Junior Shane O’Hara overcomes late sprint scare for inaugural Ian Gallahar Memorial

Shane O’Hara (Limerick CC) just about holds on for the win from Brian McArdle (Orwell Wheelers)

Limerick first-year junior Shane O’Hara put his renowned sprinting skills on display at the end of the Ian Gallahar Memorial in Co Meath to take victory today, but not before a late mishap almost cost him the race

The national junior squad member was by far the strongest in the bunch sprint that settled the A3 race, but just as it looked like he was about to start celebrating, he pulled his left foot out of the pedal and completely lost his momentum in the closing metres of the uphill finish.

It looked for a second as though he would be swamped by those around him, but he made a last ditch determined lunge to the line as his clear lead disappeared to less than half a wheel. He just about got his bike over the line ahead of second placed Brian McArdle (Orwell Wheelers) at the end of the circuit race on the Dorey’s Forge loop run by Dublin Wheelers Cycling Club.

O’Hara said afterwards his cleat on his left shoe was a little worn, and that combined with the effort of the uphill sprint saw his foot come away just short of the line, adding he was relieved the mishap had not cost him the race

“It was a good race, you could see in the early stages that groups were getting away but then just being brought back. You’d have a group go clear and then others would keep getting across until the break just got too big and was caught. I stayed in the bunch between around 20^th and 30^th, keeping an eye on everything and then at the end moved up into the top ten riders for the sprint.”

Having just come out of U16 racing, where he was a member of the national FBD Talent Team 2020, O’Hara is now part of the junior national set-up and seems to have made a seamless transition to senior racing.

“My coach Stephan Teeling Lynch of Go Tri has also really put a lot of work in and got me in great shape so I definitely couldn’t take all the credit,” he said.

On the opening weekend of the season a fortnight ago, he was 6^th in the Ned Flanagan Memorial, though that placing perhaps did not flatter him.

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As was the case today, he proved by far the fastest in the bunch sprint in Monasterevin two weeks ago and would have placed a little high had he not started his gallop for the minor placings so far back.

While he put in some very good performances last year, he said his decision to give up rugby over the winter and focus exclusively on cycling for the first time appears to have stood him in good stead.

His next major goal is a good ride in the Gorey Three Day over the Easter Bank Holiday Weekend. More long term, he is looking ahead to the Junior Tour and is hoping for selection on the national development team for that. And later in the year he said a dream goal would be national selection for the World Road Race Championships in Italy and also the World Track Championships in Glasgow.

Ian Gallahar Memorial (A3)