Ryan Mullen (Trek-Segafredo) has won the elite men’s road race at the National Road championships in Co Wicklow today, outsprinting Daire Feeley (All human-VeloRevolution) in a two-battle for the title in Coolbeg, Rathnew, Co Wicklow
Conn McDunphy, last year’s elite TT champion and now
riding for EvoPro Racing, took the bronze medal just 38 seconds behind the
leading duo.
The combined elite and U23 race was full of action, with John Buller (Amicale Cycliste Bisontine) really underlining his return to the top level after some health issues as he won the U23 crown today.
He took that title just ahead of Liam Curley (Spellman-Dublin
Port). George Peden (Team PB Performance) claimed the U23 bronze.
The 160km race saw the usual frenzy of activity that characterise the early phase of championship racing in Ireland; the established pro riders try to get clear and being matched by the best men from the domestic scene.
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On what was an undulating course today, the cream was always going to rise to the top, and so it did; a very strong ground forming off the front with about 100km to race containing almost riders.
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From that group, Eddie Dunbar (Ineos Grenadiers) and
Nicolas Roche (Team DSM) broke free. They quickly gained over half a minute on
the chasing group before Dunbar crashed, leaving Roche out front on his own.
While Dunbar remounted, he was caught by the group, as
Chris McGlinchey (Spectra Wiggle Vitus)
rode across to Roche. As
McGlinchey and Roche led the way, the chasing group behind them was thinned
right back from an original near 20 riders.
The chasers included: Ryan Mullen (Trek Segafredo), Daire Feeley (All human-VeloRevolution), Conn McDunphy (EvoPro Racing), Matt Taggert (Velo Club Villefranche Beaujolais), Liam Curley (Spellman Dublin Port), Ben Healy (Trinity Racing), Rory Townsend (Canyon dhb SunGod), John Buller (Amicale Cycliste Bisontine) and Eddie Dunbar (Ineos Grenadiers).
Roche and McGlinchey pushed on out front before Mullen
and Feeley rode across to them with about 50km to go. At that point Teggart and
Healy were also trying to get away from the chasing group and across to the
front of the race, which they eventually did with McDunphy for company.
That formed a seven-man group out front but with just
over 30km to go, last year’s champion Healy lost his place in the front group.
Behind them, a trio – Dunbar, Buller and Curley - were chasing the leaders
about one minute back, though Dunbar was eventually forced to stop as he was
injured.
From that point the leaders moved onto the final lap,
where Mullen and Feeley wrestled clear and rode away to fight it out for gold
and silver.
As they rode on towards the finish, McDunphy set off from
the chase group in pursuit of the two leaders. And that was the way it stayed
until the finish; Mullen beating Feeley on the drag up to the finish line with
McDunphy finishing solo some 38 seconds back.
Teggart was 4th at 1:50, finishing just three
seconds ahead of McGlinchey in 5th, before Roche finished another 30
seconds later, in 6th place. There was then a big gap back to the
next man; Healy placing 7th at 8:08.
Some 21 seconds after he finished came the two-up sprint
for the U23 title, with Buller beating Curley for the gold medal – 8th
and 9th in the combined elite-U23 race. And well over a minute after
them came Townsend, rounding out the top 10 some 9:51 down on the winner.
Road Race Top 10
- Mullen, Ryan Trek-Segafredo 3:57:18
- Feeley, Daire All human/VeloRevolution Racing Team +00
- Mc Dunphy, Conn EvoPro Racing +38
- Teggart, Matthew Velo Club Villefranche Beaujolais +1:50
- Mc Glinchey, Christopher (37) Spectra Wiggle p/b Vitus +1:53
- Roche, Nicholas Team DSM +2:33
- Healy, Ben Trinity Racing +8:08
- Buller, John Amicale Cycliste Bisontine +8:29
- Curley, Liam Spellman-Dublin Port +8:29
- Townsend, Rory Canyon DHB Sungod +9:51
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