Back to business for Lavery with dominant solo win from escape at Mick Lally Memorial

Philip Lavery back to winning ways today despite a break from cycling over the winter and only signing for the Synergy Baku team in recent weeks.

Philip Lavery has taken his first win of the year, claiming victory in the Mick Lally Memorial after attacking the breakaway on the final lap of what was a fast and aggressive encounter in Co Meath.

The new Synergy Baku rider had plenty to spare at the finish up the Dorey’s Forge ramp near Summerhill, with recently returned from north America Anthony Walsh coming home in 2^nd place between Lavery and the remainder of the breakaway.

With memories of the A2 riders having stayed clear last year and gained time on the A1 men, the A1 scratch group today got down to business from the gun.

They very quickly closed down the gap to those ahead after plenty of attacking, with Lavery in the thick of it.

The A1s succeeded in wiping out the advantage on the opening lap. Then up the ramp through the finish line to go out onto the second lap an attack by Lavery pulled a group away and caught Keith Walls and Danny Bruton who were just ahead.

In that break with Lavery, Walls and Bruton was the UCD CC duo of Anthony Walsh and Sean McKenna, Zippy Doyle (VeloRevolution) and Javan Nulty (DID Dunboyne).

They rode well and established a significant lead on a group of around six chasers that formed between them and the main peloton. That chase group included Olan Barrett (Aquablue) and Brian Canty (Liquidworx-Fitscience), among others.

On the second and third laps the leaders were sharing the workload and pressing ahead very strongly when Walsh decided he would have a dig up Dorey’s Forge taking the bell for the last lap.

He succeeded in putting Doyle and Bruton in trouble, though both got back on.

There then followed a short period of intense attacking, with Walsh and Lavery again the main animators. But young Sean McKenna was also giving a good account of himself.

Indeed, it was when an attack by McKenna was brought back in the first stretch of the final lap that Lavery saw his chance, countering hard and posing problems for the others than none seemed willing or able to answer.

Lavery barrelled up the road, chasing his first win in Ireland in over 18 months, and quickly got a lead of 30 seconds. Behind in the group it was Walsh who then seized the initiative and jumped after the Synergy Baku man.

He quickly closed down around half the deficit but that was as near to Lavery he would get. Both riders raced the last two thirds of the final lap in a pursuit, divided by a short gap of around 15 to 20 seconds.

At the finish Lavery had plenty of time to get his two hands in the air, with Walsh whipping up the final climb for an equally comfortable 2^nd place.

Nulty and Bruton then contested a very hard fought sprint for 3^rd place, with DID Dunboyne man Nulty getting the better of his former team mate and McKenna coming home just ahead of Doyle to complete the top six.