Senior A rider Kieran McMahon today won the second leg of the LCF league, outsprinting Usher IRC’s Karl Donnelly to prove best at the end of the 45-mile race. McMahon and Donnelly had broken clear in the closing stages of the handicap event after the bunch of veteran and junior cyclists, gifted a six minutes head start, were caught with just four miles remaining.
The race over undulating terrain and on the heavy roads around Roundwood, was characterised by constant attacking from the opening seven-mile lap onwards, with several splits evident in the chasing senior B and senior A bunches. The two minutes separating these two groups was overcome half-way through the race, leaving the junior/veteran riders alone up front. With league leader Sean Bracken doing much of the driving, it looked possible that this bunch could stay clear but a crash ended his challenge and destroyed the impetus of the group.
The field merged with four miles remaining, and as the riders approached Roundwood for the last time, McMahon and Donnelly broke away and raced towards the finish. Here McMahon proved fastest, but any Usher IRC disappointment was tempered by Shane Baker’s third place at the head of the chasing group some ten seconds later. The Dubliner now leads the LCF league from team-mate Bracken, with the series concluding in one month’s time at Clonee.
Filed by Amanda Fennelly
