REGAN AND GLODENYTE BEST IN ROUND FOUR OF CYCLING IRELAND NATIONAL ROAD SERIES
Tom Regan scooped a fine victory in Sunday’s fifth round of the Cycling Ireland National Road Series, winning a select group sprint in Cong. The Seven Springs CC Loughrea unleashed a superbly-timed sprint to speed in comfortably ahead of seven other riders, beating Timothy O' Regan (All human/VeloRevolution Racing Team), Conor Halvey (Four Masters CC), Shane Smith (Moynalty Cycling Club), Sam Bolger (Killarney Cycling Club) and others to the line.
The result is one of the standouts of Regan’s career to date and saw him earn the plaudits of many of his fellow competitors.
Gabriele Glodenyte (UCD Cycling Club) was best out of a smaller front group in the women’s race, winning a three-up sprint ahead of Caoimhe O’Brien (Torelli-Assure-Cayman Islands-Scimitar) and last weekend’s round three winner Eve McCrystal (Bellurgan Wheelers).
Bolger was best of the junior riders, finishing far ahead of others in his age group.
Matthew Teggart, the winner of the first three rounds of the men’s series, was absent from the race as he was competing abroad in France with his WiV SunGod team. That left the way open for his closest rivals to try to narrow the decisive advantage he had opened up, but they were unable to capitalise on his absence.
The day’s decisive break of 17 riders went clear early on and stayed clear until the end, with Regan and seven others able to make a further selection closer to the end.
“We got away in an early enough break,” he said. “We rode steady enough when we got a good gap. On the last lap we kicked for it over the last little climb. About eight of us got away and those came to the line.
“I was feeling confident enough in the group, I knew I had good legs going into the corner. I was happy enough to follow the first wheel or two and when one guy kicked I was able to get across to him. I kinda got lucky coming to the line, it opened up nicely for me.”
Glodenyte was similarly overjoyed to take the women’s race. She, O’Brien, McCrystal, Aoife O Brien (Torelli-Assure-Cayman Islands-Scimitar) and Jemma Speers (North Down CC) were strongest early on and then the first three of those were able to drop the other two.
McCrystal did a lot of the work but didn’t put in the same decisive burst which carried her clear one week earlier.
“The breakaway formed very, very early. Caoimhe O’Brien was attacking straight away from kilometre zero so it was a hard race all the way. There were five of us – we did about two laps together and then Eve McCrystal attacked on the hills and it came down to three of us.
They were attacking as well so they were trying to get rid of me. But it came down to a sprint. It was very, very slow coming up the final few hundred metres. I was like, ‘right, this is the time to go’ and I just sprinted and made it across the line. I am delighted, it is my first win in the National Series.”
Bolger was the only junior rider to make it into the final selection in the men’s race and said afterwards that he preferred the all-in format this time around.
“I really enjoyed it, to be honest. The last few rounds, when it was just juniors, it got a bit slow at times. But the first lap today we had an average of nearly 47 kilometres per hour. It was good, I really enjoyed it.
“There were a load of attacks on the last lap and a few splits. I made the split, thankfully, and had to do a bit of a solo effort to get across to it. But I made it in the end, and I think I was fifth across the line [with the senior men]. I was happy with that.”
Aoife O’Brien finished fourth in the women’s race and took the junior women’s prize.
Despite Teggart’s absence, his victories in the three earlier rounds see him maintain his top position overall.
Conor Murnane (UCD Cycling Club) and Luke Smith (Moynalty Cycling Club) remain second and third overall but only picked up ten and nine points respectively, leaving them almost 50 points back.
O’Brien takes over from an absent Erin Grace Creighton (McConvey Cycles) as women’s series leader, 115 points to Glodenyte’s 108 and sister Aoife O’Brien’s 98.
Patrick O’Loughlin (Panduit Carrick Wheelers) holds his lead in the junior men’s contest, with Bolger jumping from fifth to second overall. He is now 11 points behind.
Aoife O Brien (Torelli-Assure-Cayman Islands-Scimitar) takes over the lead in the junior women’s series, dropping Creighton to second.
Cycling Ireland National Road Series round 4, Brian O’Loughlin Memorial, Cong:
Senior men (5 laps, 140 kilometres)
1, Tom Regan (Seven Springs CC Loughrea) 40
2, Timothy O' Regan (All human/VeloRevolution Racing Team) 35
3, Conor Halvey (Four Masters CC) 30
4, Shane Smith (Moynalty Cycling Club) 25
5, Ronan Kileen (Lucan CRC) 20
6, Paul Kennedy (Burren Cycling Club) 19
7, Joel Luke (UCD Cycling Club) 18
8, Loughlin Campion (Ashbourne Wheelers Cycling Club) 17
9, Rhys Kenny (UCD Cycling Club) 16
10, Mark O Donovan (Blarney Cycling Club)
Women (4 laps, 112 kilometres)
1, Gabriele Glodenyte (UCD Cycling Club) 40
2, Caoimhe O Brien (Torelli-Assure-Cayman Islands-Scimitar) 35
3, Eve McCrystal (Bellurgan Wheelers) 30
4, Aoife O Brien (Torelli-Assure-Cayman Islands-Scimitar) 25
5, Jemma Speers (North Down CC) 20
6, Ella Doherty (UCD Cycling Club) 19
7, Cleo Harvey (Dublin Wheelers) 18
8, Mary Corless (Challenge Cycling Club) 17
9, Suzanne White (Sorrento CC) 16
10, Elizabeth Kent (Arcane Cycling Team) 15
11, Helen McParland (Phoenix CC) 13
Junior: Aoife O’Brien (Torelli-Assure-Cayman Islands-Scimitar)
Junior men (5 laps, 140 kilometres)
1, Sam Bolger (Killarney Cycling Club) 40
2, Conal Scully (Carlow RCC) 35
3, Christopher Marshall (Orwell Wheelers Cycling Club) 30
4, Rory Gallagher (Castlebar Cycling Club) 25
5, Patrick O Loughlin (Panduit Carrick Wheelers) 20
6, Mikey Flaherty (Lakeside Wheelers Mullingar) 19
7, Lughaidh Swift (Castlebar Cycling Club) 18
8, Andrew Kelly (Moynalty Cycling Club) 17
9, Tadhg Killeen (Orwell Wheelers Cycling Club) 16
10, Samuel Moloney (Greenmount CA) 15
11, Curtis Neill (Carn Wheelers) 13
12, Matt Griffin (O'Leary Stone Kanturk) 11
Images by Tom Maher/INPHO here