Bryan McCrystal powers to Des Hanlon win from Paidi O'Brien and Ryan Sherlock

Bryan McCrystal has taken the biggest win of his career at the Des Hanlon Memorial main event in Carlow, riding everyone off his wheel (Photo: Damian Faulkner)

Bryan McCrystal has won the Des Hanlon Memorial main event in Co Carlow, with the strongman powering away from a breakaway group that fragmented to pieces in the last hour of racing.

The Aquablue rider and former international triathlete opened his 2014 account by winning the Traders Cup in Dundalk, Co Louth, last month.

On that occasion he started in the scratch group and went through all the other bunches in the handicapped event, dropping them to power home solo.

He has just returned home from a training camp in Spain and on the basis of today’s performance has consolidated his condition, leaving a quality field standing today.

The best of the rest proved to be Paidi O’Brien and Ryan Sherlock, who formed a two-man chasing group after the lone leader had ridden off his wheel the breakaway men he was initially with.

O’Brien, a winner in Limerick and Carrick the past two weekends, beat Sherlock for second place; the third placed man enjoying a good spell on a trip home from racing in Belgium, having taken the Boyne GP last weekend.

We’ll have full coverage a little later.