Daire Feeley too strong for escape at Rás Chonamara as Cathal Dillane sprints to A4 win

The breakaway passing through some beautiful countryside in the main event before the six-man move was whittled down to just two by the finish, where Daire Feeley bagged yet another win (Photo: Sean Bailey - [email protected])

With stage racing underway in Munster, Leinster and Ulster at the weekend, out west Rás Chonamara was held in Connacht as a one-day fixture.

There were wins for one of the most prolific riders on the home scene this year Daire Feeley of Donamon Dynamos, and for Cathal Dillane of Galway Bay CC who took the A4 event.

Feeley stormed home the strongest in the breakaway that went clear in the A2-A3 event which started and finished in Oughterard.

The junior rider went clear in a six-man group and following attacking up front on a windy day’s racing over an undulating course, that breakaway came down to just two riders with the teenager getting the better of Galway Bay’s Donal Kelly.

The testing course took in a number of climbs alongside Lough Corrib and Lough na Fooey, while also passing through Cloughbrack, Finny Aill Dubh and Maam.

It was seasoned strongman Nigel Forde who got the hostilities underway with the first decisive attack of the day. He made his move on the climb of Maam Valley; the Galway Bay CC man pulling clear along with eventual winner Feeley and David Nugent of Seven Springs CC.

They were joined at the top of the ascent by Kelly and the four-man lead group descended well and established a gap on the run into Maam.

However, there was clearly still life in the bunch just behind and despite the work rate of those up front they were almost caught as the field raced through Corr na Móna.

A redoubling of the leaders’ efforts on twisty roads that put them out of sight of the bunch saw the lead grow again and by the time they reached Finny the gap was established at just over one minute.

Reinforcements then arrived for the leaders in the shape of a Dublin Wheelers rider and Carrick’s Will Hennerbry, making it six up front.

Feeley then applied the pressure on the climb at Aill Dubh, leaving only Kelly and Nugent able to hold him and slimming the leading group down to just three.

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And as that trio worked to stay away, the pressure applied again by Feeley proved too much for Nugent to handle as he lost his place in the escape, leaving just two up front.

Kelly, looking for the home-town win, made his move four kilometres from the finish, but facing a lone ride to the line into a headwind he did not have the legs to make it and was caught by the dogged Feeley, who won the two-up sprint at the finish.

Hennebry and Nugent claimed third and fourth ahead a trio off the front of the chasing main peloton, with Gavin Dodd (Orwell Wheelers) taking 5th and Jim O’Rourke (Tuam CC) 6^th just ahead of Galway Bay CC’s Tony Bourke.

The A4 race, which started in Maam Cross, was characterised by periods of attacking that ultimately failed to split the field.

And when a large group arrived at the finish intact, it was Cathal Dillane who got the verdict for Galway Bay ahead of Warren Blackburn (SLCC) and David O’Malley (Covey Wheelers).

The races were promoted by Galway Bay CC and sponsored by McCann’s Super Valu in Moycullen.