Paidi O'Brien has won the National Criterium Championships in Cork City this evening after getting clear in a strongman's breakaway and beating his rivals in the sprint to the line (Photo: www.blackumbrellaphotography.com)
Paidi O’Brien has used his finishing sprint to great effect in Cork City this evening, Saturday, taking gold in the National Criterium Championships from a three-man breakaway.
A decisive escape featuring O’Brien (Planet Tri), Mark Dowling (Polygon Sweet Nice) and Martyn Irvine (Unitedhealthcare) moved clear of a group of around 20 riders after the field had split in two in the first furious portion of the race.
That trio made their move with just over 30 minutes of racing completed, with the event taking the form of 50 minutes, followed by three laps.
Within a couple of laps of the 1.3km circuit on the Mardyke Walk and Western Road, the trio had pulled out a gap of 15 seconds and never looked like being caught.
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Those behind never got back on terms and while the racing up front was a little more cagey as the riders completed the 50 minutes and moved into the final three laps of the event, they stayed clear as expected to fight for the national title.
That battle was won by O’Brien who out-sprinted Irvine in second and Dowling, who took bronze.
Simon Ryan from DMG Visit Nenagh won the sprint for 4th, around 15 seconds after the leading trio.
More later.
