Conn McDunphy (Lucan CRC) took his first win of the season in Carrick-on-Suir yesterday when he was best in the headline event, the Bobby Power Memorial.
Having been racing in Europe in recent seasons, including with EvoPro Racing last year, he has returned to the home scene and looks likes he means business.
Yesterday, in very wet conditions, he broke clear with Paul Kennedy (Burren CC) in a long-range move. That duo worked well together to open a significant gap into the nearest chasers, with McDunphy just getting the better of his breakaway companion at the finish, winning the race with his lunge for the line and just pipping Kennedy.
With five laps of a 20km to race, the event was handicapped; the A2s getting two minutes of a start on the A1s. However, the scratch riders made light work of that, with a small group getting clear not long after the start and getting across to the A2s with little more than 10km covered.
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In that group were: Seán Hahessy (Dan Morrissey-Primór by Pissei), Mitchell McLaughlin (All human-VeloRevolution), Paul Kennedy (Burren CC) Conn McDunphy (Lucan CRC) and two others; one from All human-VeloRevolution and another from Moynalty CC.
Once they got across to the A2s they went through them, with Kennedy and McDunphy striking out in a two-man group with just over 80km remaining.
Over the next hour, such was the work rate among the two leaders that they put over three minutes into the nearest chasers, though knocked it back a little once that gap was established.
With the heavens opening as the race progressed, McDunphy and Kennedy came to the line - after 82km of up and over - to sprint it out for victory. While Kennedy led until just before the finish line, McDunphy pipped him on the inside with a late lunged for the line.
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Conor Hennebry (Dan Morrissey-Primór by Pissei) was best of the rest, getting clear of the chasing group to finish solo in 3rd place.
Patrick O’Loughlin, of promoting club Panduit Carrick Wheelers, demolised the group sprint for 4th place just seconds after Hennebry crossed the line, with McLaughlin 5th, Cillian Murphy (Galway Bay CC) 6th, junior Quillan Donnelly (Usher Irish Road Club) 7th and Mark O’Donovan (Blarney Cycling Club) in 8th.
In the A3 Tommy Sheehan Cup race, a small breakaway rode away from the rest of the filed to fight it out for victory, with three riders vying for the win at the end of the contest.
Sean Tarrant (O’Leary Stone Kanturk) was best of that trio, taking a clear win the finishing sprint from Michael Gammell (Burren CC) and (Joseph Mullen Navan RC).
David Culloty (All human-VeloRevolution) was next, taking 4th place just ahead of Shane O’Flynn, the Blarney CC suffering a mechanical just before the finish line and walking across the line for 5th place.
Eoghan Lattimore (Dungarvan CC) finished on his own in 6th, just ahead of Willem O’Connor (JEGG-DJR Academy) in 7th, with Ewan Buckley (Killarney CC) taking 8th.
The A4 Landy Cup came down to a sprint from a 10-man group, with Luke Costelloe (Killarney CC) producing an impressive finishing kick to take the victory from Ricardo Lopes (Limerick CC) and Tyrone Kennedy (Over The Hill CC).
Milo Donaldson (Killarney CC) was 4th with Jared Tritschler (Greenmount CA) 5th and Victor Morgan (St Finbarr’s CC) rounding out the top six while Jane Cullen (Spin the Bean p/b Coffee) was best woman.
