Páidí O’Brien shows a clean pair of wheels to UCD CC's Eoin Morton and Mark Dowling of DID Dunboyne to win the Gas Networks Ireland Visit Nenagh Classic (Photo: Sean Rowe)
By Brian Canty
Páidí O’Brien has added yet another win to his season tally with a superb victory in the Gas Networks Ireland VisitNenagh.ie Classic this afternoon.
The Osbourne Meats-McCarthy Cycles man was quickest to the line from a five-man break with Eoin Morton (UCD CC), Mark Dowling (DID Dunboyne), Bryan McCrystal (Team ASEA) and Greg Swinand (Aquablue) trailing just behind.
The win is O’Brien’s eighth of the season and follows his three stage wins of the Kerry Group Rás Mumhan as well as the Silver Pail GP in Fermoy last weekend, amongst others.
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It clearly underlines how good the Cork man’s form is right now and as well as keeping him at the top of Cycling Ireland’s rider rankings he storms right back into contention for the National Road Series.
For runner-up Morton it marks the best result of his season to date, despite him having won in the CicliSport GP in Tyrone already.
O'Brien leading some of the breakaway men on his way to victory in one of the hardest races of the year (Photo: Sean Rowe)
Today’s field had more quality and in besting the likes of Dowling and McCrystal, his runner up spot was a great ride.
For Dowling, he probably got as good as he could have, given the circumstances.
O’Brien and Morton would have always been fancied to edge him in a straight, flat sprint but he tried gallantly to shake both on the final climb of the day at Big Park.
The fact he was unable to do so – like he did when he won the Des Hanlon Memorial Classic last month - probably resigned him to third today.
But it was a cracking ride nonetheless by him, having bridged across a gap of almost two minutes by himself.
Veteran Greg Swinand puts in a very good ride to get up the road among the strongest and take 5th on the day (Photo: Sean Rowe)
How the race unfolded
On a perfect day for racing the riders rolled out of Nenagh with a vocal crowd coming out in support, a testament to the organisers for their work in promoting what is now one of the biggest one-day races of the year.
The A1-A2 peloton was a huge one, with most of the country’s ‘big hitters’ present.
With a categorised climb one kilometre long after 14 kilometres it was David McCarthy (Condor-JLT ) who went over the top of it first with Damien Shaw (Team ASEA) and Daire Feeley (iTap) next.
That wasn’t enough to cause significant damage and by the second KOH at Shallee the bunch was still intact, though cracks were beginning to emerge towards the rear of the field.
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Shallee was over three kilometres long and that’s where the first big split of the day occurred; Shaw, McCarthy and Sean McKenna (Aquablue) taking the points in that order at the summit.
However, by the third KOH at Chapel Hill the front group was down to less than 50 riders, with a chase group almost two and a half minutes in arrears
David McCarthy of JLT-Condor on the front of the group on one of the many climbs that littered the course (Photo: Sean Rowe)
At this stage a large break had formed at the head of the race with Sean Lacey (Aquablue), Robin Kelly (Waterford Racing Team), Sean Hahessy (Fitscience), Colm Cassidy (Aquablue), Liam Dolan (Cuchulainn CC), Eoin Morton (UCD CC), Fraser Duncan (Team ASEA) and a Dutch rider among those represented.
Morton took his first KOH points of the day at Chapel Hill and he was also the first man over the KOH at Four Roads.
The leaders didn’t stay long out front and when they were caught another five-man escape went clear featuring Chris Reilly (Team ASEA) and the aforementioned Swinand, Morton and O’Brien as well as Dutch rider De Jong.
Reilly took the next KOH followed by Morton and Swinand and their gap extended to 1:30 with about 50k to go.
Dowling, who missed the move, took off in pursuit from the reduced chase group and amazingly he managed to bridge despite a gap of almost two minutes.
Morton took the next KOH at Dolla to cement his authority as leader of that classification which he would eventually win it outright.
Mark Dowling takes a swig from his bottle, with Aquablue's Cathal Moynihan just behind (Photo: Sean Rowe)
With 30 kilometres left to race there were now six leaders in the shape of Reilly, O’Brien, Swinand, Dowling, Morton and De Jong, with what remained of the bunch at around a minute.
Morton made sure of the KOH jersey by taking the points at Big Park but Dowling’s surges were enough to cut that front group in half.
Bryan McCrystal absconded from the bunch in search of a late smash and grab and things looked very good for him when he merged with the leaders inside 15 kilometres to go.
O’Brien tested the waters with an attack around the five kilometres to go mark but coming under the red kite there were still five in the hunt for the win; Reilly and De Jong losing contact out the road.
Attack followed attack but O’Brien bided his time before launching the acceleration that’s made him one of the most feared men on the home scene.
And he had a couple of bike lengths on Morton who in turn had half a wheel on Dowling.
More later.
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