Strong field gearing up for Sligo race

DEFENDING champion Nicolas Roche, his cousin Daniel Martin who won the title a couple of years ago, three-time winner David O’Loughlin and another former winner, David McCann will line up for the national road race championships in Sligo tomorrow.

What is probably the strongest ever field for the national championships oozes talent, and if one has to pick a favourite it must be O’Loughlin, who goes to the line on the back of what has been an excellent season that included a stage win in the FBD Insurance Rás and has the backing of a strong An Post/Sean Kelly team.

“On all known form the winner has to come from among the professionals,” former Olympic team manager, Martin O’Loughlin, said.

“Nicolas Roche and Daniel Martin both going are both going extremely well but the An Post team will ride well and won’t make life easy while David McCann has won all his UCI races this year.

“And if young Philip Lavery or Sam Bennett get to the sprint they could do a lot of damage.

“Lavery has stepped up a level or two this year and Sam is having a very successful first year as a pro with VC Le Pomme.”

Last year, Sean Downey, fifth, Ronan McLoughlin, sixth, and Philip Lavery, seventh, dominated the U23 classification when they got into the decisive break which young Bennett, fresh from his big Rás stage win, missed.

But McLoughlin broke his wrist recently and is unlikely to race on Sunday.

While they were battling it out behind, however, there was an intriguing three-way contest for the senior title raging up ahead with Roche sandwiched between the An Post pair, O’Loughlin and Paidi O’Brien, who will miss Sunday’s race through injury.

Roche did well to emerge from that two-pronged onslaught with the national champion’s jersey.

The in-form Mark Cassidy, who finished third and won the U23 title in 2007, Belfast’s Connor McConvey and Liverpool-born Matt Brammeier, who has declared for Ireland this year, will also compete.

“I’m looking forward to Sligo,” O’Loughlin said.

“It’s always good to be back racing on home soil. Of course, it’s not going to be easy to try retake the title when you look at the calibre of riders we will be facing, but I know that myself and the rest of the guys will be giving it all we have to try and ensure that someone from the An Post team takes it home.”

Today, the 80km women and 100km veteran national championships take place with the Elite/ U23 and junior championships on tomorrow.

Martin O’Loughlin (Dan Morrissey Carrick Wheelers), who won veterans titles in 2007 and 2008, will be back challenging despite an horrific early-season crash, in which he broke two bones in his pelvis.

He would need to be at his best to challenge his clubmate and defending champion, Rory Wyley, who could face his biggest dangers in John Madden (Curran Racing) and Colm Bracken (Kilcullen CC).

Defending champion, Heather Wilson (Maryland Wheelers), will go to the line as favourite for the women’s race but faces stern opposition from Kate Rudd (Wolftrap CC); Orla Hendron (Orwell Dundrum TC Shopping); Rachel Withers (West Tyrone VC); and Louise Fullerton (Northstone Ballymena RC).