Ryan Mullen takes an epic win in the A3 race – great looking finish area and a great picture (Photo: www.irishcyclingphotos.com / Barry Sutton)
The Irish Junior Development Team pulled off a great win in the A3 event at the ‘Visit Nenagh-DMG Classic’ yesterday, Sunday, with team members Ryan Mullen and Daniel Stewart getting clear just before the 20 mile mark in what would prove to be the winning move.
Mullen was leading out Stewart for one of the KOH primes and going over the top of that climb they realised they had a gap and pressed on.
Mullen said with the gap at around 1:30 by the time they reached the halfway point in the 104km race, Stewart faded a little but he knew he had to press on hard alone to try and make it to the finish without being caught.
Advertisement
“I felt really good up until the last climb,” Mullen told stickybottle.
“I cramped severely after I descended down from the final hill so I had to back off a bit for a few kilometres. The last 10km really hurt me. The head wind was relentless. I was just counting the metres until I got back in to Nenagh.”
Mullen said the race was one of the best organised events he had ever ridden and that those behind it had given a “huge welcome” to the junior team. The race also came after a busy week for him.
Last Sunday he won a 24 mile hilly TT in North Wales and followed that up with a criterium win on Wednesday and a 15 mile TT victory on Thursday – both in Wales where he lives.
Mullen, who riders for Planet X when not riding for Ireland, was part of a nine man Irish junior development team in yesterday’s race.
Related News
As well as him and Stewart (Antrim East Audi) the team included: Shaun Rigley (South Dublin), Thomas Fallon (Seven Springs), Matthew Doyle (Foyle CC), Jason Prendergast (Cunga Bikes), Dylan Foley (St Finbarr’s), Danny Bruton (DID Dunboyne) and Sean Hahessy (Carrick Wheelers).
The riders were in the region for a training camp at the weekend and after getting in some miles on Saturday and also practicing sprint lead-outs and other skills such as riding in echelons, they also rode yesterday’s race.
Manager Frank O’Leary said the riders had gelled well and seemed to be team players. He also said he was glad to bring in Stewart, Bruton and Hahessy – all of whom have won senior races lately – after they were not initially included on the panel.
As well as Mullen’s win, Fallon was third while Bruton was eight and Foley was 13th. Hahessy and Rigley both crash but are expected to recover quickly.
O’Leary said the riders were keen to progress and appeared to be getting stronger.
“For us it’s all about them improving themselves and their performance. We’re also very big on the team ethos with them and getting them to work towards long term development; the bigger picture.”
O’Leary said he could see improvements almost on a weekly basis with many of the riders. While they had been riding against A3s regularly, they would soon get their chance to ride against A1 and A2 riders, with O’Leary of the view that some of juniors would hold their own against good A1s.
A3 Race (104Km)
1 Ryan Mullen (Cycling Ireland Dev Squad)
2 Michael O Mahony (Blarney CC)
3 Thomas Fallon (Cycling Ireland Dev Squad)
4 Andie Engerman (St Tiernan’s)
5 Simon Lambert (Wexford Wheelers)
6 Michael Doyle (Barrow Wheelers)
7 Donal Harrington (Western Lakes)
8 Danny Bruton (Cycling Ireland Dev Squad)
9 Eamonn Morgan (West Clare CC)
10 Séan McIlroy (Iverk Produce Carrick Wheelers)
11 Brian Hart (Limerick CC)
12 Cathal Moynihan (Tralee CC)
13 Dylan Foley (Cycling Ireland Dev Squad)
14 Michael Williams (Blarney CC)
15 Paddy Rohan (North Tipp Wheelers)
Topics
