Heroic McKenna beats Lavery to win thrilling Des Hanlon

Sean McKenna has taken his biggest one-day win with victory in the Des Hanlon Memorial; topping a fantastic trio on the podium in the main event (Photo: Sean Rowe)

The rise and rise of student Sean McKenna has continued unabated as he took victory in the Des Hanlon Memorial in Co Carlow on Sunday.

He won what is perhaps the most coveted one day race in the country after the national championships and Shay Elliott Classic despite being in the middle of preparing for his final year college exams.

The Aquablue man edged Philip Lavery (Unattached) and Michael O’Loughlin (Team Wiggins) at the end of the 155-kilometre event.

McKenna and O’Loughlin had been in the day’s main break from as early as the 30-kilometre mark.

Lavery joined towards the latter end of the second of three laps and while he would have been fancied to win the three-up sprint that decided the contest, McKenna had too much.

All three are very different by classy riders at different stages in their careers and made an excellent final podium.

McKenna has signed with An Post-Chainreaction for this year but will not join that team at its Belgian based until after his fast-approaching exams.

O’Loughlin is also in college and having been Ireland’s top junior last year he signed for Continental-level Team Wiggins and will go abroad for spells after his exams.

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Lavery has done it all before, riding for Continental teams An Post and Node4-Giordana.

He secured a trial with French pro outfit Cofidis the season before last but he was extremely unlucky that his services were not retained.

He is now back racing and is about to depart for France, clearly in great form having worked hard in training, to give full time racing another go.

The rangy Team Aquablue man McKenna had to be content to 3rd place on St Patrick’s Day at the Bobby Power Memorial in Carrick-on-Suir when his team mate Conor Hennebry pulled clear with the prolific Lavery.

And at the finish it was Dubliner Lavery who bested Hennebry to win, with McKenna taking the sprint for 3rd from the remains of the breakaway from young O’Loughlin.