the ride by Eileen Burns in breaking the Irish 10 mile TT record was so strong we simply couldn’t leave it out.
Burns travelled to Yorkshire last month for the Swift Open TT on the V718 course where Caroline Ryan had set the previous record in 2011.
Her time of 20:22 represents a huge leap forward for Irish women’s time trialing in that it lowered the previous national record of Ryan by 41 seconds; a huge margin over the distance
The week before when riding in a strong international field at An Post Rás na mBan she was 4th in the TT and best placed Irish woman.
She had also claimed the Ulster 100 mile TT crown in July and was 4th in the Tour of Omagh TT when competing against the men in August.
Eileen Burns has ripped up the record book with a staggering new Irish record for the elite women’s 10 mile TT (Photo with thanks to Omagh Wheelers)
Bryan McCrystal also goes it alone at the An Post Rás
The former pro footballer and ex-international triathlete powered up the road with four others with almost 100 kilometres remaining on the second stage of the An Post Rás from Carlow to Tipperary.
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One by one McCrystal rode the others off his wheel and at one stage he had six minutes on the peloton and was virtual leader on the road.
In the end, the stage was simply 5 kilometres too long for him as he was swept up, paving the way for a bunch sprint.
Bryan McCrystal leads Dominic Jelfs before taking flight to take on the rest of the Rás in an epic David and Goliath battle (Photo: Paul Mohan – Sportsfile)
Michael O’Loughlin doubles up at National Champs
Michael O’Loughlin took the junior road and TT crowns in two days in July in Cong, Co Mayo.
The NRPT-Magnet.ie man proved a class apart on the challenging 110-kilometre, two-lap, road race course; going clear of the breakaway with around 25 kilometres to go and powering on to the finish.
The manner of his performance was impressive but his carrying the mantle of favourite into the weekend and coming away with two titles is very rarely achieved.
Michael O’Loughlin followed up his Nations Cup win by winning both the national junior time-trial and road race titles last month. It’s an incredible achievement from the NRPT/Magnet.ie man and will be especially satisfying as he was runner-up in both those events 12 months ago (Photo: DC Images)
Sean McKenna wins the Kerry Group Rás Mumhan
He might not have won a stage over the weekend but no one can deny the best man won the race.
McKenna sewed the seeds for his win when he finished second on the stage to Waterville behind Bryan McCrystal of Team ASEA.
McKenna was coolness personified on the final stage and as well as his own strong legs he had the help of a superb team in seasoned campaigner Martyn Irvine, Sean Hahessy, Daniel Stewart, Matt Taggart and Conor Hennebry.
Sean McKenna won the Kerry Group Rás Mumhan this year for what was the biggest victory of his career so far. (Photo: Brendan Slattery)
McCrystal wins the Queen stage of Rás Mumhan
Bryan McCrystal took the best win of his career when he stole the show on the queen stage of Kerry Group Rás Mumhan in Waterville.
He got the better of the prolific Sean McKenna (Irish Development Team) in a two-up sprint after an absolutely rip-roaring stage.
Few would have given McCrystal any chance on the steep slopes that the stage became notorious for but he made light of that.
Having lost contact with the leaders on the category one Coomanaspig he went about reeling them in before dropping all but McKenna, and then beating him in the gallop. Class.
A delighted Bryan McCrystal takes the queen stage in Kerry Group Rás Mumhan from the prolific Sean McKenna (Photo: Brendan Slattery)
Eoin Morton goes close to pink in Ulster
Eoin Morton had the day of his life on stage three of the AmberGreen Energy Tour of Ulster when he took the race leader’s pink jersey from Damien Shaw (Team ASEA) following a daring late attack.
Morton has been to the fore in Irish cycling for the last number of seasons and has won some great races but this year represented his best yet.
Taking on the might of the likes of ASEA and Aquablue, the UCD man refused to read the script or lie down and when he took the jersey it wasn't just UCD CC men smiling.
He proved that with teamwork and application, the big guns can be beaten on any given day.
It was a bittersweet weekend for the swords man; the joy of taking the race lead on the Sunday tempered by him losing it to Mark Dowling by a whisker the following day (Photo: Sean Rowe)
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