Race Diary of Cian Lynch,
Swords McNally Joinery

Race: Tour of Munster, Stage 4,  24th April 2000

Correction in respect of yesterday. Eugene Moriarty is lying in third place overall. Paddy Moriarty has ridden well and barring disaster, will retain the yellow jersey. I mean, can Ritchie Cahill possibly ride to contend the jersey? I, and an awful lot of others just don’t think so.  In fairness, the lad has a stage racing mentality, get in the right breaks, no need to go mad for a stage placing, and voila – a high G.C. placing.

Last day of the Tour of Munster, and into sign on, where Paddy O’Callaghan is sitting in an old church type chair, looking like an Archbishop listening to a sermon on Easter Sunday, you know the sleepy look, head bowed, resting on hand, and so on. The lads have once again put on a great race, and are to be congratulated on the route and race itself. The stage is about 64 miles, flat, and probably going to be very fast. Despite the calls of “ Piano “, the attacks come soon after the flag drops. Funny that. I remember on my first Ras in ’96 praying that for once the heads up the front would “Piano” away for the whole day and let me get the feeling of finishing in the bunch for once. Now, older and wiser, I realise that it’s a mean joke.

No sooner are we 10 miles into the race, than Aidan is in a break with Dermot Healy, Shane Baker, Kieran McMahon and Martin O’Loughlin. They sit at 40 seconds, then up to 1 minute. As we pass through Birr and hit the straight open roads, the lads are reeled in. One wonders why Stamullen see the need to ride so aggressively and sporadically to bring them back. On re-joining, there come more attacks, and Paddy Moriarty is on to everything. Brian Kenneally rides up to the front of a group and starts riding through, noticeable by his absence, one senses that he is ready for the kill….

A group forms with just about every club represented, and unfortunately this negates the group – everyone begins looking at one another. Kieran McMahon tries a couple of times, and Adrian Hedderman and the Brackens are to the fore also. When a break does go, it contains Kenneally, Hedderman, Dave Peelo, Denis O’Shea, Dermot Healy, Bill Moore, a lad from Team Ventilux and myself, once again scrawling on to the back. With absolutely no intention of riding (Note to Bill – I am only back on the bike a couple of weeks, and when I do start riding, then you can talk to me) I sit on, and let the lads work away. Brian Kenneally and Sean Bracken simply fall off the front, and Adrian takes off over to the pair of them. Bill eases up, as does Dave Peelo, and with the bunch hard on our heels, the lads ride away in towards the finish. As the bunch approaches, all the gallopers and non-gallopers begin to show to the front, and with tired legs I roll in at the back of the bunch. Kenneally takes the stage, with Sean second (again!) and Adrian in third.

The weekend nonetheless was an interesting one. I suppose I faired better than expected, and can look forward to the next few weeks, comfortable in the knowledge that I can make the breaks, just getting stronger to be able to ride well ….I am sure that those of us returning to work tomorrow are knackered at the prospect, and with Ulster only around the corner, and another three days of hard racing, how will Cass go? Will Eugene perform? ‘Til next weekend.

IrishCycling.Com: Would like to thank Cian for his excellent report