Feeley wins ‘The Des’ but Peden and O’Connor (16) also impress | Video

Daire Feeley (All human-VeloRevolution) has taken his first win the Des Hanlon Memorial in Co Carlow on a day when George Peden (Team PB Performance) turned on his TT power and really put the day’s eventual victor under serious pressure.

The duo proved the strongest from a really classy eight-man breakaway that eventually went clear of the remains of the bunch about 100km into the race.

That lead group – initially of six but swelling to eight before the final climb of Rossmore – eventually managed to get up the road on the climbs on the final circuit of the day in the Carlow Road Cycling Club promotion.

Among the leaders leaving the circuit as they made their way on the final stretch towards the finish, via the crucial 3.5km ascent of Rossmore, were: Feeley, Peden, Mark Dowling (All human-VeloRevolution), Conn McDunphy (Team Skyline), Liam Crowley (UCD Cycling Club) and Ruairi Byrne (UCD Cycling Club).

As they were moving clear of the main field, and finally causing the big split the race had been waiting for, Leo Doyle (X-Speed United) and very impressive first-year junior Philip O’Connor (Dungarvan CC) were determined not to be left behind. That duo took off out of the bunch and managed to get across to the leaders, making for a very strong eight-man group up front.

However, the bunch continued to chase behind and around the same time Doyle and O’Connor powered across the gap, it looked like the front section of the peloton may just close up to the leaders, though that did not come to pass.

The leaders had enjoyed an advantage of 45 seconds at one point, which was down to about 15 seconds when the race hit the last climb, though it made not difference to the strongest riders up front.

Feeley began attacking the group just before the climb, clearly keen to get ahead before the road kicked up, but he could not get away. It meant the leaders arrived intact to the base of the climb, where Peden showed what he could do.

📸 @AthyWheelers pic.twitter.com/FMgOaPQzaj

— Carlow Road Cycling Club (@CarlowCycling) March 24, 2024

He went to the front and began riding hard, stringing out the group as he repeatedly surged on up Rossmore. His injection if pace caused the leaders to split, with only Feely and McDunphy initially able to stay with him.

However, as Peden continued to dish it out on the front, McDunphy – hampered by a heavy crash today – began to slip backwards, with Feeley focused on holding Peden’s wheel as the duo gradually began forming a race-winning gap.

They went over the top with a clear lead and though a regrouping took place behind – with a bunch of up to about 30 riders forming – Feeley and Peden worked together and simply pulled away.

They managed to up their advantage just north of one minute and at the finish it was Feeley who had too much in the sprint for Peden, though the TT specialist really produced proof – not that it was needed – of his road racing credentials today.

Behind the winner and runner-up, the race for 3rd place was won by young O’Connor, a superb result from a rider competing as an U16 last season. He finished a few lengths ahead of the others in a chase group that was very strung out on the finishing straight.

Doyle was 4th with last weekend’s Bobby Power Memorial winner Crowley taking 5th and McDunphy placing 6th.

Patrick O’Loughlin (Panduit Carrick Wheelers) got himself into the mix in the final, taking 7th, while UCD’s Byrne was 8th, Gareth O’Neill (Athlete Nutrition Coach HD) took 9th and Dowling rounded out the top 10.