Paul Kennedy, centre, wins the Masters support race at the National Criterium Championships in Dublin city centre (Photo: Toby Watson)
Paul Kennedy (Burren CC) has won the masters support race at the National Criterium Championships in Dublin city centre, emerging best from the breakaway in the rain on Sunday morning.
Kennedy - who won the Crotty Cup in Co Clare on Saturday and rode the Tommy Brady Memorial in Co Meath on Saturday night - galloped in at the front of the three-man breakaway on Sir John Rogerson’s Quay.
He won a very tight sprint from Neill Delahaye (Bellurgan Wheelers) and Adam Greally (St Tiernan’s CC). Jason Howick (Bray Wheelers) and Keith Walsh (Greenmount CA) with 4th and 5th, the only other finishers.
How the race unfolded
The race split on the opening lap and by the time the riders had two laps – just under 2km – completed, the event had taken shape for the day.
Advertisement
A four-man group was off the front and working well. Initially they were chased by a small bunch, of about 10. But that group split on the first laps, with groups of two, three and four riders strewn around the course.
Up front, the lead group consisted of Paul Kennedy (Burren CC), Bryan McCrystal (Bear Cycling), Adan Greally (St Tiernan’s CC) and Keith Walsh (Greenmount CA).
They were being chased by Neill Delahaye (Bellurgan Wheelers) and Jason Howick (Bray Wheelers).
And though Delahaye and Howick were caught out at the start, and really should not had missed the front group, they never looked like they were being left behind. They always looked like they had a chance and, indeed, were likely to join the leaders.
Related News
After about 20 minutes of racing, McCrystal was missing from the four-man breakaway when it passed through the start-finish area after suffering a crash in the group in the wet conditions.
And though the riders were permitted to take a lap out if they punctured or crashed, McCrystal’s race was unfortunately over.
Shortly after McCrystal had his problem, Howick and Delahaye got across to the leaders, making it five up front – alongside Kennedy, Greally and Walsh.
After 20 minutes of racing, Kennedy – who won the Crotty Cup in Co Clare on Saturday and also rode in Robinstown on Saturday evening – won the prime, with Delahaye getting the next one a little later.
With 10 laps remaining, all of the riders in the field had been lapped by the leaders and were out. Over the next couple of laps, Delahaye hit the front, with the speed going up and splits appearing in the group, though ultimately it stayed intact.
But as they passed through the start-finish with seven laps to go, Delahaye was on the front again, with Greally right on his wheel and then a small gap to the others; Kennedy on the front of that trio making sure the two ahead did not ride away.
With five laps to go, Greenmount’s Walsh had crashed and the group had split; Kennedy, Delahaye and Greally leading, with a gap back to Howick and another gap then to Walsh.
However, while Walsh drifted further off the back as the next couple of laps ticked down, track man Howick put up a great fight and was very close to getting back onto the leading trio.
But with two laps to go, the elastic looked like it had finally snapped and he was distanced a little further from the leading trio, who went to the finish to fight it out.
