Ollie Kelly got the jump on the A4 bunch on the home straight and held them off all the way to the line (Photo: Darragh McManamon)
Ollie Kelly said his win in the A4 Dublin Wheelers GP in Summerhill, Co Meath, today was all the sweeter after a poor showing in Loughrea last weekend.
The Longford CC rider played his cards perfectly this time around on the race run over two laps.
“I stayed in the pack and minded myself a bit early on,” he said.
“I had a bad week in Loughrea last week when I blew up on the climb so today I just got the first lap in.
“I gauged the climb and where the finish line was and judged it for the second lap, which would be the finish.”
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With the race staying together and the field arriving at the finish intact, Kelly's decision to take a wait and see approach paid dividends.
And once he realised on the approach to the line that he would be sprinting for the win, he seized his chance decisively.
The sprint for the minor placings; Bob Hall (Clondalkin CC) took 2nd from Declan Keating (Skane CC) and Pearse Egan of Bray Wheelers (Photo: Darragh McManamon)
“I had it in my head all day that I’d go for it and that was the plan, so coming around for the final lap I started to move up the pack,” explained 30-year-old part-time fireman.
“I got a couple of nice positions going, held my own and with a couple of kilometres to go I started to move up on the right-hand side.
“And when I saw the finish line at the top of the hill it was like the dogs seeing the hare; I couldn’t resist.
“I dropped a couple of sprockets, dug very deep. I gave it everything I could.
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“I heard a couple of shouts from the bunch to go and no one seemed to come with me.
“I waited for someone but no one came across, so I had another kick and kept going to the line.”
Kelly's win is the latest in a good run for Londford CC. Another of it's riders, Leo Temple (in blue and yellow kit above) was 2nd in the A4 race at the Ned Flanagan Memorial in Kildare two weeks ago (Photo: Darragh McManamon)
He would hold the bunch off by quite a gap for a very fine win; not bad for a man in his first year racing.
“I had a good winter with Longford CC, I started training at the end of September,” he explained.
“And I’ve done triathlons for the last few years so I’m coming off the back of that. But this is my first year racing.
“Last year I did a few Midlands league races and had a couple of firsts and seconds so the plan is to go to Ballina tomorrow, race A4 and maybe in the next couple of weeks progress up to A3.”
Kelly said his club was enjoying a good run.
“In the last two weeks we’ve got two lads up to A3 and we’ve already two lads up there.
“So the plan is to keep progressing the club and maybe in a couple of years we’ll pull a Rás team together.”
Dublin Wheelers GP, A4
1. Ollie Kelly (Longford CC)
2. Bob Hall (Clondalkin CC)
3. Declan Keating (Skane CC)
4. Pearse Egan (Bray Wheelers)
5. Seamus Howard (Stamullen CC)
6. Darragh Prunty (Lucan CRC)
7. Shane Kenna (Navan RC)
8. Cillian Moffat (Wheelworx)
9. Kevin Owen (DID Dunboyne)
10. Ray Molyneaux (Navan RC)
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