At 47 years of age, Martin O'Loughlin is still proving a handful for the country's top domestic riders. Seen here winning a stage in the Corkman Three Day last month.
By Gerard Cromwell
Despite suffering the after effects of a crash at the recent Corkman Three-Day that left him with four broken ribs, Carrick Wheelers veteran Martin O’Loughlin proved he can still dish out a bit of pain to his younger rivals when he finished fourth at the Meath Grand Prix in Navan on Sunday.
A wily O’Loughlin used his head to infiltrate a large early move. And while half a dozen of his fellow escapees fell by the wayside during the course of the race, the 47-year-old held his own to finish behind a very much in-form lead trio of Eoin Morton (UCD), Mark Dowling (DID Dunboyne) and Conor Murphy (Caldwell Cycles).
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“It was a typical ‘after the Ras race’,” says the former national veteran’s champion.
“There were some lads you could see were a bit stale. My strategy was very simple. The first time up the hill it was going to be either Conor Murphy or Mark Dowling, whichever one of them showed their nose at the front, I was going to be stuck up behind them.
"It was Mark Dowling and a group went away. A lap later, Conor Murphy was so strong that he blew Stephen Halpin a guy from Navan and a couple of others out the back and brought it down to five.
"The following lap he went ballistic again on the climb and the Lithuanian guy was gone. The pattern was that we were pulling away on the tailwind section and then we were dying a death into the wind.
"The big group behind us were closing on us and they’d get to within 40 seconds or so but then we’d pull away again. You don’t know who was bluffing and who’s not but Conor definitely wasn’t bluffing.
"He committed full time but his cadence is something that, if I was his coach, I’d be working on. He grinds and grinds and it must be very hard on his legs. But he was definitely the strongest of the four of us all day.
"It just came to a four man gallop. I led it out. I was always going to be fourth. My 10-year-old was fourth as well this morning so he’s delighted. The bragging rights were equal in the car going home.”
While he is a veteran, O’Loughlin is an A1 rider and made the long journey up from Carrick-On-Suir to ride as there were simply no other options available to him.
Though not complaining about the grading system, the Carrick headmaster lamented the fact that races for A1 riders have been few and far between lately.
O'Loughlin took his first victory of the season at the Tommy Sheehan Memorial earlier in the year. (Photo Damien Jackson)
“I think it’s fair,” he says of his first category status.
“I was sixth last Sunday. I was fourth today... against the best riders in the races. Some of the A2s are being caught out because, if the juniors go missing, some of the A2 lads get points and get upgraded but then don’t have the hours to train.
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"If you’re an A2, then you’re effectively an A1. But A1s can’t race in Munster today. Down in Cork, there have been three Sundays in the last four weeks that have had just A2 races.
"There’s a race called the Coachford Classic for example that doesn’t allow A1s in it. You can’t have a ‘classic’ race if you don’t allow the best riders in the country ride it.
"You have another race today down in Ballymore Cove, a fantastic race with a proud history, the Leahy Cup. Bobby Power won it three times and all the biggest riders rode it. But the best riders can’t even turn up today because it’s a second category event.
"The Suir Valley Three-Day has added a lot to the end of the season though and there are lads who will train for that so there is racing there if you want it but whether guys have the appetite is another thing.”
Although he is only three years away from a 50th birthday party, with victories in the Tommy Sheehan Memorial and two stages of the Corkman already under his belt this season there is no sign of O’Loughlin slowing down just yet.
“I broke four ribs in Kanturk," he said.
"Three of them have mended but there’s one of them still giving me jip. It was hard to breath for a few weeks but it doesn’t affect me on a smooth road. The worst thing is the first two hours of the day. I get out of the bed and I’m just crippled.
He said his form and continued strength is down to keeping his routine steady and straightforward.
"There’s no real secret to anything. I just train hard and recover hard. I basically just train hard three days a week and put the legs up four days a week. That’s really it.
"If you put in a good winter, stay healthy and don’t get sick that’s the secret really. You have to use your head as well. It was a no brainer what was going to happen in the race today.”
Having won the event himself in 2007 and 2008, O’Loughlin will bring a strong Iverk Produce Carrick Wheelers squad to Mullingar at the end of the month in the hope of defending teammate Hugh Mulhearne’s national veterans’ championship title.
“We’ll give it a lash. We’ve about eight riders in the club riding it. Hugh Mulhearne is defending champion and Rory Wyley is always going well but Greg Swinand (UCD) is just on a different level at the minute.
"Last Sunday... what he did was unbelievable (when winning the Deenside Cup). Phenomenal. He took 2:20 out of Damien Shaw, John Mason and myself going into a headwind in 8km. We got a 50 seconds time gap going onto the last lap and it was 3:10 at the roundabout 8km later.
"Greg is on a different level at the moment but then again by all accounts it’s not a very hilly circuit so he’ll be hoping it’s a windy hard day so that he can use his strength. But there a lot of good young vets coming up now.
"You have Keith Gator and Timmy Barry from Aquablue this year and they already have Joe Fenlon. They will be a very strong team. Eugene Moriarty is a vet too, so on a flattish circuit in Mullingar there will be a lot of fellahs in with a shout.”
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