Tom Moriarty wins the Irish junior road race title in Derry City. The O'Leary Stone Kanturk man rocketed up the steep Shipquay St finish to claim it from a breakaway (Photo: Toby Watson)
Tom Moriarty has taken the Irish junior road race title for 2019 after a brilliant championship race in Derry.
The O’Leary Stone Kanturk man got into the day’s main
breakaway which was packed with many of the top juniors in the country this
year.
Archie Ryan (Zapping Racing) took silver and TT gold
medal winner Kevin McCambridge (Vitus-Chill-NRPT) claimed bronze.
Nathan Keown (North Down CC) was 4th and that ride confirms his place among the very best and should see him gain national selection now.
Though Moriarty is only a first year junior, and though
he attacked coming in the road, he still had the legs to emerge best of the
group.
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He takes the title for this year and adds it to a number
of race wins he has already taken since the start of the season.
In that breakaway were Finley Newmark (VC Londres), Kevin
McCambridge (Vitus-Chill-NRPT), Archie Ryan (Zappi Racing), Tom Moriarty (O’Leary
Stone Kanturk), Aaron Wade (Vitus-Chill-NRPT) and Nathan Keown (North Down CC).
There was lots of attacking in the closing kilometres,
with Ryan in particular pulling out a gap solo but being caught. Keown also had
a go as did Moriarty.
Wade lost tough deep into the final lap which paved the way for a sprint up Shipquay St after five laps of the undulating circuit which passed through the steep roads of Derry City each lap.
Soon after the racing began there were plenty of attacks
and strong looking group went clear on the first lap of five.
In that group was eventual winner Moriarty, the O’Leary
Stone Kanturk man willing to ride and proving unafraid from the outset.
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And in that first group he has some very good men for
company including Sean Nolan (Navan Road Club) and Dylan Traynor (Vitus-Chill-NRPT).
Also in that group was Ciaran Cahoon (Clann Eireann),
Oisin Doherty (Donegal Bay CC), Cathal Gallagher (Errigal CC) and Ryan Geraghty
(Bikeworx Celbridge).
Others would get across and Finley Newmark (VC Londres)
spent some time out front on his own just ahead the escape.
And by the time he second lap had been completed the more settled pattern had been established.
A nine-man group had about 40 seconds over what was
already a small peloton. In that breakaway were some of the initial escapees
and others who had bridged.
Moriarty was there with Traynor, Cahoon and Newmark. And
for company they had the NRPT riders Kevin McCambridge and Aaron Wade, joining
their team mate Traynor in the move.
Also in the move were two Zappi Racing men – Archie Ryan
and Shay Donley – along with Nathan Keown of North Down CC.
And once that group was clear the race was between them.
Some of the riders were dropped but the men who would sprint it out for victory
on the final lap were all in that nine-man group formed by the end of the
second lap.
At the end of the third lap they had about 45 seconds
over a chase group, with what remained of the peloton at 1:35.
On the Chapel Road climb on the fourth lap the leaders were down to six as Traynor, Cahoon and Donley lost their places up front.
By now the gap was nearing 1:30 on the nine-man chase group. And as they moved onto the last lap the gap was two minutes to the chase group, who were now attacking each other.
After a great ride up front, Wade was next to lost his
place in what was now clearly the winning move.
While he got back on he was dropped again. That left five
up front: Newmark, Archie Ryan, McCambridge, Keown and Moriarty.
On the run in to the line Ryan, Keown and Moriarty all
attack – Ryan’s the longest effort though was caught.
That paved the way for a sprint taken by Moriarty from
Ryan and McCambridge with Keown in 4th place.
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