Conor McKenna much too strong for rivals in Mondello Park finale

*Conor McKenna with the head down and charging for the finish line towards victory at Mondello Park last night (Photo: Sean Rowe)*

Conor McKenna put in a great burst of power on the final lap at Mondello Park last night to take a comfortable win after a drag race to the line.

The final Mondello event of the year came down to a sprint between a number of strong riders who emerged as the head of the field was stretched after intense racing in the final laps.

Paul O'Reilly (Dan Morrissey-MIG-Pactimo) was in the thick of the late action with winner McKenna.

However, while O'Reilly whipped around the final corner intent on making a break for the line, McKenna covered him and then had the legs to power past him for victory.

Andy Whale (Unattached) rounded out the podium from Marc Potts (EvoPro Racing), Freddie Stevens (Scott Orwell) and Lucan CRC's Eugene Murtagh.

McKenna, who was taking his second win
on Mondello this year, started in the A1 scratch group which mopped up those
ahead very quickly.

From that point on the race split a
number of times under the pressure of repeated attacks. However, it wasn’t
until the final four or five laps that a move got clear and stuck.

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Everyone in that breakaway committed and
though the chasers behind never gave up, a gap opened between the escapees and
the bunch.

Up front the breakaway fractured a little with one lap remaining; UCD Cycling Club’s McKenna forging clear in a trip before O'Reilly got across to them on his own.

And rounding the final bend who was O'Reilly who took it up; attacking around that last corner but being tracked by a determined McKenna, who had too much for the others in the final push to the line.