Oisin Ferrity is the new Irish men's junior road race champion after emerging victorious from a breakaway in Kanturk, Co Cork, today. The Island Wheelers rider saw off Niall McLoughlin (Westport Covey Wheelers) and Patrick O'Loughlin (Panduit Carrick Wheelers) in the final sprint to the line.
McLoughlin and O'Loughlin left their charge late on the day; getting across late to the breakaway, which Ferrity had been in for much of the 119km event.
But while O'Loughlin and McLoughlin are very strong finishers - the latter having won a stage of Rás Mumhan in a bunch sprint this year - Ferrity has a kick of his own and he won the gallop comfortably today.
The junior men raced one lap of 59km before moving on to the 15km circuit for four laps; an undulating course on which an aggressive race played out, with breakaway men going clear from very early in the contest.
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Matt Griffin of promoting club O’Leary Stone Kanturk showed no fear despite the length of the race and the challenge of the day in store; breaking away early with Timothy Lane (JRC Interflon Race Team) and Finn McHenry (The Cycling Academy).
With just 8km raced, those three leaders had a gap of just over one minute, though Lane was dropping back to the bunch - it seemed - by the 10km marker and with the gap now just north of 1½ minutes.
However, as Lane dropped back a chasing group had gotten clear of the bunch and it scooped him up. In that chasing group with Lane were:
Rory Gallagher (Castlebar Cycling Club), Daragh McGee (Dungarvan CC), Oisin Ferrity (Island Wheelers) and Darragh Doherty (VC Glendale).
That group soon caught Griffin and McHenry up front, making for a powerful breakaway with numbers. They raced around the large 59km loop with a gap of about one minute over the peloton for a prolonged period.
Before the race reached the 15km circuit for four laps, attacks off the front of the bunch saw the gap between that peloton and the breakaway come down as low as 30 seconds at one stage, though it soon shot out again to just over one minute.
One of the circuit, Finn McHenry (The Cycing Academy) attacked the breakaway on the climb, with Matt Griffin and Rory Gallagher slipping off the back of the breakaway group as McHenry surged forward.
McHenry continued to lead solo through the second of the four 15km laps, with the chasing group - the remains of the original breakaway - behind him. Ruairi Byrne (Pinergy Orwell Wheelers) attacked the peloton and raced clear solo, some 1:11 behind the remains of the breakaway, with the peloton just 20 seconds behind him.
A chasing group eventually formed around Byrne and also included his Pinergy Orwell Wheelers team mate Tadhg Killeen, along with Curtis Neill (Carn Wheelers) and Daragh McGee (Dungarvan CC).
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With two of the four 15km laps remaining, three men from the original breakaway were still leading the race - Finn McHenry (The Cycing Academy), Darragh Doherty (VC Glendale) and Oisin Ferrity (Island Wheelers). They were being chased by Ruairi Byrne and Tadhg Killeen, both of Pinergy Orwell Wheelers, and Curtis Neill (Carn Wheelers).
When those two groups merged - creating a six-man breakaway - the remains of the peloton was just over one minute back. But as they moved onto the last lap, and with the bunch now down to 14 riders, that 'bunch' began to further break up. The strongest men who surged forward from the remains of the bunch were now just 40 seconds back on the six leaders.
Up front, McHenry - who rode a great race - was on the attack off the front- with Darragh Doherty (VC Glendale) responding, before the front six regrouped.
Niall McLoughlin (Covey Westport Wheelers) and Patrick O'Loughlin (Panduit Carrick Wheelers) emerged as the strongest of those who missed the breakaway and they got across to the leaders on the final lap.
On that final loop, Tadhg Killeen (Pinergy Orwell Wheelers) and Curtis Neill (Carn Wheelers) were distanced, with the remains of the breakaway going to the finish together to fight it out for the medals; Ferrity proving fastest for gold with McLoughlin taking silver and O'Loughlin claiming the bronze. Orwell Wheelers won the team prize.
More to come.
