Hawkins “ecstatic” after taking Des Hanlon showdown in Carlow; An Posts among starters

Hawkins edges out Sherlock as the chasing group absorbs Martin on the line (Photo: Tony Quinn)

By Brian Canty

Peter Hawkins has further enhanced his growing reputation with a brilliant sprint victory from a select breakaway at the Des Hanlon Memorial in Carlow today, Sunday, to take the first big domestic showdown of the year.

Run off in high spring temperatures, tipping 17 degrees, the IG Sigma-Sport rider just edged out Cycleways’ Ryan Sherlock after three laps of the tough Carlow circuit, with Dan Morrissey/Speedy Spokes fast-man Paidi O’Brien third.

Hawkins said afterwards he was delighted to claim his third win of 2012.

“I’m ecstatic,” he told stickybottle.

“I’ve had a few wins this year but if you’d asked me at the start of the year what race I want to do well in in Ireland, it’s this one. I’ve had three podiums the last three years in the race but no win and I’m just ecstatic to finally get the win.”

Hawkins, riding his first season with the UK-based IG Sigma Sport team, said he was unsure of his form coming into the race today but wasn’t long finding his legs.

“The break didn’t go as early as normal. It usually goes away on the first lap and that’s it then for the day. But it kept coming back which was surprising. So nothing significant happened for the first lap, except the speed was quite high.”

“There was a break that went on the second lap but I wasn’t in it so I had to work with a few guys to get back. Then a group of about 30 got away on the last lap so it was quite a big group, bigger than normal, and I was in that.”

While that group of 30 were all still in contention going into the last of the three laps, the tough circuit, long race distance and attacking riding on that final lap split the group to pieces. Coming in towards the finish Hawkins and Sherlock pulled cleared with Thomas Martin (Eurocycles) and Mark Dowling (DID Dunboyne) and it looked like the race was between them.

However, Dowling punctured with just 1km to go, by which point a chasing group of six riders were closing on the leaders fast. As the trio played cat and mouse before the gallop the gap to the chasers came right down.

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Hawkins opened the sprint and held off Sherlock to win. The chasing group just about caught the leading trio on the line, with O’Brien the quickest of the chasers nipping Thomas Martin for fourth.

A strong field signed on in perfect racing conditions, with An Post’s Sam Bennett and Connor McConvey amongst them. The duo are returning from illness that has hampered the early part of their seasons but they still contributed to a brisk opening lap today.

McConvey and Bennett, along with eventual winner Hawkins, closed down many of the threatening moves in the first two laps. However, Bennett paid for his efforts and seemed to blow on the last lap and eventually finished in a chasing group.

McConvey was in the small chase group with Paidi O’Brien that caught the three leaders on the line. He eventually finished eight and said he was happy with his day’s work after what has been a frustrating period sidelined from racing.

“I’ve just been sick all the time and it’s hard to get a run going but maybe it can be of some good yet because the season is a long one and usually I’m OK at the start but tend to not be so good later. So hopefully it can be the other way round this time. My coach always says I’m like a bull in the sense that I’ve never really been sick but now I can’t seem to shake it off. But today was good and it’s just about losing some weight and getting into shape now for me.”

Russell Treacy (St Finbarrs) took a fabulous bunch sprint victory in the A2 race, winning by three bike lengths from a front group of some 50 riders. Treacy lost contact on the ascent of the climb before the finish but showed immense descending skill and no shortage of determination by getting back on terms, roaring to the front and out-staying his adversaries on the flat run-in.

In the A4 race, Derek Byrne (Laois CC) was best of a four-up sprint to the line after the quartet surged clear of a group of some 15 riders on the approach to the finish. A nasty crash on the way in the road saw four riders shipped to hospital with suspected broken bones.

We’ll have photos later.