Greg Swinand is the national masters 40 champion for 2016 after edging Alan Bingham in a terrific two-up sprint in Kilcullen, Co. Kildare this afternoon (Picture: Sean Rowe, homepage photo by Luke Potter)
By Brian Canty
Four-time nationals vets' time-trial champion Greg Swinand has put years of near misses behind him to win the road race in Kilcullen, Co. Kildare this afternoon.
So often the bridesmaid, the Aquablue man edged erstwhile breakaway man Alan Bingham (Cuchulainn CC) at the end of a cracking 100-kilometre road race today.
Swinand was third in 2012 in Clonmel after spending most of the day up the road and a year later, Hugh Mulhearne pipped him in Carlingford.
He has been one of the true stalwarts of the Irish racing scene and nobody can possibly begrudge him this victory which was borne out of sheer guts.
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The race was frantic from the drop of the flag and immediately, a group of five got away.
In there were Joe Fenlon (Strata3/VeloRevolution), Alastair Cribbon (Carn Wheelers), Alan Bingham (Cuchulainn CC), Keith Hughes and John Murray (Navan RC).
There were almost a minute clear with 10 kilometres races as a brief ceasefire took place behind.
That brief lull was shortlived however and Neil Delahaye (ASEA-Wheelworx), Robert Forrest (Blarney CC) and Hugh Mulhearne (Panduit Carrick Wheelers) went in pursuit of the leading five.
The bunch reacted and pulled those three back as the five up ahead pressed on.
But the gap kept coming down and by the end of the first lap the leaders only had around 20 seconds as the heavy artillery in the bunch prepared for a fresh wave of attacks.
Hughes was first to lose his place up front when he suffered a mechanical, leaving four up front; Fenlon, Bingham, Cribbon and Murray.
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Five more wriggled free of the bunch and in there were Mulhearne and Delahaye as well as John Hodge (Dungarvan CC), Mark McGauley (Scott-Eurocycles) and Cathal Dillane (Seven Springs).
They eventually bridged to leave 10 up front but eight more absconded from the bunch and tried to reel them in and they were Greg Swinand and John Horgan (Aquablue), Barry Convery (Newry Wheelers), Anthony Boyle (VC Glendale), Dermot Radford (Tipp Wheelers), Martin Cullinane (Comeragh CC), Damien Travers (Dungarvan CC) and Vinnie Gleeson (Mego RAW Cycles).
The leading nine stayed strong and held around 30” on that eight and over a minute on the main bunch.
Fenlon and Hodge came to grief from the leading group when they crashed and they were collected by the chasers to leave it six up front and 10 chasing at around 30” at the 60-kilometre mark.
The leading six were Bingham, Gribbon, Murray, Mulhearne, Dillane and McGauley with Convery, Boyle, Cullinane, Swinand, Radford, Gleeson, Travers, Horgan, Hodge and Fenlon chasing.
That gap was 32” at the bell lap and a cracking final 26 kilometres ensued.
Dillane dropped out of the break but went back to the chasers and with 20 kilometres to go the margin was down to just 20” and at 15 kilometres to go the catch was made, leaving 15 men up front.
Convery was next to go to leave it 14 up front and Vinnie Gleeson soon followed him, trimming the leading group to just 13.
The bunch, meanwhile, was closing at a rate of knots and were only 40” back at the 10k-to-go sign at around which point Mulhearne was next to blow.
Radford took a flier on the run-in but not even his power could keep him clear while Swinand also laid his cards on the table with a massive attack.
He was soon joined by Bingham and they worked like Trojans to get the gap that might bring one of them the victory.
Indeed, they engineered a precious few seconds going over the last climb and sweeping in towards the finish it was clear one of them would win.
It was neck and neck all the way up the finishing straight but Swinand just edged it in a mighty sprint with Radford holding on for third.
More later...
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