Conor Dunne is the new Irish men's cycling champion after an aggressive and classy ride in Co Sligo (Photo: Caroline Kerley)
Conor Dunne is Irish elite men's cycling champ
By Graham Gillespie
One of the most aggressive riders Ireland has ever had in the pro peloton, Conor Dunne has pulled off a huge result in Co Sligo today.
The big man, riding for Aqua Blue Sport, has taken the Irish elite men’s road race title.
As was the case last year, the amateur riders made a brilliant contribution. Darnell Moore (Caldwell Cycles Omagh) took the silver medal.
That also saw him take the U23 title; a fantastic ride, especially considering he works full-time and was competing against WorldTour, ProConti and Continental pros.
And another man who will be a very popular medal winner is Mark Downey. The Team Wiggins man claimed the bronze.
Advertisement
But the day belonged to Dunne. He’s put in some Trojan efforts and collected some really impressive results in recent years; secured with his all-out attitude and his talent as a bike rider.
Today he combined that class with his trademark aggression and this time he won big. He attacked fellow breakaway group survivor Moore in a late crosswind section and taking the title.
Dunne and Moore rode clear on lap seven in a four-man group that also contained Jamie Blanchfield (Panduit Carrick Wheelers) and Robert Jon McCarthy (JLT-Condor).
That slimmed down to two - Dunne and Moore. And in the end Dunne finished alone and had plenty of time for a big celebration to mark his win; the most prestigious of his career.
His win is not only richly deserved, as Dunne is one of the hardest working pros in cycling; it is also a boost for his team.
Top, Darnell Moore finishes alone for 2nd in the elite race and gold in the U23 contest. Mark Downey and Michael O'Loughlin take 3rd and 4th. They also won silver and bronze in the U23 race (Photos: Shea Gribbon)
Aqua Blue Sport has had a challenging time this year in securing invites to major races. But it now has an Irish champion in its ranks; an important milestone for an Irish squad.
Dunne had just over 40 seconds with 2km remaining after his attack on the final of 10 laps of the 17.5km circuit.
And once he got clear of Moore, the U23 rider was in a fight to hold off a 14-man chase group for his medals.
But hold them off he did; winning elite silver and U23 gold to complete the ride of his career.
The result, however, should come as no surprise as Moore has grown into one of the very best domestic riders over the last couple of seasons.
Downey claiming third place on the day meant he took elite bronze and U23 silver. He has excelled on road and track in recent years, taking medals on the track at the European Championships and in World Cups.
His result today was the first time he took a medal at an elite Irish road championships and it is expected to be the first of many.
Related News
Last year's U23 champion and Downey's Team Wiggins team mate, Michael O'Loughlin, took the bronze in the U23 category today.
He was 6th in the combined elite and U23 race in Wexford last year when he took the U23 road title.
He adds that bronze road race medal from today to the U23 gold he took on Thursday night's TT; both strong results that suggest he's well on the way back after an injury-hit period.
How the race unfolded
It didn’t take long for the peloton to split today as the riders raced ten laps of a 17.56-kilometre circuit.
From the very first lap, the Hungry Rock climb tore apart the peloton with several riders feeling the strain straight away.
Top to bottom: Darragh O'Mahony leads defending champion Ryan Mullen, Eddie Dunbar and Lindsay Watson. Michael O'Loughlin clear with Nicolas Roche and Dunbar. Ronan McLaughlin leads the front group before the winning breakaway took flight (Photos: SheaGribbon)
And while the race was full of aggression, with groups going only to be brought back, it wasn’t until lap seven that the decisive four-man move was made.
Nicolas Roche (BMC Racing Team), Mark Downey (Team Wiggins) and Eddie Dunbar (Aqua Blue Sport) were amongst those in a chasing group further back the road.
Sam Bennett of Bora-hansgrohe did not enjoy a strong race and was also forced into a bike change which did not help his cause.
He would abandon not long after the key four-rider breakaway got clear.
As the race progressed, the peloton would become more and more splintered.
Dunne and Moore would press on from the lead group, with Dunne attacking on the last lap.
But before he jumped Moore they would together build an unassailable lead over everyone else.
Before they parted company they had just under 2½ minutes on Marc Potts (Unattached) who was third on the road solo for a period.
When Dunne took flight a race was taking place back the road in what was now a chase group of a dozen riders.
Downey and O’Loughlin would break clear on the final lap just before the climb to claim 3rd and 4th in that order.
Dunne was 1:01 clear of Moore on the line; Downey and O’Loughlin a further 2:22 back.
Then came Potts (Unattached), some 32 seconds later; followed by Nicolas Roche (BMC Racing) two more seconds back.
Eddie Dunbar (Aqua Blue Sport) led home a seven-man group just four seconds down on Roche and 4:01 off the winner.
Dunbar was 7th ahead of James Curry (Vélo Club la Pomme Marseille), Lindsay Watson (Powerhouse Sport) and James Davenport (Strata 3-VeloRevolution).
Also in that group, and in 11th place, was Darragh O’Mahony (CC Nogent Sur Oise) alongside 12th placed Ronan McLaughlin (Viner-Caremark-Pactimo) and 13th Alexis Roche (Cotes d’Armor Cyclisme).
McLaughlin’s squad claimed the team prize with him, Luke Smith and Aaron Kearney.
Topics
