Ex-pro Monk holds off O'Connor, Moran to win on Wicklow Gap

Cyrus Monk is used to plying his trade mostly in Asian UCI-ranked races these days but he's made time for a win in Co Wicklow today (Photo: Sean Rowe)

Cyrus Monk, the Australian former professional who had two stints with World Tour teams, rocked up to the Wicklow Classic promoted by south Dublin club St Tiernan's CC and won the main event on the Wicklow Gap finish.

Monk, whose wife is former Irish professional cyclist Megan Armitage, is now riding with Chinese UCI Conti team FNIX-SCOM-Hengxiang, claimed the victory in a sprint from a four-man breakaway.

He was up the road, for most of the race, with Ronan O'Connor (APS Pro Cycling by Team Cadence Cyclery), Padraig Moran (Pinergy Orwell Wheelers) and Daire Feeley (Burren CC).

The top four were out there for the day, getting away in what was a really strong quartet on the first passage of the Hollywood climb on the circuit.

And once they put their heads down, and demonstrated a willingness to cooperate, it immediately looked like they would not be seen again.

Once the gap went to a couple of minutes, any effort to get a group away from the bunch behind, in a bid to bridge across, became a much bigger ask.

And as the leaders continued to work away at it up front, their advantage more than doubled, going out to five minutes. At that stage, and in reality long before it, the race was down to the leading four.

On the climb, though O'Connor tried several times, Monk and Moran were able to close him down, with Monk taking the verdict from O'Connor and Moran, in that order.

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