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Des Hanlon Memorial

Carlow, March 21, 2004

Wyley stomps away

By Shane Stokes, irishcycling.com

Scorching clear on the last of three difficult laps, Cidona Carrick Wheelers’ Rory Wyley was the dominant winner of the Des Hanlon Memorial in Carlow today, reaching the finish line almost two minutes clear of the rest of the break. The Dungarvan rider showed a real display of strength on the final ascent out of Castlecomer, hitting the front at the start of the climb and drawing inexorably away from the rest of his breakaway companions on the steep slopes. Cycleways Lee Strand rider Phil Finegan was the only one able to hold Wyley’s wheel, but after four to five miles of painful drafting he too was shed, slipping back to the chasers as the lone leader pulled further and further clear.

Following a speedy descent off the top of Killeshan, Wyley reached the line to capture the top prize in the first Classic League race of the year. Usher IRC rider Eddie O’Donoghue finished 1 minute and 44 seconds back in second, one second clear of Wyley’s team-mate John O’Shea. Local rider Mick Mulcahy took fourth, just ahead of the Navigators Insurance professional Ciarán Power, who had been sidelined with a bad stomach bug during the week.

Run off on the tough hills around Killeshan and the Butts, today’s 90 mile event was, as always, regarded as one of the hardest one day races on the Irish calendar. Bursts of cold rain and strong, gusting winds made a difficult day in the saddle even harder for the riders, many of whom packed before the end of the race.

Despite the testing conditions, hostilities commenced from the drop of the flag. Following a succession of attacks, a large breakaway group moved clear on the first of three laps and opened up a decisive lead over the rest of the field. In all 15 riders were present; Usher IRC had the biggest representation with Mick Mulcahy, Eddie O’Donoghue, Dave Peelo and Paul Healion, while the Cidona Carrick team had Wyley, John O’Shea and Pat Kenneally into the move. Power was undoubtedly the most experienced but his illness during the week meant he would be below par today. Paul Griffin (Earl of Desmond), Phil Finegan, Vincent Gleeson (West Clare), Brian Lennon (St. Tiernan’s), Brian Ahern (Naas Rubex), Richie Cahill (Banteer) and Andrew McQuaid (Emerald) completed the list of front runners and with a fairly well coordinated paceline in operation, these moved further and further away from the rest of the combined senior 1 and 2 bunch.

The cooperation continued throughout the rest of lap one, lap two and until about ten miles into lap three. No serious attacks were launched in this time, the riders choosing instead to pull together in the difficult conditions and leave the real scrapping until the closing stages. This Rubicon was finally crossed just after the group turned left at Castlecomer, Wyley throwing down the gauntlet as the group moved onto the steep climb which followed.

Finegan was quickly onto his wheel while Peelo and Cahill briefly stayed in touch before cracking. The gap opened quickly as Wyley punched the pedals around, Finegan sitting tight behind, his face a grimace of pain. After four or five miles he had enough, sitting up suddenly as Wyley moved clear. Barring disaster, the race looked to be his.

On the final drag up to Killeshan the gap had grown to one minute and fifty-five seconds, Power, Cahill and O’Shea slightly ahead of the rest but not making any real inroads into Wyley’s lead. The Cidona Carrick rider pedalled smoothly to the top of the climb, powering through the stiff headwind and then beginning his final descent towards the finish. From there to the line it was simply a question of staying out of trouble, Wyley picking a careful line around the wet corners as he sped towards a fine win.

Almost two minutes after his two-armed victory salute, O’Donoghue and O’Shea sprinted home to take second and third, just over ten seconds clear of Mulcahy, Power, Peelo, Cahill, Finegan and Griffin. Paul Healion wheeled home a weary tenth, five-odd minutes back, while last few riders from the break limped home further down, their batteries utterly drained after a long, tough day in the saddle.

‘I didn’t plan to go clear so early’, said a happy Wyley at the presentation. ‘There was a bit of hard riding at the front and the move just evolved. I felt really good today, I was riding through without problems and was strong on the climbs. Coming close to the finish Martin O’Loughin (Olympic team manager and Cidona team-mate) said that I shouldn’t take any sprinters with me to the line, so I pushed it a bit after Castlecomer. My intention was just to stir things up, I didn’t mean to go clear, and so I was happy to see that the others couldn’t keep up.’

‘Phil Finegan went with me for a while but then he slipped back, so that left me out there by myself. I really just felt super there today – I even feel good now, not that tired after the race. That said, I wouldn’t go out straight away and ride the course again…!’

Wyley was living in the UK for fourteen years, then moved back to his native Dungarvan in recent months. Given his current rich vein of form the FBD Milk Rás is clearly a target. ‘I’m just enjoying riding my bike at the moment but the Rás is a possibility, yeah’, he said. ‘I’ll probably be there.’

In the other races, promising second year Mark Nestor rode to an equally impressive victory in the junior event. He crossed the line alone, well clear of Owen White (Dungarvan), Marcus Treacy (Killarney CC) and Kanturk CU’s Maurice O’Brien. Sean Owens (Cidona Carrick Wheelers) led home Denis McCarthy (First Legal) and Aiden Bracken (unattached) in the senior 3 and veterans event, while Siobhan Dervan (St Finbarrs) and Aisling Daly (Tullamore) came out ahead of Orwell-Dundrum SC’s Karen Bothwell.

Results, 90 miles

1 Rory Wyley (Cidona Carrick Wheelers)             3.53.14
2 Eddie O’Donoghue (Usher IRC)                        1.44
3 John O’Shea (Cidona Carrick Wheelers)               1.45
4 Mick Mulcahy (Usher IRC)                            1.58
5 Ciaran Power (Navigators Insurance)
6 David Peelo (Usher IRC)                             2.00
7 Richie Cahill (Banteer CC)
8 Phil Finegan (Cycleways Lee Strand)
9 Paul Griffin (Earl of Desmond) 
10 Paul Healion (Usher IRC)                           4.55
 
Senior 3/Veterans
 
1 Sean Owens (Cidona Carrick Wheelers)
2 Denis McCarthy (First Legal)
3 Aiden Bracken (unattached)
4 Seamus Haughney (Carlow RC)
5 Seam McIlroy (Cidona Carrick Wheelers)
6 PJ O’Halloran (Duhallow Wheelers)
7 Leslie O’Donnell (Cidona Carrick Wheelers)
8 Ronnie Brannigan (Orwell Wheelers – Dundrum Shopping Centre)
 
Unplaced veterans
 
1 J. McCullough (Donamond Wheelers)
2 O. McQuaid (Emerald)
3 T. Ferris (Murphy and Gunn)
 
Women
 
1 Siobhan Dervan (St. Finbarrs)
2 Aisling Daly (Tullamore)
3 Karen Bothwell (Orwell Wheelers – Dundrum Shopping Centre)
 
Juniors
 
1 Mark Nestor (Shannonside)
2 Owen White (Dungarvan)
3 Marcus Treacy (Killarney CC)
4 Maurice O’Brien (Kanturk Credit Union)
5 Michael Lucey (Killarney CC)
6 Derek Bourke (Realt Tuam)
7 Sean Rock (McNally Swords)
8 Ciarán Cassidy (Usher IRC)

Local results 2004

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