Dean Harvey (Trinity Racing) may have taken some time to get going on the mud after the road season but the national cyclocross champion turned it on today in Thurles, Co Tipperary.
The 21-year-old claimed victory in 'round 3' of the National Cyclocross Series by over a minute from Tadhg Killeen (Kilcullen Cycling Club Murphy Geospacial), who has been the man of the season so far.
In the women's race, Doireann Killeen (Kilcullen Cycling Club Murphy Geospacial), who has been flying this season, was victorious again in today's Upperchurch Drombane promotion.
However, elite rider Killeen was pushed al the way today by young Aoife O'Donovan; the 16-year-old from Dungarvan CC who has already made quite an impression this season.
Killeen got ahead early in the women's six-lap race and was leading O'Donovan by about 13 seconds at the halfway point, with Stephanie Roche (Scott Racing IRL) back in 3rd, one minute down on the leader.
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Up front, O'Donovan took a few seconds back from Killeen on lap 4 but lost another six seconds on the penultimate lap. Though she closed the gap by seven seconds to Killeen on the last passage of the circuit, the gap was still nine seconds on the line after 44 minutes of racing.
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Roche finished in 3rd at 1:51 with Ami Flavin (Dungarvan CC) 4th at 2:23, Rachel Newell (McConvey Cycles) was 5th at 2:57 and Niamh Stevens (Team Giant Dublin) rounded out the top six at 3:09.
In the men's race, just five riders finished on the same lap as winner Harvey, who led the way from Killeen by 1:08 from Killeen with Travis Harkness (Spellman Dublin Port) in 3rd, at 2:14.
Richie Barry (St Finbarr's) was 4th three minutes, with Michael Collins (Newcastle West CC) in 5th, at 3:42, and Tim O'Regan (All human-VeloRevolution) 6th at 4:29.
The first three laps were very close, with nothing to separate the eventual top three; Harvey, Killeen and Harkness. However, Harvey put between 10 and 15 seconds per lap into Killeen over the next three passages of the circuit, to lead by over 30 seconds by the halfway point.
And from there, through the second half of the race he added to that advantage, winning by 1:08 from Killeen, with Harkness in 3rd at 2:14 and Barry a further 46 seconds back in 4th.
In the junior men's race, the junior of the season so far, Curtis McKee (Spellman Dublin Port) claimed victory by 44 seconds from James Armstrong (VG Glendale), with Ryan Daly (Scott Racing IRL) 3rd at 1:26.
In the Masters 40 race, Ronan O'Flynn (Orwell Wheelers) claimed a very clear win; rounding the nine laps in 57:52, some 2:40 ahead of Marcus Flavin (Dungarvan CC), with Ronan Killeen (Lucan CRC) in 3rd at 3:09.
