Welcome to stickybottle.com's live coverage of the Shay Elliott Classic here in Co Wicklow today, when we'll also be keeping an eye on the Ken Duff Memorial for C2s.
Today we're covering the Shay Elliott from start to finish; from the roll-out in Laragh to the conclusion of the event atop the famous Shay Elliott climb, which always serves up a big sort-out.
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Our coverage will involve a fresh post every few minutes to keep you informed of all the action; the riders getting up the road, those finding it hard and going off the back, as well as who's sitting in and who's working in the key groups. This is a 'one stop shop' for live commentary on how the races are progressing.
We have four laps of the 24km circuit for the C1s in our 124km Shay Elliott feature event before they race up the climb for the finish. The Ken Duff is two laps of the same circuit, and then the big finish, for a race of 76km. So join us for the next few hours and don't miss a beat.
Shay Elliott Classic | Stickybottle Live Coverage
- Ronan O'Connor (Team Skyline) wins from Gareth O'Neill (Athlete Nutrition Coach HD) and Ruairí Byrne (UCD Cycling Club), with JB Murphy (Kilcullen Murphy Geospacial) holding on for 4th place.
- Inside 1km to go and Ronan O'Connor (Team Skyline) still leads. It looks like he has this in the bag. JB Murphy is behind him, fighting for a podium spot, but he is being hunted down by Gareth O'Neill and Ruairí Byrne, with Matteo Cigala next on the road.
- Ronan O'Connor (Team Skyline) now leads solo by about 15 seconds from JB Murphy (Kilcullen). Then Gareth O'Neill and Ruairí Byrne are together about 17 seconds down on lone leader O'Connor. The rest of the breakaway has split to pieces.
- Leo Doyle (Atom 6 Bikes - Decca Continental Team) and Jack Conroy (Bray Wheelers) now dropped out the back of the breakaway chasing the four ahead. Ronan O'Connor and JB Murphy are still leading from Gareth O'Neill and Ruairí Byrne.
- Ronan O'Connor and JB Murphy are leading from Gareth O'Neill (Athlete Nutrition Coach HD) and Ruairí Byrne (UCD Cycling Club) - John Buller (Banbridge) had been with O'Neill and Byrne but was dropped.
- We are on the Shay Elliott climb now. On this first hardest part Kevin McCambridge (Unattached) is dropped out the back of the breakaway.
- Ruairí Byrne (UCD Cycling Club) has attacked after the two leaders - JB Murphy (Kilcullen) and Ronan O'Connor (Skyline) - and John Buller (Banbridge CC) is now chasing Byrne. They are being chased by two more: Gareth O'Neill (Nutrition Coaching) and Leo Doyle (Atom 6 Bikes-Decca Continental Team).
- Gareth O'Neill (Athlete Nutrition Coach HD) and Matteo Cigala (Dan Morrissey) have been caught. And now the breakaway is 31 seconds down on the two leaders, JB Murphy (Kilcullen) and Ronan O'Connor (Skyline), with about 8-10km to go.
- Gareth O'Neill (Nutrition Coaching) and Matteo Cigala (Dan Morrissey) have attacked after JB Murphy (Kilcullen) and Ronan O'Connor (Skyline).
- JB Murphy (Kilcullen GeoSpacial) and Ronan O'Connor (Team Skyline) are doing a great job here. They have about 30 seconds on the rest of the breakaway. The gap back to the bunch is now over one minute.
- JB Murphy (Kilcullen GeoSpacial) and Ronan O'Connor (Team Skyline) have attacked the breakaway and have a gap of about 10 seconds. Murphy is such a good rider, but you'd have to say the finish suits O'Connor better. The distance between the breakaway and bunch is now closer to one minute. Nobody from this bunch is coming back. It's down to the 14 men up front.
- We have 108km done, we've just left the circuit, now into the final of the race, heading for the Shay Elliott climb. The breakaway riders had 40 seconds on the bunch - of about 30 riders - the last check we got, just a few clicks ago.
- In this 14-rider group are: Lindsay Watson (Powerhouse Sport), last year's winner Mark Dowling (VeloRevolution), John Buller (Banbridge CC), Jack Conroy (Bray Wheelers), JB Murphy (Kilcullen), Daniel Yon hin (ARBÖ MiKo PV ON-Fahrrad), Luke Smith (Moynalty CC), Ruairí Byrne (UCD Cycling Club), Matteo Cigala (Dan Morrissey Pissei), Leo Doyle (Atom 6 Bikes - Decca Continental Team), Kevin McCambridge (Unattached), Ronan O'Connor (Team Skyline), Gareth O'Neill (Athlete Nutrition HD) and Padraig Moran (Lakeside).
- And just as we wrote that, one of those "stretches" in the bunch has resulted in 14 riders going clear. And they have a bit of a gap, maybe 20 seconds.
- It's still all together - of what remains of the bunch - with 99km done, still on this final lap of four of the 24km circuit. Well, it's "kinda" all together - the bunch is splitting and then coming back, though some of the splits are not being closed as quickly this deep into the race. So we have a stretched out bunch. After we complete this final lap we have approximately 13km to race; towards the top of the Shay Elliott climb for the finish.
- And just as we say that, the breakaway is caught. They simply never managed to pull out a gap of 30 seconds or more. They worked hard for nothing really, as it's turned out. But that's bike racing. More attacks off the front of the bunch now with 95km completed.
- This breakaway has ridden well but they are out there about 35-40km and there's only four of them. You'd really need a very big gap at this point if you wanted to make it all the way. Will the effort of this breakaway get to these riders when they hit the Shay Elliott climb? It would be very, very hard to keep it going up that climb having been riding in the breakaway for what would be half the race at that point.
- The breakaway now has 30 seconds on the bunch, with Leo Doyle (Atom 6 Bikes-Decca Continental Team) back in the bunch. So it's still four riders in that breakaway - Jack Conroy (Bray Wheelers), Ciaran Maguire (Dan Morrissey Pissei), John Buller (Banbridge C) and Con Scully (Dan Morrissey Pissei).
- We're just through Ballinaclash, which means we are now starting lap 4 - this is the final time the riders complete this 24km circuit. They'll then move off the circuit and head towards the finish on the Shay Elliott climb. We have 85km done of 124km.
- Just a reminder of the breakaway line-up: Jack Conroy (Bray Wheelers), Ciaran Maguire (Dan Morrissey Pissei), John Buller (Banbridge C) and Con Scully (Dan Morrissey Pissei).
- The chasing group has been caught by the bunch but Leo Doyle (Atom 6 Bikes-Decca Continental Team) has persisted on his own from that chasing group. He is almost across to the four leaders. But the leaders only have 15 seconds now on the bunch.
- We have 80km done and the two three-man chase groups have joined together. So it's a four-man breakaway being chased by six riders and then the bunch, which is still sizeable. The six-rider chase group is about 10 seconds ahead of the bunch and now the breakaway's advantage is coming down - it has about 20 seconds on the bunch.
- Now a three-man chase group has opened a gap on the bunch - about 10 seconds - in pursuit of the breakaway. In that three-strong chase group is Daire Feeley (Burren CC), Gareth O'Neill (Athlete Nutrition HD) and a UCD Cycling Club rider, as yet unidentified. And then three more are trying to get across to them. In that second trio is Leo Doyle (Atom 6 Bikes-Decca Continental Team), with two others.
- The breakaway now has 35 seconds. That breakaway is: Jack Conroy (Bray Wheelers), Ciaran Maguire (Dan Morrissey Pissei), John Buller (Banbridge C) and Con Scully (Dan Morrissey Pissei).
- However, just as I write that, the chasing group is caught. But Feeley (Burren CC) is immediately on the attack again off the front of the bunch, as is Gareth O'Neill (Athlete Nutrition Coach HD) and Luke Smith (Moynalty CC).
- Some of the top riders left in the bunch are now sensing the danger, with a small chase group trying to go clear. We have Daire Feeley (Burren CC) in that chasing group, along with at least one Team Skyline riders, who have missed the boat.
- That breakaway looks like it is opening the gap - now 28 seconds, with 72km done of this 124km Shay Elliott Classic.
- We have a new breakaway. They are: Jack Conroy (Bray Wheelers), Ciaran Maguire (Dan Morrissey Pissei), John Buller (Banbridge C) and Con Scully (Dan Morrissey Pissei). They have about 15 seconds. Jack Conroy has been riding really well here today for host club Bray Wheelers.
- The breakaway is caught and more attacks are going now on lap 3.
- The breakaway men are stretching it out a tiny bit, but they could still be caught quite soon, the gap is still very small. We are on that long straight just after Ballinaclash at the start of lap 3. And at this section on laps 1 and 2 the pace was sky high in the bunch, but it's more subdued now.
- We have just completed two laps of the course - with 62km in total done - and the breakaway is still just dangling off the front. Those leading riders are: Con Scully (Dan Morrissey Pissei), Daire Feeley (Burren CC), Gareth O'Neill (Nutrition Coach HD), Andy Maguire (Stafford Bonded), Odhran Doogan (Caldwell Cycles) and Evan Keane (Orwell Wheelers).
- The pace dropped a bit in the bunch the last few kilometres - they were still going 40km+ but the urgency fell off a bit. However, the breakaway really hasn't pulled any further ahead. And they may just be caught, there's only a matter of about 10 seconds of a gap.
- The breakaway has 15 seconds with 51km done. That 51km was completed in 1hr 9mins - of this 124km Shay Elliott Classic. The breakaway group is: Con Scully (Dan Morrissey Pissei), Daire Feeley (Burren CC), Gareth O'Neill (Nutrition Coach HD), Andy Maguire (Stafford Bonded), Odhran Doogan (Caldwell Cycles) and Evan Keane (Orwell Wheelers). Proper bike riders in there....
- We now have a group of seven up the road on this second lap. They have a gap of about 10-15 seconds. We'll have names in a moment (as long as they stay clear for at least a while).
- The race today is being sponsored by Trinity Skoda, and they've also supplied some extremely nice cars to promoting club Bray Wheelers. Great to see an event like this getting some proper backing.
- The breakaway has been caught. Game over - at least for now - for Darnell Moore (Caldwell Cycles), Jack Conroy (Bray Wheelers), Eoin Kelly (UCD Cycling Club), Gareth O'Neill (Athlete Nutrition HD), Lindsay Watson (Powerhouse Sport) and Ronan O'Connor (Team Skyline).
- We just got passed through Ballinaclash to complete the first lap, of four 24km laps, in this Shay Elliott Classic main event.
- We're heading towards Rathdrum, still on the first lap, with 34km done. The chase is on in the peloton, as they are really determined to get the breakaway back. The gap is still modest, about 30 seconds, and the bunch is lined out, as it has been many times. A number of riders at the back of the bunch in trouble; Sean Nolan (Navan RC), Hugh Butler (UCD Cycling Club) and James McEneaney (Moynalty CC).
- Just to clarify, we had Leo Doyle (Atom 6 Bikes-Decca Continental Team) in the initial breakaway but that was a mix-up. It was - and still is - JB Murphy (Kilcullen Geospacial) in that breakaway with the others.
- The breakaway has just grown, with JB Murphy (Kilcullen Geospacial) getting back in after he was mopped up by a three-rider chasing group which got across to the three leaders. So the breakaway now is: Darnell Moore (Caldwell Cycles), Jack Conroy (Bray Wheelers), Eoin Kelly (UCD Cycling Club), Gareth O'Neill (Athlete Nutrition HD), Lindsay Watson (Powerhouse Sport) and Ronan O'Connor (Team Skyline). There's one more rider we are waiting for confirmation on, bear with us. But that's a tidy group, a lot of watts in that one!
- McCambridge is back into the bunch, not a bother, so relaxed. And it's the same with John Buller (Banbridge CC), who had a pee on the move, got the business done and just breezed back into the bunch. You can see the experience of the riders who've raced abroad for a long time - Buller in France for several years and McCambridge with Trinity Racing. They move around effortlessly.
- Now just three up front and they have 32 seconds some 23km into this 124km Shay Elliott Classic. Watson appears to have dropped back. But Ronan O'Connor (Team Skyline), JB Murphy (Kilcullen Geospacial) and Jack Conroy (Bray Wheelers) are still clear.
- Kevin McCambridge (Unattached) looking for assistance back in the cars. Never saw a rider going back into the cavalcade looking so relaxed - Kevin "Smooth" McCambridge. Sean Nolan (Navan Road Club) got spat on the climb at the very start. We thought it was game over, but he's back in to the bunch now.
- Evan Keane (Orwell) was also off the back earlier but he's back in now. Again, like Matteo Cigala, it appears he wasn't "dropped" but just had some issue and lost touch. But he's back in now. Loving the Orwell jersey this year; a great club and the riders look mint this season!
- Four riders now off the front: Ronan O'Connor (Team Skyline), Lindsay Watson (Powerhouse Sport), Leo Doyle and Jack Conroy (Bray Wheelers). Cigala is also back on in the bunch, he just rolled back so he was in no trouble, even though it's been a very fast start after the initial snotty climb from the start.
- Matteo Cigala (Dan Morrissey Pissei) just off the back of the bunch now as we turn into the circuit and we have four laps of this 24km circuit to do.
- And now it's an early mechanical for one of the Banbridge CC lads - Olympian Mark Downey with that early set-back. Not good any day but especially on a day like today, this race is so hard.
- We are on the first small climb now, right after the start, with a small number of riders already spat out the back, from kilometre zero almost. That's a nasty little ramp to start with and we're just at the top, with the field strung out.
- We're ready here in Laragh for the roll-out of the Shay Elliott Classic at 10am, on a beautiful day for racing. It'll be important for the riders to get the liquids in today as the weather of the last few days has held, with warm and sunny conditions the order of the day.
