Niall McLoughlin has taken the biggest win of his fledgling road racing career when he was best of a three-man breakaway at the end of the junior race at the Des Hanlon Memorial in Co Carlow today.
The Westport Covey Wheelers rider, a former Irish U16 cyclocross champion, took victory in a three-up sprint from Patrick O'Loughlin (Panduit Carrick Wheelers) and Con Scully of the hosts Carlow Road Cycling Club.
The event, promoted by Carlow Road Cycling Club, was the opening round in the junior Cycling Ireland National Road Series. That means Conway now leads that series from O'Loughlin and Scully, who are both on international duty next weekend at junior Gent Wevelgem in Belgium.
Aged just 16-years-old last December, McLoughlin won the elite men's race at the Connacht Cyclocross Championships in Co Galway. The now 17-year-old also claimed bronze in the junior race at the National Cyclocross Championships in Armagh back in January.
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Last year, during his first season as a junior, he represented Ireland at the European Track Championships in the Netherlands, where the individual pursuit, team pursuit and madison were among his events.
Lots more to come.
