They’d been forced out of competition for 3½ months due to Covid19 but they’d kept to the task of training away; waiting for the green light to get stuck in again.
So it was perhaps no surprise the competition was fierce when
riders got back into action yesterday in the peloton on the open roads.
It doesn’t matter if you’re lining out in a pro race, a
domestic A1 event or an A4 contest – once you pin on numbers you want to race
and race hard.
And that’s exactly what Conor Gath (Galway Bay CC) and Padraig
O Sullivan (Unattached) did yesterday in Limerick in the A4 Darach McCarthy
& Co Solicitors Road Race.
When they came to the finish the two men saw a trio
sprint forward to take the podium placings; Vinny O’Leary (Tralee Manor West BC)
winning from Declan O’Carroll (The Chain Gang Cycling Club) and Martin
O’Loughlin (Panduit Carrick Wheelers).
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After those three it was between Daniel Mulcahy (Orwell
Wheelers Cycling Club), Gath and O’Sullivan for the minor placings.
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However, when Gath and O’Sullivan both took a brief glance behind them they came together; nudging into each other, with Mulcahy sprinting clear of them for 4th.
Sean Rowe’s images below tell the story of the gallop for 5th and 6th between O'Sullivan and Gath.
O’Sullivan eventually won the battle, but only after he and Gath bumped off each other several times.
They both displayed great skill and instincts to just about stay upright – an incredible outcome by both.
The tangle between the duo - all perfectly within the rules - was captured in the background of Sean Rowe's finish line photos meaning we have had to crop the shots to focus on the two riders in the distance.
However, Sean has produced a fantastic set of shots of the race which you can view by following this link. The shots below don't do his work justice because we have cropped in on a section of the action in the distance to pick out O'Sullivan and Gath.
Photos by Sean Rowe
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