Conal Scully (Dan Morrissey Pissei) has emerged best at the Bobby Power Memorial, promoted by Panduit Carrick Wheelers, after a day of very aggressive racing saw a strongman's group go to the finish to battle it out for victory.
The 21-year-old from Carlow, who was a clear talent from his junior days, was part of a breakaway group forced to work hard to catch a move that had taken flight from the C2 limit bunch early in the day. However, the power among the C1s eventually proved too much as they mopped up the groups ahead, after a four-minute handicap.
And on the final lap, after a group of about 15 had gone clear following a flurry of attacks, Scully got himself into a race-winning position which he converted with a very strong finish to hold off Ruairí Byrne (UCD Cycling Club) and Paul Kennedy (Team Skyline).
Advertisement
Matthew Walls (Lucan CRC), one of the strong juniors in action today, had the legs to get among the strongest C1s in final 5km. And though he was run out of it in the sprint, that ranks as another very strong performance after his win at the Lucan GP C2 race on Saturday. But there was no doubting the day belonged to Scully.
With their four-minute handicap today, some of the C2s clearly fancied their chances, with a three-man group going clear from that bunch, of about 30, on the first climb of the day. That trio was comprised of Darragh Byrne and Hugh Óg Mulhearne, both AS Villemur Cyclisme, along with Ben Murphy (Sliabh Luachra Cycling Club).
They remained out front for about 70km until they were finally caught by a group of about 10, made up of a breakaway from the C1 bunch, along with a sprinkling of C2s able to stay with them when they were caught.
Related News
By the second passage of the circuit, the best of the C1 riders caught most of the C2s on the climb, with Ruairí Byrne (UCD Cycling Club) and Ronan O'Connor (Team Skyline) attacking hard there and continuing their effort in a crosswind section across the top.
Eventual winner Scully went after them, and those attacks split the race to pieces. Shortly after that another group went clear containing junior rider Walls, JB Murphy (Murphy Geospacial-Kilcullen CC) and Mitchell McLaughlin (Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli).
Scully went again, with Kennedy joining him and that duo got across to Walls-Murphy Kennedy. That made for a group of five still chasing the trio of C2s up front, with those two groups soon merging.
They were then joined by Evan Keane (Orwell Wheelers), Ciaran Maguire (Dan Morrissey Pissei), Luke Smith (Moynalty CC), Ruairí Byrne, Ronan O'Connor and Patrick O'Loughlin (Panduit Carrick Wheelers).
On the final lap, Byrne and junior Walls attacked, getting clear, but Scully and Kennedy attacked after them on the climb, getting across with about 5km to go. That's how it stayed to the finish, with Scully getting it from Byrne, just ahead of Kennedy, and Walls then finishing a few lengths back in 4th.
O'Loughlin put in a big effort in the final and came close enough to catching the four leaders, but had to be content with 5th on the day. Then came McLaughlin in 6th, from Smith, Keane, Maguire and James McKenny (Moynalty Cycling Club).
C1-C2 Bobby Power Memorial 100km
- Conal Scully Dan Morrissey Pissei
- Ruairí Byrne of UCD Cycling Club
- Paul Kennedy Team Skyline
- Matthew Walls Lucan CRC
- Patrick O’Loughlin Panduit Carrick Wheelers
- Mitchell McLaughlin Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli
- Luke Smith Moynalty Cycling Club
- Evan Keane Orwell Wheelers
- Ciaran Maguire Dan Morrissey Pissei
- James McKenny Moynalty Cycling Club
