Most National Road Championships produce a performance that confirms, even uncovers, an emerging talent. Last weekend, that honour arguably went to Rory Condon, the former O'Leary Stone Kanturk rider now competing with British-Italian outfit Zappi Racing.
Sure, Condon (17) had impressed before he rode to silver in the junior men's road race last Saturday in Co Meath. He'd even won some races. But the manner of his racing last weekend, coupled with his result, was a coming of age performance. He proved he is one of the very best juniors in the country and is an athlete who should be able to absorb the higher intensity when he sets off for Italy next week.
Condon got up the road early last Saturday with James Armstrong (VC Glendale), never to be seen again by the chasing groups. And when eventual winner, and hot favourite, Conor Murphy (Caldwell Cycles), got across to them, bringing "hell" to the leading duo, Condon showed no fear. The Cork teenager was the last man standing, and trading heavy blows, with the new champion.
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"Even with (Murphy's) last attack, where he dropped me, I was still feeling good. I just, physically, couldn't match that power he had, couldn't physically push it," Condon told stickybottle. "But even when I was dropped, and I was riding on my own, I was still doing some really good numbers, I was still fine. But Conor is just on a different level."
Far from fawning over Murphy's performance, Condon was simply offering an honest, ego-free, appraisal of how the final had gone in the 121km title race. He appeared to feel relaxed about praising his rival's performance on the day because he feels he has a lot to offer himself.
Condon won the U16 road race national title two years ago and claimed two stages at Rás na nÓg as a youth rider. Last year he competed for O'Leary Stone Kanturk at home and with E Tarrant & Sons LTD Skoda Munster in UCI-ranked races abroad, banking a lot of experience. He was 14th overall in the Junior Tour of Ireland and 5th in the road race at the nationals.
Last month he won Rás Luimni from a two-rider 80km breakaway and pushed Cian Keogh (Team Skyline) close in the PJ O'Riordan Memorial in May, finishing 2nd to the UCI Continental team rider from a two-man breakaway.
Approaching last Saturday's race he felt his form was building; his Rás Luimni win a good indicator he was coming good as the big day loomed. He said he decided before the championship race he was willing to race it from the front, and to go up the road from the line if the chance arose.
"I really trusted the form and I knew I was good enough, that… even if I spent 100k up the road and I got caught with 20k, or whatever, to go I could still salvage something," he said. "It wouldn't be a case of getting caught and getting shelled. And the way the nationals normally go, it's easier to be out there all day instead of trying to find the right move, trying to force it."
The junior race was fought out over four laps of a 25.4km circuit - with two climbs - followed by a small lap of 9.4km to finish on. Condon and Armstrong got clear in the opening phase of the second large lap, with Murphy getting across to them solo towards the end of that lap.
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From that point, they worked well as a trio and never looked like they'd be caught, even though Matthew Walls (Lucan CRC) and Darragh Byrne (AS Villemur Cyclisme) set off in a long two-man chase. On the fourth passage of the large circuit, the attacks began among the leading trio. They split on the second climb, just before they came off the circuit for the small lap finale.
Armstrong was the first to be dropped, with Murphy and Condon left leading and attacking each other. But on that final climb Murphy eventually got ahead solo. He rode to gold, some 1:22 up on Condon, with Byrne taking bronze from Walls a further 44 second back.
Condon travelled home to Mallow, Co Cork, where he has just completed 5th year at Patrician College, happy with his silver medal in the road race - and 4th in the TT last Thursday.
Italian adventure about to begin
He will travel to Italy next Wednesday and will live in a Zappi Racing self-catering team apartment, not far from Bologna. The plan is to race hard - getting experience and, hopefully, results - until he returns in late August to return to school.
His plans mean he will miss the Junior Tour of Ireland. He was disappointed, saying "it's a great race", but is very keen to test himself, and learn, in Europe.
"To be honest, I want to get out to Italy and get racing out there and just see how I'm going there," he said. "I'm doing well in Ireland and I know if I went to the Junior Tour I'd do good there, I did well last year. But I don't know if I'm going to go well it Italy and I want to get going there.
"I think that's where the likelihood is of getting (an U23 team) for next year, it's going to be an Italy. I really want to push on now for the next few months and maybe get on the map with some good teams for next year. The numbers are really good, but numbers don't always translate into race results."
Condon added, though he was with Zappi Racing now, O'Leary Stone Kanturk was still supporting him. And he credited the club with drawing him away from team sports when he was younger and towards cycling.
"I never really took cycling seriously until I was under 14," he said, having joined O'Leary Stone Kanturk a couple of years earlier. "I did GAA, hurling and football, and rugby. And really rugby was my biggest thing growing up. I don't even know how I decided to quit rugby for cycling, I don't know what came into my head," he laughed.
"I suppose it was just really the Kanturk training sessions that did it for me. I was never really doing that well in races, but I just enjoyed so much going out on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evening with the club. And that's really what drew me into it."
