Eddie Dunbar and Michael O'Loughlin were the men of the race in Blarney today, with Dunbar winning the head to head at the finish after a great battle.
By Brian Canty
Eddie Dunbar is the new national junior road race champion after winning out in an enthralling battle with Michael O’Loughlin in today’s title race in Blarney, Co Cork.
The O’Leary’s Stone Kanturk victor had less than half a wheel to spare over the Standard Life Nicolas Roche Performance Team man at the end of a leg-breaking day.
The riders had to contest with strong winds, very warm temperatures, a very punishing circuit and three hours in the saddle.
Unlike previous editions when the race came down to a sprint, or a big group came to the line to contest the medals, it was clear from very early today that the field would split to pieces.
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A large break went from the gun, and aided by cross-tail and tailwinds in the early section of the opening lap, they managed to pull clear.
Strangely, there were none of the big-name contenders in there, though the biggest team in the race - Standard Life-NRPT - had two men present in the shape of Aaron Swan and Darragh Long.
Also in there were Irish track international Declan Mulholland (Clann Eireann CC), Stephen Murphy (Cunga CC), Jamie Blanchfield (Iverk Produce Carrick Wheelers), Cale Coen (Castlebar CC), Dermot Whyte (Lucan CRC) and Seamus Sinnott (Wexford Wheelers CC); the latter putting in a great ride considering he has been ill and only decided at the eleventh hour to ride today.
That group pulled out a gap of two minutes after around three laps.
As expected, Dunbar and team mate Dylan O’Brien were forced into action in trying to get back on terms and eventually Dunbar escaped.
The silver medallist from yesterday’s time trial Michael O’Loughlin, with two team mates up the road, marked him closely and both got across to the leaders.
Long and hard championship races, especially between younger riders, often see breakthrough rides from some athletes and that was definitely the case from Jamie Blanchfield today in Cork.
That left it eight up front, with a gap over two minutes at the halfway point, and with attacking then starting in the escape.
Dunbar tried to shake some of the NRPT men and his plan succeeded when first Swan became distanced, after doing a great ride in the first part of the race.
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His team mate Darragh Long had also ridden really strongly in the breakaway to that point; the presence of both up the road ensuring O’Loughlin had the upper hand on the other favourites when the attacking started in the bunch.
Long would also get distanced and eventually there were just five up front; Dunbar, O’Loughlin, Sinnott, Blanchfield and Whyte.
The fifth time up the hill saw a further reduction in numbers in the escape as White and Sinnott lost touch.
Blanchfield (Iverk Produce Carrick Wheelers) was putting in the performance of his fledgling career in staying with O’Loughlin and Dunbar, who have constantly been to the fore virtually every week of the season.
Daire Feeley (Donamon Dynamos) made a very good effort to bridge to the front trio when he took flight from the ever-decreasing peloton. He had a minute on the remnants of the peloton at one stage.
He managed to get across to White and Sinnott but he probably needed at least one more rider with him to aid his bid to make any real impact on the gap enjoyed by the three leaders.
Feeley, another man who has had a storming season and became a regular international, would then drop Sinnott and White, leaving him alone fourth on the road. That was as close as he got to the front trio.
However, three became two up front when Blanchfield was next to get dropped under the relentless pace of Dunbar and O’Loughlin. That left him still in the bronze medal position, though Feeley was closing fast.
The race turned into a real battle on the final lap as Dunbar attacked again and again, only for O’Loughlin to cling to him.
Then O’Loughlin himself started to jump, but Dunbar was equal to his best as they hit the climb up to the finish.
They engaged in a game of cat and mouse coming to the line, with O’Loughlin leading before Dunbar jumped and managed to keep ahead of him all the way to the line in front of a huge crowd.
Blanchfield was next home, some two minutes back; his medal-winning performance one of the breakthrough rides of the season in the junior ranks despite only coming back from injury.
Feeley would run out of road in trying to make up enough ground to grab that bronze medal. However, he can take comfort from the fact that he has probably done enough to secure his plane ticket to Ponferrada for the World Championships next month.
In the A3 race, Simon Lambert (Wexford Wheelers) took gold from Paddy McKenna (Emyvale CC). We’ll have more later.
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