There was a lot of hugging going on in Carlow after Sean McKenna's Rás win. And it is little wonder considering things have been hard behind the scenes. Two men who looked just as delighted with McKenna's win were his father Mick and Frankie Campbell, his manager this week and a mentor to many fantastic Irish riders down the years. Above, Sean McKenna lunges to win it (All photos by Bryan Keane - Inpho)
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By Shane Stokes
Sean McKenna rode by the side of the Rás Tailteann podium trailer shaking his head. He kept shaking his head after he got off his bike, still in disbelief at what he had done.
He was then embraced in a bear hug by Holdsworth Pro Racing manager Frankie Campbell, who was ecstatic with the rider’s biggest result.
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Campbell was swept away by the emotion of the moment, at one point kissing the top of McKenna’s helmet.
It was clear that the stage victory in Carlow meant a huge amount to both. But there was more to it than that.
“I have had knee trouble the last two days,” McKenna said. “I was thinking of climbing off inside the first ten kilometres.
“I went back to Frankie [Campbell] and I was like, ‘what will I do?’ He just told me to keep riding.”
McKenna leads the way on the bridge at Castlecomer on his way to what was the biggest win of his career by far.
With father Mick; no slouch on a bike himself in his day and a good man for an aul hug any day.
Giddy up: McKenna savours his victory; coming at the end of a stage that he nearly abandoned.
Campbell gave his own perspective on McKenna's problems in the period before his win today.
“He had a small trouble with inflammation of the knee,” he said. “We have been looking after it but it was really painful.
“So we sent him back to the doctor in the first 25 kilometres, and he wasn’t happy with it. Hopefully it has all come good today.
“We talked to him and said if we don’t stop, it will be fine. He will be fine.”
There was little sign of any problem at the stage end. McKenna swooped in the final sprint, making the most of a tailwind to come around the riders ahead of him and hit the line first.
He beat Claudio Imhof (Switzerland National Team), Netherlands Delta Cycling X duo Luuc Bugter and Rens Tulner, Ireland national team rider Marc Potts, Matteo Cigala (Westmeath Viner-Caremark - Pactimo) and the rest of the main bunch.
But the victory wasn’t just about positioning, timing and power. Tactics also came into it, as he explained.
“Coming in the road, I was thinking this is just going to be another bunch kick,” he said.
“Going through the last roundabout, I was leading out the lads. [Damien] Shaw let me go; he had the two lads [teammates] behind him.
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“I was on the back of ten lads with a gap on the others. So I just went for it. My gallop is normally all right, but it is different after six stages in the Rás.
“It just worked out perfectly. A downhill finish, the guy in front of me kicked first, and I just went for it.”
McKenna is from an Irish cycling family. His father Mick was a former international; his uncle Ciaran was also a high-level rider and is currently the president of Cycling Ireland.
His cousin Conor is riding the race with the UCD -FitzCycles.ie team; the same outfit today's winner started out with.
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“To get the win is unbelievable,” he said. “I have such a [passionate] cycling family. The amount they have done for me in the past… to make them happy means so much to me.”
Twelfth and 14th on stages in the 2015 Rás when he was 21 years old, McKenna got a trial with the An Post Chainreaction Sean Kelly team the following year and a contract for 2017.
He was fifth in last year’s national championships. He was then left searching when the An Post squad couldn’t find a replacement sponsor and had to stop.
The Podium Girls: Matteo Cigala, Ronan McLaughlin and a delighted Sean McKenna.
Taking the applause of the crowd in Carlow after a very fast race in blistering sunshine.
Campbell and McKenna; a great combination which took a really big win today (Photo: Shane Stokes)
Fortunately, the Holdsworth set-up came along at just the right time as An Post was ceasing.
“Sean took the chance of going to a new team… Holdsworth Pro Cycling is a new squad,” said Campbell.
“It only started in October, and things have been hard to get together. But this has topped it all off for us, we are absolutely delighted.
“The result is super for him. He needs it for the effort and the time he has put in. He has come from An Post previously, and it collapsed this year.
“It was always hard to get an Irish guy into a new team. And that was the thinking behind the management in Holdsworth, that we would start an Irish team.
“That’s why we have five Irish guys in it, to help them through. So it’s great, it is another great step for us.”
According to Campbell, the team wanted to play its cards close to its chest during the race.
“The riders have worked hard all week. We have tried to stay under cover and just be there without being too aggressive,” he explained.
“We wanted to make today as hard as possible. That was the purpose of putting Russ [Downing] up the road.
“All day we were aggressive. And for Sean to get a win like that, we are just really delighted.”
The team will chase more success in the two remaining stages. Beyond that, it will have some interesting news, most likely on Monday or Tuesday of next week.
“We are about to announce the signing of another Irish rider after the Rás,” said Campbell.
“We are just finalising the paperwork. We’ve got five riders and are keeping the Irish connection there.”
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