Damien Shaw motored to his second win of the weekend with a dominant performance in Co Meath. Above, winning the Tour of Ards back in March (Photo: Marian Lamb – Cycling Ulster)
By Brian Canty
Damien Shaw gave everyone in the Seamus Kennedy Memorial today a timely reminder of his form a week out from the Nationals Road Championships by ripping the field to shreds.
The Team ASEA rider was thoroughly deserving of a fine solo win after doing much of the riding and holding off the remainder of the break when he attacked with eight of the 120 kilometres remaining in the main event.
In the break were last year's winner and hot-favourite Sean McKenna (Aquablue), Chris Reilly and Joe Fenlon (both Team ASEA), Gary Sheehan (Black Rose Racing Team), Stephen Murray (Strata3-Velorevolution), Joseph Breheny (UCD CC) and Ryan Sherlock (PC Tomacc).
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It was the usual 20-kilometre Dunboyne-Black Hall-Kilcloon-Carton-Dunboyne circuit for this afternoon's race, and the eight got away after a period of sustained attacking on the almost pan-flat course.
Shaw had the advantage of having teammates Reilly and Fenlon in the break, a factor that played into his hands.
Having won the Destination Sport Mullingar Criterium on Friday night, Shaw's win today was even more convincing.
He had upwards of a minute on the chasing seven, at the finish where Breheny of UCD took the group sprint for second with the aforementioned McKenna rounding out the podium.
The A3 race was won by Corkman Cathal O'Donovan, the Irish duathlete proving his win in the Leahy Cup in Cobh two weeks ago was no fluke.
Elsewhere, Neil Power (Dungarvan CC) won the A4 race while Mel Spath was victorious in the women's event.
She's a former national road race champion and current national track squad rider.
And having clearly overcome injury that has plagued her of late, she will go to the line in the women's road race championships one of the favourites having taken the title twice before.
Sun, June 21st: Seamus Kennedy Memorial
Dunboyne, Co Meath
Promoted by Dunboyne CC
A1-A2 race (12okm)
1 Damien Shaw (Team ASEA)
2 Joseph Breheny (UCD CC)
3 Sean McKenna (Aquablue)
4 Stephen Murray (Strata3-VeloRevolution)
5 Graham O'Brien (Shannonside CC)
6 Joe Fenlon (Team ASEA)
7 Chris Reilly (Team ASEA)
8 Ryan Sherlock (PC Tomac)
Unplaced A2s
1 Gary Sheehan (Black Rose Racing)
2 Craig Arrigan (DID Electrical Dunboyne)
3 Luke Maguire (Wexford Wheelers)
4 Alan Brosnan (DWCC)
5 Keith Walls (Navan RC)
6 Niall Doggett (Navan RC)
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Women's Race
1 Mel Spath (Team Tibco)
2 Shenna McKiverigan (Banbridge CC)
3 Eimear O Reilly (Towers CC)
4 Catherine McAteer (Garda CC)
5 Emily Birchall (NRPT-Magnet.is)
6 Sandra Telford (Orwell Wheelers)
A3 Race (80km)
1 Cathal O'Donovan (Aquablue)
2 Paul McKenna (Murphy Surveyors)
3 Kenneth Conlen (Naas CC)
4 Paul Wood (Carlow CC)
5 Fergus Whelan (Adamstown CC)
6 Jake Gray (NRPT-Magnet.is)
7 Sean Bracken (Usher IRC)
8 Graham Thomas (Lucan CRC)
Unplaced Juniors
1 Conn McDunphy (Lucan CRC)
2 Seamus Sinnott (Wexford Wheelers)
3 Stephen Bryan (Lucan CRC)
A4 Race (60km)
1 Neil Power Dungarvan CC)
2 Jonathan Boyle (TC Racing)
3 Peter Gibbon (Lucan CRC)
4 Scott Gilchrist (Orwell CC)
5 Tony McGowan (Square Wheels)
6 Kieran Condon (Kells CC)
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