Sean McKenna, leading, was one of the men of the domestic road season. But when it came to selecting the best rides of the year there were many candidates (Photo: Stephen McMahon - Sportsfile)
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 first instalment of two, we reveal the rides we think were among the very best.
Damien Shaw wins National Championships
Damien Shaw came close to victory on three consecutive days during the An Post Rás a month prior to the nationals so he went to the Championships a marked man.
He he made the decisive break with three teammates which meant he was scrutinised even further.
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He took matters into his own hands when he attacked with Eddie Dunbar (NFTO) before dropping the young Corkman and soloing home to the applause of a massive crowd in Omagh.
It was a day to cherish and a performance to remember for Mullingar’s Damien Shaw when he stormed to a stunning solo victory at the National Championships in Omagh at the end of July.
Ian Richardson finishes top 10 An Post Rás
The UCD CC man carried some good form in the race after a strong showing at the Tour of Ulster.
But few would have had him down as a general classification contender in Ireland's only UCI-ranked race.
The Kildare man made his way into the break on day one and when his group crossed the line 3'33" up on the main bunch it put him in the county rider jersey.
He would be tested to his absolute limits but would stay right in overall contention all week - while making daily trips to the podium for the overall county rider jersey.
Ian Richardson, Dublin-UCD, looks very pleased in the One Direct county rider jersey; a quality ride from a class act.
Mark Dowling storms to Des Hanlon Memorial win
The DID Dunboyne man blitzed the stellar field to win solo before a huge crowd in Carlow back in March.
He had around 30 to 40 seconds to spare on Ryan Sherlock (Unattached), while Robin Kelly (Waterford Racing Team) rounded out the podium for third place.
Dowling waited and waited before jumping clear after Castlecomer on the third and final lap, and blasted his way to an amazing win in one of the very hardest races of the year.
Mark Dowling gives the victory salute at the end of a masterful performance in Co Carlow to claim the 2015 Des Hanlon Memorial (Photo: Sean Rowe)
Jake Gray wins Stephen Roche GP
Junior rider Jake Gray took the main event at the Stephen Roche GP criterium, showing he is a man to be reckoned with in the years ahead.
Gray and his NRPT-Magnet.ie team were aggressive throughout but when Aquablue’s Brian Keane and Ronan Killeen (Lucan CRC) pulled away in the closing stages, it looked like they had the winning of the criterium in their grasp.
However, Gray rode like a professional with years more experience than a first-year junior; jumping from the group he was in on the last lap and blasting across to the two leaders, winning the gallop by a fraction from Keane.
Jake Gray had a fantastic season and taking on and beating the elite's in south Dublin was just one of many victories (Photo: Toby Watson)
Siobhán Horgan annihilates field at National Champs
Having taken a break from cycling to focus on duathlon in recent years, Horgan saw off the challenge of Garda CC rider and road international Eve McCrystal who took the silver medal.
The defending champion Caroline Ryan, also of Garda CC, came home in the bronze medal position.
Results showed Horgan’s time of 53:28 for the 37km course was well over two minutes faster than McCrystal, with Ryan a further 25 seconds back; or 22:40 down on the winner.
Siobhán Horgan blasts her way to the national TT title in Omagh back in June; her 7th road crown despite being “out injured” at present (Photo: J Rafferty)
Simon Ryan in mix on hardest Rás stage
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Ryan has always aimed big at the An Post Rás and on the most brutal day of the race this year he served up a performance that will stand the test of time
He would ‘only’ finish 14th on the day, just 16 seconds behind victor Aaron Gate of An Post-Chainreaction but he secured the county rider prize for his efforts.
The quality of his ride was underlined by the fact he was the only county rider in the move.
The next best county man – Marc Potts of North Down-Graham Powerhouse Sport – finished three places behind him but was six minutes adrift.
Ryan – second man in the second group, in blue and red – rides in the key escape on stage 5 of the Rás, on his way to the county rider prize (Photo: Paul Mohan – Sportsfile)
Páidí O’Brien’s hat-trick in Munster
Páidí O’Brien showed admirable resolve to come out and win the final stage of the Kerry Group Rás Mumhan after losing the race leader’s yellow jersey the day before.
The McCarthy Cycles/Osbourne means man won on Friday’s opener and the following day into Kenmare as well.
He fought a tremendous fight on the Sunday but conceded 49 seconds to eventual winner Sean McKenna and lost the race lead.
But he blasted to glory on the final stage of the race when he edged out the UK pair of Dillon Byrne (Champions Systems) and JLT-Condor’s Ed Laverack at the end of the 115-kilometre race.
Paidi O’Brien romps in for his third stage win in four days at the end of Kerry Group Rás Mumhan (Photo: Brendan Slattery)
Dowling snatches Ulster from Morton
The DID Electrical Dunboyne rider trailed overnight leader Eoin Morton by three seconds prior to the start of the final stage but wrestled the race leader’s pink jersey in thrilling circumstances.
The hilly 110-kilometre stage was always going to favour a punchy climber like Dowling but he also had to fend off the dozen or so other challengers who were within striking distance of pink.
Roger Aiken (Team ASEA) won the stage with a late attack from a group of five.
And as the peloton came barrelling in from behind Dowling did enough to gap Morton and those behind him to take the win.
After giving overnight leader Eoin Morton the slip very, very late in the day; Mark Dowling won the 2015 Amber Green Energy Tour of Ulster champion. The result meant he has now won the Kerry Group Rás Mumhan, the Suir Valley and Ulster all on the final day (Photo: Brendan Slattery)
Darragh O’Mahony gets one for the Irish
Darragh O’Mahony was in absolutely blistering form throughout the Junior Tour of Ireland and his stage win shouldn’t surprise anyone.
He made a key split on the most difficult stage of the race, one where wind and rain maid life extremely difficult.
The young Kanturk man, riding for the national team, beat eventual winner Joublot Marin Ferre (AC Bisontine) to the line with Sandor Delgado Jnr (North California Cycling Foundation) and Nicholas Castellano (Team Specialized) coming third and fourth, respectively.
That quartet came to the line around two minutes ahead of what was left of a severely depleted bunch.
Darragh O'Mahony scoring his stage win on the Junior Tour in the colours of the national team (Photo: Stephen McMahon - Sportsfile)
Shaw goes close at An Post Rás
Second on stage six, second again a day later and third on the final day; Shaw most certainly was the nearly man of the An Post Rás.
The ASEA man was in absolutely flying form for the closing three days and but for a better sprint he could have won an incredible three stages.
Still, no one can take anything away from him as he did something few riders have the capability to do, let alone actually do and that is threaten a stage.
His final day effort into Skerries was the finest of the lot us, almost going across to two former World Tour riders in Davide Lugano and Aidis Kroupis in the final kilometres.
They’d battle it out for the win but Shaw was seconds behind. An incredible effort.
Damien Shaw once again proved one of the strongest men in the Rás field, going clear late on and dropping those he was with as he tried to close in on the two leaders (Photo: Paul Mohan – Sportsfile)
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