Updated With Photos: Sean Lacey takes strong solo win in Tralee from record 188-rider field

Dishing it out: Sean Lacey leads Simon Ryan and Richard Hooton in the winning move (Photo: Black Umbrella Photography)

Sean Lacey (Dan Morrissey-Speedy Spokes) today lived up to his tag of pre-race favourite, taking the Lacey Cup in Co Kerry, with a very strong ride that saw him arrive at the finish alone almost two minutes clear of the fragmented field.

It was his fourth win in the Munster season-opening event, in what was the fastest ever running of the race and the biggest field in its history.

Lacey told stickybottle that his team had planned to work for him from the start today and the pre-race plan had gone like clockwork despite his concerns that he was not going well.

“I’d had a cold and I wasn’t sure how I as going to be, but once I got going it was like being on auto pilot,” he said after his first win of the new season.

“We knew going down that today the team was going to work for me and there was no problem with any of the lads about that. We know what races each of us can do well in and wants to do well in. The lads rode really hard into the first climb and a lot of the A1s were put under pressure by that riding even early on. So it was a good team performance.”

“I’m delighted to win it on my own and obviously now for the fourth time. And with the race in memory of my grandfather it was definitely really great to win today.”

Lacey got clear of the A1s on the first climb of the day along with Richard Hooton and Simon Ryan (both DMG).

Ryan lost contact on the descent before Lacey and Hooton combined well to overhaul and leave behind all of the groups ahead of them on the road.

Lacey’s power on the last climb simply proved too much for Hooton, with the Dan Morrissey-Speedy Spokes rider time trialling his way in towards Tralee for a fine solo win.

Hooton came in around 1:30 in arrears to take a well deserved second place. Just after him, Lacey’s new team mate Paidi O’Brien led in a select group that had emerged from the large field. He took third ahead of last weekend’s Ned Flanagan Memorial winner Robin Kelly (Waterford Racing Club).

Victorious Lacey was off scratch in a group of just 14 A1 riders chasing three groups ahead of them on the road. The A4s were given a three minute advantage on the A3s, with then a further two minutes to the A2s and then one minute back to the A1s.

However, the gaps closed rapidly from the gun.

The small group of A1 riders combined very well to close down the A2s to within touching distance at the base of the first climb just before the 15km mark; the 4km long ascent at Gleann na Gealt.

With Lacey’s team mates driving hard into the bottom of the climb, a number of A1 riders were in trouble immediately the road started going up. Lacey jumped early on the climb, with Hooton and Daly going with him.

The trio mopped up the leaders of the A2 group a little further up the hill and then drove over the top and down the other side in pursuit of the separate A3 and A4 groups still up the road.

While Daly lost his place going down the misty descent, Lacey and Hooton were fully committed by that stage and worked well together to catch and pass-through the groups ahead of them.

They emerged at the head of the affairs together going into the final climb of Slieve Mish, crested 62km into the 75km race.

It was on that ascent that Lacey shook off his fellow escapee, motoring over the top of the hill and in towards the finish at Skehanagh just outside the town of Tralee for a solo win.

Pat O’Hara of the promoting club Tralee BC said the 188-rider field was a record; far in excess of the 140 last year and 80-90 riders in the previous few years.

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