Kenneally confident ahead of Rás Mumhan challenge

BRIAN KENNEALLY is bidding to reclaim the Rás Mumhan title — the highlight of the Easter Weekend cycling programme — but he admitted it will be a tall order.

The Pilltown man, who rides for myhome.ie/cycleways these days, won the title back in 1998 and also took the mountains and points jerseys as well as two stages. The following year he won two stages and retained the KOM classification while last year he marked his return to the event by finishing second on a stage.

He goes into this weekend’s race, which gets under way with a prologue time trial in Killorglin tomorrow evening, showing a lot of his old form.

This season he has competed in six races, won four, finished second in another and was suffering from a bout of ‘flu when he finished sixth in the Des Hanlon Memorial.

The fact that he has put that well and truly behind him was underlined by his performance in Fermoy last Sunday with a very impressive win in the Silver Pail Grand Prix.

“You know, I felt really good,” he said. “But I am taking it one day at a time. Two years ago I took a year out and when I came back last year I raced up to the FBD Insurance Ras. I was up to 70 or 80% max.

“But I knew this year I was going well. It was the first winter I had done proper training and it has been reflected in my form.

“I am looking forward to Ras Mumhan. The following weekend I go to England for the Archer Grand Prix, then I have the race in Carrick followed by the Shay Elliott, the Tour of Ulster and the Lincoln Grand Prix and that takes me up to the Ras.

Kenneally has the backing of a strong team that includes two other former winners, Eugene Moriarty and Stephen O’Sullivan, while the Murphy and Gunn professional team will back the winners from the last two editions of the race, John Dempsey who won two years ago and Paul Healion, the defending champion.

The Murphy and Gunn/Sean Kelly professional team also have Paidi O’Brien from Kanturk who won the high profile criterium stage in Caherciveen last year, Morgan Fox and one of their Belgian riders.

Martin O’Loughlin, who managed the 2004 Olympic team, is in flying form for Dan Morrisseys who have been joined this year by Cobh riders John O’Brien, winner of the Mick Cahill Memorial in Banteer, and Michael Fitzgerald.

And there is also a team from the Surrey League in the line-up to reinforce the international challenge.

Hopes of keeping the title in Kerry will hang on Paul Griffin from Tralee who finished in the top 10 in the recent Tour of Taiwan, the Concannon brothers from Killorglin Credit Union, and Niall Brosnan who leads the Earl of Desmond team.

Midleton man, Aidan Crowley, riding for myhome.ie/cycleways, the Lynch twins, Daniel and Denis, from Kanturk Credit Union, and Michael Hennessy from Fermoy, will all contribute to a strong Munster challenge.

Race Schedule:

Good Friday: Stage 1 (Sponsored by TLI Technologies): Four Mile Time Trial, Killorglin, 6pm

Easter Saturday: Stage 2 Killorglin to Castleisland via North Kerry and North Cork (102 miles), 10am

Easter Sunday: Stage 3 (Sponsored by Pauline Sugrue Property Sales) Waterville — Waterville via Coars, Valentia, Sossa and Coom) 12 noon.

Easter Monday: Stage 5 Killorglin-Beaufort Loop and Five laps of Donal McKenna Circuit, 10am.