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Stamullen GP
April 18, 2004
Murphy, Dervan in cracking form at Stamullen
By Shane Stokes, irishcycling.com
Men: Murphy adds to Stamullen victories
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Tommy Evans (Totalcycling.com – Litespeed) may have shown bucketloads of stubbornness and determination during today’s six lap race, but in the end it was Conor Murphy who finally won out at the Stamullen Grand Prix.
After 72 tough miles of racing the promising Crannog Ireland rider sprinted up the drag to the finish five seconds ahead of a wearied Evans, with Cycleways Lee Strand’s increasingly consistent Philip Finegan taking third and team-mate Mark Cassidy netting a fine fourth. Former national champion Paul Slane (Slane Cycles), Colm Bracken (DHL Wallcycles Eurotrek), Denis Easton (Maryland Wheelers) and Ken Norgrove (Dublin Wheelers) finished in the chase group and so completed the top eight.
As per usual, the 72 mile event employed the traditional hilly course, a tough twelve mile loop which took the riders up over the long, steep climb of Snowtown plus another hard drag inside the final five miles of the lap. This same circuit was used for the 2002 national championships and as a rule, always produces to great racing; today’s edition was no different.
The first serious move came two laps into the race when Evans, Cassidy and Usher IRC’s Greg Swinand went clear on that second drag. Speeding through the village of Stamullen at the end of the lap, they were 45 seconds clear at the line and did what they could to maintain this advantage as different chase groups tried to bridge from behind.
With three laps remaining the leaders were forty seconds up on a large chase group, from which Craig Sweetman (Stamullen M. Donnelly) and Cassidy’s father Phil were trying to go clear. Setting out on the penultimate lap this lead had fallen to fifteen seconds, with ten chasers closing in as the miles ticked by. After these groups finally merged there was a flurry of attacks, with one by Murphy and Finegan sticking. Evans dug deep to find the strength needed to bridge across, and going across the finish line for the second last time this trio had a slender ten second lead.
The second group - Dave Peelo (Usher IRC), Cassidy, Denis Easton (Maryland Wheelers), Stephen O’Sullivan and Aidan Crowley (both Cycleways Lee Strand) were in turn closely pursued by six chasers, amongst them junior rider Mark Nestor (Shannonside) who had got special dispensation to ride with the Senior 1’s and 2’s today.
Following the final ascent of Snowtown, a gap of just thirty seconds covered the leaders and the two chase groups; shortly after this the second and third groups merged, as behind Colm Bracken (DHL Wallcycles Eurotrek) was bridging across from the main field. It seemed that the first three were by no means home and dry and yet, despite the small timegaps to the chasers, they managed to stay clear.
Finegan lost his place up front when the other two riders started jumping around. Evans raced towards the finish with Murphy but he had no answer when the latter surged clear with about two miles remaining, racing on towards the finish and that five-second winning margin. Evans came home eight seconds up on Finegan while Mark Cassidy, also clear for much of the day, hung on to take a brave fourth.
Slane, Bracken, Easton, Norgrove and Dave Peelo (Usher IRC) sprinted in just four seconds after him, with Peelo’s team-mate Mick Mulcahy, Aidan Crowley (Cycleways Lee Strand) and an impressive Nestor rounding out the top twelve.
Speaking at the finish, Murphy was delighted with his win. ‘I’ve won here as an under 14, an under 16 and as a junior so I am very happy to take today’s race,’ he said. ‘It nearly didn’t happen, though, as I punctured on the second lap and didn’t have anyone to give me a wheel. Luckily Emmet Roche gave me one to use so I was able to continue. I got back to the bunch and then started to reel in the groups ahead; towards the end a big group of us managed to catch the leaders (Evans, Cassidy and Swinand) but with a few Ushers and Cycleways there, it was really important to split it up again.
‘I got away with Phil Finegan but Tommy managed to come as well. I was not really surprised at that, even though he had been away earlier for a long time, as he has won some really big races in the past and so is a strong rider. I finally got away from him going over the motorway bridge near the end – I went hard down the right hand side of the road and got a gap. I was pretty tired at that stage but just had to grit my teeth and really go for it. It all worked out well.’
Asked about his plans for the immediate future, Murphy says that he may ride the FBD Milk Rás next month. ‘I’m doing the Shay Elliott next week as part of the Irish team and then after that I might do the Rás. It all depends really on whether I can get a team to do it with. If I get that sorted, then I’ll ride the race’
Considering his recent form, and today’s win, there should be quite a few offers...
Women: Dervan dominates
Redisplaying the dominant form she showed during last weekend’s Gorey Three Day, Sobhan Dervan yesterday scorched to a fine solo win in the women’s selection race held as part of the Stamullen GP programme. The St Finbarr’s Triton Ventilux rider attacked a group of four on a long drag with about five miles remaining in the race, quickly opening a substantial gap and soloing in one minute and twenty seconds clear.
The win should make certain of her place on the team for next month’s Bedford Three Day in England, an event which will further help develop the newcomer’s talent. The final makeup of the team will be announced shortly.
Also in consideration for a place are Trudy Brown (Northern CC), Joanie Burns (Orwell – Dundrum Shopping Centre) and Siobhan Jacob (Usher IRC), who finished in that order behind Dervan at the end of the 2 lap race. Karen Bothwell (Dundrum Shopping Centre) finished fifth but is still clearly below par after recent illness; she should be back to form soon.
Dolores Usher of the women’s commission had been hoping for a strong turnout for the selection race but several expected riders unfortunately did not show. Ten women took to the line for the twenty-four mile event, a group which splintered the first time up the torturous slopes of Snowtown Hill. After Jacob led the bunch to the base of the climb, Burns took over as the road reared upwards and over the top she and Dervan were slightly clear.
A regrouping followed after the plummeting descent into Naul village, with Jacob, Brown and Bothwell closing up on the two leaders to make it five up front. A number of small attacks then followed but the group stayed together to Stamullen village and the start of the final lap.
Jacob once again took to the front on the run-up to Snowtown Hill but was unable to shed any of the group. Burns tried again to apply pressure on the climb and went over the top five seconds clear with Dervan and Brown. Turning a big gear, Jacob was able to get back on after the descent while Bothwell, digging deep, got to within twenty metres of the back of the group before finally slipping backwards. Now just four women were in the running for the win.
Brown, Burns and Jacob all took long turns on the front as the race headed towards Stamullen. Dervan, however, was being a bit more cautious with her energy, making it really count when she made her move on the long drag with about five miles to go. In the space of a few seconds she opened up a substantial lead over the other three, zooming off over the horizon as Burns lost contact and Jacob and Brown tried desperately to stay in touch. The two chasers did what they could to try to close the gap but Dervan was gone for good; by the finish she was over one minute clear, adding to her tally of wins for 2004.
Jacob and Brown chased hard to the line but despite their combined effort, Burns was able to close the gap. She latched onto the back of the group with half a mile remaining, unbeknownst to the other two, and got a quick breather before the final sprint. She had had a difficult chase and so looked set for fourth place; however, while she was distanced slightly at the start of the sprint, Burns persisted all the way to the line and was able to slip past a surprised Jacob to nab third.
Karen Bothwell came in a couple of minutes later to take fifth, with her Orwell – Dundrum Shopping Centre team-mate Orla Hendron taking sixth and Mary Brennan (Castlebar) next across the line.
‘I was very happy with how I was going today,’ said Dervan after the race. ‘I hadn’t raced with some of the girls there this year so didn’t know how I would go with them. I felt okay during the race but just before I attacked I was feeling good, so decided to have a go then. I was surprised the gap opened so quickly, so just kept it going all the way to the finish.’
* The first round of the Ladies’ Boot Inn league will be held near Dublin Airport this Wednesday evening. All riders, including beginners, are welcome to take part. Contact Dolores Usher for details at 086 2302573, or by email at start@womenscycling.info. During office hours, you can also call Cycling Ireland at 01 8551522.
Results
Senior 1 and 2 (76 miles) 1 Conor Murphy (Crannog Ireland) 2 Tommy Evans (Totalcycling.com – Litespeed) 0.05 3 Philip Finegan (Cycleways Lee Strand) 0.13 4 Mark Cassidy (Cycleways Lee Strand) 0.52 5 Paul Slane (Slane Cycles) 0.56 6 Colm Bracken (DHL Wallcycles Eurotrek) 7 Denis Easton (Maryland Wheelers) 8 Ken Norgrove (Dublin Wheelers) 9 David Peelo (Usher IRC) 10 Mick Mulcahy (Usher IRC) 0.57 11 Aidan Crowley (Cycleways Lee Strand) 12 Mark Nestor (Shannonside) Women (2 laps) 1 Siobhan Dervan (St. Finbarr’s) 2 Trudy Browne (Northern CC) 1.06 3 Joanie Burns (Orwell Dundrum SC) 4 Siobhan Jacob (Usher (IRC) 5 Karen Bothwell (Orwell Dundrum SC) 6 Orla Hendron (Orwell Dundrum SC) Unplaced senior 2’s 1 Bryan Keane (Dublin Wheelers CC) 2 Adam Kelly (Bray Wheelers CC) 3 Ian Payne (Ravens CRT) 4 Donal Byrne (Orwell – Dundrum SC) 5 Mick Fitzgerald (Ballymore CC) 6 Barry Meehan (World Wide Cycles) 7 Barry Donnelly (Hillcrest Hire Kilcullen) 8 Noel McGlynn (Ravens CRT) 9 Ciaran Farrell (Dublin Wheelers) 10 Daniel Murtagh (Cycleways Lee Strand) Senior 3 (3 laps) 1 Ciaran Steed (Hillcrest Hire) 2 Aidan Dennehy (St. Finbarr’s Triton Ventilux) 3 Peter McEleney (Stamullen M. Donnelly) 4 Cian Crowley (St. Tiernan’s CC) 5 Alister Cole (McNally Swords) 6 Alan Duffy (McNally Swords) 7 Jason Kelly (McNally Swords) 8 Enda Connaughton (Galway Bay CC) 9 Conor Teljeur (Orwell – Dundrum SC) 10 Keith Sharkey (McNally Swords) Junior (3 laps) 1 Sean Rock (McNally Swords) 2 Martin Munroe (Western Lakes) 3 Stephen McKenna (Stamullen M. Donnelly) 4 James Whelan (McNally Swords) 5 Urban Monks (Bray Wheelers) 6 Ciaran Cassidy (Usher IRC) Veterans (3 laps) 1 Leslie O’Dowd (Cidona Carrick Wheelers) 2 Noel McCarthy (Fermoy CC) 3 Denis McCarthy (DPC First Legal) 4 Frank Short (Newry Wheelers) Under 16 (2 laps) 1 Isaac Speirs (Navan) 2 Kieran Enright (Kanturk CU) 3 Michale Daly (McNally Swords) 4 Christopher Jensen (Sorrento CC) 5 Gary Rigley (Bray Wheelers) 6 Diarmuid Cronin (Usher |IRC) Under 14 (half a lap) 1 Daniel Roche (Kanturk) 2 Anthony Lynch (Katurk) 3 Philip Lavery (Usher IRC) 4 Conor Campbell (Drogheda Wheelers) 5 Axel O’Connor (Navan) 6 Padraig Kane (Emyvale) Under 12 (3 miles) 1 Benner Maguire (Drogheda Wheelers 2 Erik Fitzhugh (Orwell - Dundrum SC) 3 Kevin McSweeney (Kanturk) 4 Ciara Crawley (Stamullen M. Donnelly) 5 James Morgan (McNally Swords) 6 Colin Hughes (Emyvale) 7 Niall McAree (Emyvale CC) 8 Laurence Roche (DHL Wallcycles Eurotrek)
