Rory Wyley led his Dan Morrissey Carrick Wheelers team to individual and team gold medals in the All Ireland Veterans Championship in Dunboyne, Co. Meath on Saturday last, and in the process maintained the Wheelers team incredible record in these championships.
Coming into last Saturday’s race, the team had won the team competition for the last five years in succession, and through Martin O’Loughlin had won the last two individual titles as well. With a strong five man team of Leslie O’Donnell, Sean McIlroy, Kieran Smyth, Rory Wyley and Martin O’Loughlin representing the club this year, hopes were high that they could continue the amazing winning streak.
Things were looking good from the start with Wyley and O’Loughlin covering any attempted breakaways, and at the half way mark Wyley launched a powerful attack of his own and pulled clear with only Andre Engermann of St. Tiernans for company. This pair opened a decisive gap on the chasing pack, and although O’Loughlin made a valiant effort to join them, closing the gap to eight seconds, he could not complete the move and slipped back into the main bunch.
With Wyley doing most of the work up front the gap continued to open, and as they approached the finish they had 1 min 22 secs on Limerick’s Tom Shanahan who was chasing alone. In the final sprint for the line, Wyley was easily too strong for Engermann and had five lengths to spare as he raised his hands high in a well deserved victory salute. Shanahan held on for third and there was a big bunch sprint of 60 riders to decide the destiny of the team prize. O’Loughlin got boxed in and could only manage 12th place, but with Kieran Smyth close behind him in 14th place, the team total of 27 points was good enough to retain the team title for Dan Morrissey Carrick Wheelers for an unprecedented sixth time in a row. The team have an ideal opportunity to celebrate their great victory as the club promote their own major national event, the Tommy Sheehan Memorial race, in Carrick on Sunday next.
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