Stephen Halpin emerges from strongman’s breakaway to take Carrick Cup

Halpin wins today’s Carrick Wheelers Cup, sponsored by Thompson Funeral Directors Waterford. (Photo: Joe Cashin)

Stephen Halpin (Metaltek SCOTT) has followed up his victory in Clonard, Co Meath, last Saturday by taking the Carrick Wheelers Cup today in Carrick ahead of Paidi O’Brien (Dan Morrissey-Speedy Spokes).

The 23-year-old Dubliner went clear in the main breakaway of the day. When his efforts to escape that group failed in the closing kilometres he still had enough to take a clear win ahead of O’Brien at the finish on Sir John’s Hill just outside the town.

“It’s definitely great to get a second win,” Halpin told stickybottle.

“The win last week was good, but then when you are able to follow it up it just confirms that you’re going well and that hopefully everything is in place. It was also important to me to get the win again from a sprint. I had a fairly good sprint when I was a junior but it has been a while since it’s been good, so yeah, it’s nice to know that I am good from a group again.”

“My girlfriend is from Carrick so that made it a bit extra special to win. And I’ve spent a lot of time there and know all the lads so it was nearly like a home race for me.”

Halpin said the start of the three-lap 100km A1/A2 race was tough, with lots of attacking pushing the speed up during the opening lap. However, those early moves came to nothing and it was not until the start of the second lap that what would prove to be the winning move went clear.

Around 10 to 12 riders managed to get a gap and combined well for the second lap to build up a lead that reached no more than 50 seconds on the chasing peloton.

“There was a good few good riders in the move,” said Halpin. “There was the likes of Paidi and Sean Lacey, and Ryan Sherlock, Robin Kelly; so all good riders who are going well and have won races already this year.”

At the beginning of the third lap the breakaway men started attacking each other in an effort to shake things up. But that period of activity played into the hands of the chasers, with the gap to the breakaway coming down to around 30 seconds not long into the final lap.

The breakaway men then decided to cooperate with each other again and pulled out a slightly bigger lead. In the last 5km when it became clear they wouldn’t be caught, Halpin got clear in a group of four.

However, their bid for victory was short-lived and they were closed down by some intense counter attacking in the second part of the breakaway just behind. With the late attacks neutralising each other, the breakaway arrived at the finish in tact, where Halpin led out the uphill gallop and took the win from O’Brien by around one bike length.

Sherlock (Cycleways) was third and Kelly (Waterford Racing Club) fourth. Halpin begins his UK campaign with his new team in the next fortnight.

In the A3 race, which was also three laps of the Carrick–Glenbower–Kilheffernan–Kilsheelan–Carrick circuit, Mark Nugent (Waterford RC) took the honours ahead of Trevor Robinson (Comeragh CC), with Dillon Foley (St Finbarr’s CC) in third. Fiona Meade (St Finbarr’s CC) took the women’s prize.

The first three were part of a ten-man break that sprinted it out for the win. A group of five went clear after around 5km, with five more joining them up front before the end of the opening lap.

On the third lap the break split, with five riders falling back to the bunch and being replaced by another five who got across. That ten-man group stayed away but had to contend with the bunch bearing down on them in the closing stages.

Carrick Wheelers Cup 2012

Sponsored by Thompson Funeral Directors Waterford

A1 + A2
1^st Stephen Halpin – Metaltek Scott
2^nd Paidi O’Brien – Dan Morrissey
3^rd Ryan Sherlock – Cycleways
4^th Robin Kelly – Waterford RC
5^th John O’Shea – Iverk Produce Carrick Wheelers
6^th Richard Hooten – Visit Nenagh
7^th John Mason – D.I.D Dunboyne CC
8^th Eddie Barry – Blarney CC

3^rd Cat. Race
1^st Mark Nugent – Waterford RC
2^nd Trevor Robinson – Comeragh CC
3^rd Dillon Foley – St. Finbarr’s CC
4^th Michael O’Mahony – Blarney CC
5^th Brian O’Connell – Blarney CC
6^th Maurice Hickey – Dungarvan CC
7^th Cian Power – Iverk Produce Carrick Wheelers
8^th Robert Forrest – Blarney CC
1^st Lady
Fiona Meade – St. Finbarr’s CC

4^th Cat. Race
1^st Ray Cullen – Iverk Produce Carrick Wheelers
2^nd Liam Pollard – Clonmel CC
3^rd Niall Butler – MCC
4^th Barry Horgan – Tralee BC
5^th Anthony Maguire – St. Finbarr’s CC
6^th Tommy Hanrahan – North Tipp Wheelers
7^th Kevin Kiely – Fermoy CC
8^th Michael Looby – Tipperary Wheelers