The continued uncertainty around their
team EvoPro Racing did not stop Conn McDunphy and Cian Keogh throwing
themselves in the attacks at Cholet-Pays de la Loire (1.1) in France yesterday.
Former
elite Irish TT champion McDunphy and national track title winner Keogh were
both involved in the early exchanges in the 202km race in a field featuring
WorldTour teams.
“I was in the second move of the day and
we had Cian in the first one,” McDunphy told stickybottle of yesterday’s race. “When
I was in the second move there was a group of four of us and it was looking
like we might stay away but it ultimately got caught before the eventual main
breakaway got away.”
The race, which started and finished in
Cholet in the Maine-et-Loire department of western France, was run over a large
150km loop before concluding with seven laps of an undulating 8km course.
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McDunphy said the finishing circuit was like a criterium and that he focussed hard on constantly staying in the right position so he could survive as the remains of the peloton continued to get smaller.
On the last climb of the final lap he
lost some ground and lost touch with the front group. And while he nearly got
back on, what was left of the main field blew to pieces on a section of the
course into a headwind with about 4km to go.
In the end he finished in 42nd place, in
a group at 31 seconds. The race was won, in a sprint from a much reduced bunch,
by Marc Sarreau (AG2R Citroën) from Emmanuel Morin (U Nantes Atlantique) and Piet Allegaert (Cofidis).
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JB Murphy, the 22-year-old who is new to
this level, put in a very solid ride to finish the event on a day when the attrition
rate was very high, with a large number of abandons. Murphy placed 95th in a
group 11:21 down. That was his first finish competing against WorldTour teams;
an important juncture for him.
Fellow Irish internationals Cian Keogh
and Liam Curley rode very solidly for EvoPro Racing in France yesterday but
were non finishers.
EvoPro Racing also had a selection in
action at Grand Prix
Criquielion (1.2) in Lessines,
Belgium, on Saturday, where Daire Feeley put in a strong ride for 24th place,
some 1:01 down on winner Pier-André Coté )Human Powered Health).
Sean Nolan, also riding for EvoPro
Racing was 84th at 2:28. Dillon Corkery, who is competing for CC Etupes this
year, was also in the race and placed 102nd at 8:30.
Irish riders Tom Moriarty and Mitchell McLaughlin, both making their debuts at this level and for EvoPro Racing, were among the non-finishers in Belgium on Saturday.
