Gater takes Laragh Classic as McKenna pays price in breakaway

Keith Gater takes the Laragh Classic, with the men he was with in the escape shaping up for the finishing sprint in the distance behind him (Photo: Karen M Edwards)

By Brian Canty

Keith Gater has taken a superb win from UCD CC’s Sean McKenna in today’s second annual Friends First Laragh Classic in County Wicklow.

Gater, who will go to the rescheduled National Vets Championships in Multyfarnham, Co Westmeath, next Saturday as one of the hot favourites, was in blistering form today and he adds this latest victory to the Dungarvan CC GP he won in the middle of June.

The Waterford man sowed the seeds of victory early today when made his way into the day’s three-man break with his teammate Damien Shaw and McKenna on the first of four laps and stayed there to the finish of the 116km main event.

McKenna put in a gallant ride but could do nothing in the final as he was outnumbered by the two Aquablue men and Gater pulled ahead when he and Shaw started to work over McKenna, who has been in great this season even prior to taking the yellow jersey at Kerry Group Rás Mumhan way back at Easter.

The leading trio today had to work hard to forge a gap of a minute, with each of them taking long honest turns at the front. It wasn’t until around the midway point that the margin really went out.

Sean McKenna of UCD CC was up the road again today, but with two Aquablue men for company it was always going to be tough to win out.

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On the penultimate lap they pulled out a not insignificant margin of 2:30 which soon jumped up to 2:55 and by the bell had a massive six minutes on a group of seven.

Those chasers - with the exception of Mark Dowling (DID Dunboyne) and James Davenport (South Dublin CC) - were all either Aquablue or UCD men so there was never any hope the front three would be reeled in.

Coming to the line Aquablue played it to perfection, keeping the pace high and taking turns on jumping McKenna who had no answer to Gater’s race-winning acceleration.

In the A3 race Ian Cassidy of Fixx Rouleurs took victory from a four-man escape, his run of good form continuing having won the Beechmount Cup in August and a stage of the Charleville Two Day last weekend.

James McFadden of Dublin University 2on the A4 race, which was two and a half laps of the 24k circuit.