Liam Crowley (UCD Cycling Club) opened his 2024 account in style at the 'Bobby Power' in Carrick-on-Suir last month before building on that momentum at Rás Mumhan and now winning again, this time at the 'Coombes Connor' in Co Meath.
His performances in recent weeks - in terms of consistency and quality - have confirmed him as one of the new names in the top tier of domestic cycling, with his win yesterday in the Jons Drogheda Wheelers especially impressive. It also followed a five-hour training ride on Saturday.
There was another very strong performance on the day by Conor Murphy (Team Caldwell Cycles) in the A3 race as his ascendency also continues at pace following an incredible solo effort.
The main event was a chaotic race, with some very strong riders getting clear in the breakaway before attackers flew off the front of that move, only for regrouping to take place several times.
Advertisement
However, into the headwind section on the final lap yesterday, Crowley attacked the breakaway hard and drew clear on his own. Behind him, Daire Feeley (All human-VeloRevolution) was live to the danger and had the legs to jump across to the UCD man.
Though the duo only enjoyed a gap of between 10 to 15 seconds for much of the last 10km, they headed for the finish together for an apparent two-up sprint. However, after an aggressive ride through the race, Crowley managed to distance Feeley on the tailwind-assisted run-in and took the win solo.
Feeley was just behind in 2nd place, with Odhran Doogan (Team Caldwell Cycles) winning the sprint from the six-man chasing group - the remains of the day's breakaway - for 3rd place.
Gareth O’Neill (Athlete Nutrition Coach HD) got up for 4th with junior Conor Prendergast (Van Mossel Heist Cycling Team) taking a very solid 5th, from Conn McDunphy (Skyline-Cadence) and Joseph Mullen (Zappi Racing Team), with George Peden (PB Performance) rounding out the breakaway, in 8th place.
Nathan Mullan (Velo Café Magasin), who was also off the front, was 9th, with Jack Conroy (Bray Wheelers) finishing in 10th.
With eight laps of a 14.5km circuit to race, with a drag each lap, and early breakaway went clear - including juniors Mullen and Prendergast. They went on the opening circuit before the battle began to get across to them.
Related News
After two laps, eventual race winner Crowley attacked from the bunch solo, with McDunphy responding, and they rode across the gap to the breakaway. No sooner had they made the juncture than Doogan and Peden also got across, making for an unwieldly group of about 10 riders, with a gap of approximately one minute.
Crucially, Feeley had missed the move. However, with the cooperation in the breakaway waning, Crowley attacked from it on the third lap. McDunphy was active in the chase behind but then got away solo and joined Crowley out front.
However, the chopping and changing would continue as, behind the two leaders, Peden and Doogan were now on the move and caught Doogan and McDunphy. That made for four at the head of the race, being chased by the other six as the race neared the halfway point.
Given the composition of the four-man lead group, it should have hit out for home and probably made it all the way. But, once again, the gap closed; the chasing group catching the leaders. And by the time that catch was made, Feeley and O'Neill had bridged across from the bunch, clearly having put in a big effort to do so.
Now numbering about a dozen riders, the breakaway rode as a unit for a period before the attacks intensified on the penultimate lap, with McDunphy going solo for a long period but ultimately being caught.
And it wasn't until the final lap, the breakaway now having been whittled down, that that lasting damage was one; Crowley attacking in the headwind section before Feeley eventually got across, forming the winning move.
In the A3 race, the bullet train that is 17-year-old Conor Murphy continued to power ahead. He was the solo winner, by a big margin; adding his win to two stage victories and the overall at Gorey Three Day over the Easter Weekend.
Murphy jumped across to the breakaway on the first half of the second lap before dropping them in the crosswind section and riding solo for 60km on his way to victory.
Murphy finished solo ahead of a four-man chasing group, led in by Diarmuid Lynch (Navan RC) from evergreen former international Martin O'Loughlin (Panduit Carrick Wheelers), Zak Flaherty (Challenge CC) and Sean Flynn (Lucan CRC). Rounding out the top six was Sean Ward (Lucan CRC), who finished solo.
In the A4 race Jose Diaz (Naomh Barrog CC) took victory from Davi Silva (Clondalkin CC), Sean O’Kane (Orwell Wheelers CC), Brian Doran (Carlow RCC), Gerard Corcoran (Laois CC) and Brian Markey (Newry Wheelers).
