There's an old saying in cycling 'When the going gets tough — the tough get going' that falls true for the 45th edition of the DES Hanlon Cycle Race in Carlow fought out on 'the Butts' circuit.

After a gruelling race of over 130kms in cold, wet, and windy conditions, Conn McDunphy (APS Pro Cycling) piped Liam Crowley (Pinergy Orwell) to the finish line by a couple of inches.

McDunphy Takes the Des in a Photo Finish

CyclingIreland.ie Reports

The 45th edition of the Des Hanlon Memorial took place yesterday, with Carlow CRC playing hosts.


The C1 race took in 130km course, and came down to millimetres at the finish line, with Conn McDunphy of APS Pro Cycling taking the win over Orwell’s Liam Crowley after an uphill sprint, while Velo Performance rider Jack Conroy took third.


An incredibly strong field took on the 82km Women’s race, which saw Abi Conway take the win, this year riding for Paralloy RT. Dan Morrissey Pissei team-mates Linda Kelly and Aine Doherty took second and third respectively, with less than half a second separating Conway and Kelly at the line.


Tom Hughes, riding for Kilcullen CC Murphy Geospatial, took the win in the 82km C2 race. The first year junior has had a strong start to the season, already earning an early upgrade from the C3 ranks. Hughes’ Kilcullen team mate Conor Regan took second spot on the podium, with another first year Junior in Panduit Carrick Wheelers’ James Logue taking third.


The C3 race also played out over 82km, and it was M40 rider Craig Brookes, riding with Comeragh CC that took top spot by over three minutes. Junior Daithi Killeen from Kilcullen took second, with Phoenix CC’s Callum Stewart taking third.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS



RESULTS

2026 Des Hanlon Memorial - C1 Race 130kms
1 Conn McDunphy APS PRO CYCLING BY TEAM CADENCE CYCLERY
2 Liam Crowley Orwell Wheelers Cycling Club
3 Jack Conroy Velo Performance Racing Team
4 Callum McCaffrey Natural-Greatness-Rali-Ale
5 Josh Callaly Velo Performance Racing Team
6 Gareth O'Neill Athlete Nutrition Coach Nordic Labs
7 Matteo Cigala Dan Morrissey Pissei Cycling Team
8 Darragh Byrne ASVILLEMUR CYCLISME
9 Tadhg Killeen Kilcullen CC Murphy Geospacial
10 Conal Scully Dan Morrissey Pissei Cycling Team
11 Lindsay Watson Caldwell Powerhouse Racing
12 Daniel Stone Roadman Cycling Club
13 James McKenny Velo Revolution / Speed Queen
14 Darnell Moore Caldwell Powerhouse Racing
15 Paul Kennedy Burren Cycling Club
16 Hugh Og Mulhearne ASVILLEMUR CYCLISME
17 Ronan O'Connor APS PRO CYCLING BY TEAM CADENCE CYCLERY
18 Cian Keogh APS PRO CYCLING BY TEAM CADENCE CYCLERY
19 David Harrington Lucan Cycling Road Club
20 Eoin Clifford Velo Revolution / Speed Queen

2026 Des Hanlon Memorial - C2 82kms
1 Tom Hughes Kilcullen Cycling Club Murphy Geospacial
2 Conor Regan Kilcullen Cycling Club Murphy Geospacial
3 James Logue Panduit Carrick Wheelers
4 Brian Kavanagh Gorey Cycling Club
5 Oliver O'Shaughnessy Dan Morrissey Pissei Cycling
6 Luke Cullen Velo Revolution / Speed Queen
7 James Griffin Waterford Racing Club
8 Dermot Radford Dan Morrissey Pissei Cycling Team
9 James Davenport Velo Revolution / Speed Queen
10 Niall Browne Drogheda Wheelers
11 Matthew Lane Orwell Wheelers Cycling Club
12 Kevin Derrig Lucan Cycling Road Club
13 Caoilin Considine Bray Wheelers
14 Neill Delahaye Bellurgan Wheelers
15 Hugh Maguire Team Stafford Bonded
16 Jake Bickerdike Athy Wheelers Cycling Club
17 Donal Byrne Roadman Cycling Club
18 Conor Kelly VC Glendale
19 Martin Casey Velo Revolution / Speed Queen
20 Saran Greene Un-Attached Leinster

2026 Des Hanlon Memorial - C3 Race 82kms
1 Craig Brookes Comeragh CC
2 Daithi Killeen Kilcullen CC Murphy Geospacial
3 Callum Stewart Phoenix CC
4 Kyle Minford Naas Cycling Club
5 Kieran Keegan Orwell Wheelers Cycling Club
6 Mark Rowe Dungarvan CC
7 David Donovan Upperchurch Drombane Cycling
8 Seamus Babington Panduit Carrick Wheelers
9 Dillon Lynch Kildorrery Cycling Club
10 Bob Maye Clonard RC
11 Thomas Anthony Lawlor Carlow RCC
12 Fearghal Regan Kilcullen CC Murphy Geospacial
13 Anthony Dunne Lucan Cycling Road Club
14 Shem Cullen Spin the Bean Power by Coffee
15 Brendan Ward Clondalkin CC
16 Michael Hickey Orwell Wheelers Cycling Club
17 Patrick Ennis Un-Attached Leinster
18 Joshua Chambers Lucan Cycling Road Club
19 Kresimir Kusic Starsky Cycling
20 Manuel Meco Gomez Un-Attached Leinster

2026 Des Hanlon Memorial - Women's Race 82kms
1 Abi Conway Paralloy RT
2 Linda Kelly Dan Morrissey Pissei Cycling
3 Aine Doherty Dan Morrissey Pissei Cycling
4 Elena Wallace Harps CC
5 Claire Diffley Orwell Wheelers Cycling Club
6 Mia Smith Brother UK - Team OnForm
7 Stella Smith Brother UK - Team OnForm
8 Yvonne Doran Orwell Wheelers Cycling Club
9 Jennifer Caverly Dublin Bay Cycling Club
10 Ysabella Huele Rudyco Cycling Team vzw
11 Niamh O'Brien Barrow Wheelers
12 Joanne Ni Mhathuna Gorey Cycling Club
13 Veronika Krolova Greenmount CA
14 Mary O'Donnell Greenmount CA