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Comeragh Cycling Club News
Touching Cloth in Tralee 06/03/2009
Lacey Cup Report by Tom Fanning.
I can all tell you both my legs and lungs found out pretty quickly yesterday who was currently inform. Both Don and I were feeling optimistic, the lacey cup is always a bench mark as to who’s going well.
We both went off with the B’s approx. 15 or so of us. About 7 of us tried to make a race out of it while the others were saving themselves to be caught by the A’s + super Vets. My race plan was to ride as hard as possible until we were up over the first main climb and boy did I pay for that later on in the race. We climbed steadily enough with no one willing to attack. Sam Bennett drove the chasing A group up to just catch us 3 quarters of the way up the climb. They managed to line it out and drop a couple of bodies. There were a couple of attacks here and there and it was mainly Dan Morrissey trying to tire out the main contenders.
Sean Lacey was riding strong and was vigilant to everything around him. We headed out to the coastline of Inch beach where the usual unassuming road elevation increased to a leg burning drag. It was here the shit hit the fan. I should have been more aware, I got caught out here once before many years ago but managed to get back on. Someone attacked, Lacey, Dan Morrissey I don’t know who but wheels were left go and I found myself buried underneath my handle bars screaming to grab wheels. The main contenders broke clear up the road, Concanon missed it. He rode with us (10 riders of A/B) we were gaining ground. By now the A’s had caught the C group ( which consisted of about 60 + riders + given a 5 min handicap on the B’s) we could see them and were within attacking difference ( I was in a heap and finding it hard to recover, if I had only conserved my energy at the start of the race). There was noting in the tank. Traffic was building on the narrow roads, some very in experienced race cars, everyone was cautious. Concannon attacked to get across, he slipped around a lead car from the Senior 3’s who was hanging out at the back of the main bunch. A camper van was coming towards us, Concanon slippet through, the rest of us weren’t so lucky. We were all brought to a halt. Race over. I blew up on the last climb about 5 km to go. My body had enough; I dropped down into the small ring to a more bearable rhythm to get me home. Well done to Don he stuck it out and climbed really well to finish out the race just behind the winners.
Forgot to mention the super vets, both Martin and Rory Wiley were all involved in the day’s proceedings. I believe they were just a little unlucky at the end not to get a placing. The Dan Morrissey team rode all day on the front, Sam Bennett’s debut as a senior rider was phenomenal. My Hat is off to Sean Lacey. To win this race with little or no team support is a true reflection on how well he is riding.
PS. We had a blowout at 90Mph in the car on the way to the race. Luckily for me it was Don's front wheel of his bike. Both of us touched cloth before we realised what happened.
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