Kerry team wins county title for first time since 56 in FBD Milk Rás
THE Kerry team won the County title and the Irish National team swept the individual and international titles in the FBD Milk Rás eight-day cycle race which finished in Dublin’s Phoenix Park on Sunday.
Kerry won their first county title since the 1950s with team leader Paul Griffin in fine form. He had three top 10 stage placings, including third into Millstreet, wore the points jersey for a day, was 14th overall and second best county rider.
Sean Lacey wasn’t far behind, also with three top 10 placings. He wore the Under 23 jersey for a day and was sixth overall in this category. He finished 24th overall and fifth best county rider.
Overall victory went to David McCann of the Irish National team and he led the Irish team, which included Eugene Moriarty, to victory in the International team classification. Moriarty was heroic in his support of both McCann and David O’Loughlin in their efforts to win the race.
Richie Cahill, Vincent Gleeson and Kieran McMahon also played their part in the great Kerry victory and they can be very proud of their contributions to a great team performance.
Cahill had two top 15 placings and was 70th overall, Gleeson also squeezed into the top 15 and was 71st overall, while McMahon, who had his preparation upset by injury, was 94th.
Eugene Moriarty, whose preparation was also upset, took 84th in the overall classification.
It was a great day for the Kerry cycling brigade in Dublin on Sunday when both the Irish team and the Kerry team were called to the winners’ podium.
The Tralee Earl of Desmond club, who put this team on the road, along with their sponsors, deserve great credit as does team manager, Cian Lynch, and his back-up squad.
Some of the moments that deserve a special mention were Paul Griffin, who hit the deck 15 miles from the finish into Millstreet, and still took third on the stage. Eugene Moriarty gave his bike to his team-mate O’Loughlin and still finished in the leading group on the same stage. Young Lacey mixed it with the big boys every chance he got and his seventh into Charleville was brilliant.
Vincent Gleeson got punctured at vital times and broken handlebars on Wednesday into Cahersiveen cost him dearly.
Cahill is a real tough Rás man and with better luck into Millstreet, could have been much further up. The same can be said of Moriarty’s effort when he led into Cahersiveen before they went to the Coomanaspig climb.
Leo McCarthy and the stage end committee in the South Kerry town also put on a fine show, and outside of the finish in Dublin, drew the biggest crowd of the week.
