Gareth O'Neill has taken his first win of the season, claiming the main event at the Coombes-Connor in Co Louth on Sunday, after leaving himself with a mountain to climb when the race got away from him in the early stages.
Though he came to the finish with Lindsay Watson (Powerhouse Sport) and Odhran Doogan (Caldwell Cycles), and beat them both in the sprint, he spent most of the contest on the back foot.
Indeed his snatching victory from the jaws of defeat represented an impressive performance, which he told stickybottle he was very happy with.
"It was nice to get the account open early and just to get the confidence going," he said of prevailing though outnumbered by Caldwell Cycles and Banbridge CC.
"Obviously you know the form is there, and you know you're going well, but it's nice to take an early season goal, get that box ticked early on."
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On the opening lap - of eight on the 14.5km circuit - a breakaway, and then a chase group, got clear, with O'Neill missing both. "I didn't make it easy for myself," he said.
He was then forced into a rescue mission through the Jons Drogheda Wheelers promotion. However, he was accompanied by very strong riders when he finally got into a group of his own.
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With him were Conor Murphy (Caldwell Cycles), John Buller (Banbridge CC) and Toby Sweetman (VC Glendale). Though that made for a strong unit, Caldwell and Banbridge were strongly represented in the two groups up ahead, meaning Murphy and Buller could not be expected to fully commit to a full chase.
Their four-rider group formed going onto the second passage of the circuit and it would be another two full laps before they caught those ahead.
The latter stage of their chase was aided by the fact the two groups ahead of them came together, creating some uncertainty and a new dynamic up front. That took some of the impetus out of their effort and facilitated O'Neill and the three riders he was with closing the last of the gap.
Watson was in the front group alongside Kevin McCambridge (Inspired Cycling), Matt Teggart, Cameron McIntyre (Banbridge CC), Odhran Doogan and Oisin Ferrity (both Caldwell Cycles), junior rider Matthew Walls (Lucan CRC) and Peter McLean (Velo Café Magasin), among others.
When the four chasers caught them, O'Neill attacked, though that move was short-lived. However, with two laps to go, and with attacks being fired off the front, Watson and Doogan got clear, with O'Neill going across to them.
And that would prove the winning of the race; the trio riding hard all the way to the finish, where they sprinted it out to decide the order of the podium.
After the top three, Ferrity proved best of the rest; taking 4th place from Buller, Walls, McIntyre, McLean, McCambridge and with Max Fitzgerald (JEGG-DJR Academy) rounding out the top 10.
