LIVE UPDATES: VETERANS' ROAD RACE CHAMPIONSHIPS

14.40: Good afternoon and welcome to live updates from the veteran’s road race championship. The race started a few minutes later than scheduled, but the riders are rolling out to the start proper now.

14.45: Ger Madden (Team Sports Med) attacks about a kilometre after the start, thus getting hostilities under way.

He was brought back, and since then there has been a flurry of attacks. Nobody has succeeded in getting away, however.

This morning saw the women’s road race championships take

Women’s road race championships, Collooney, Sligo:

1, Olivia Dillon (Peanut Butter & Co)
2, Siobhan Horgan (ESGL 93)
3, Fiona Meade (St. Finbarr’s)
4, Wendy Bates (Lakeside)
5, Claire Dallat (Carnegie/Caulfield)
6, Adrienne McCarthy (Limerick)
7, Jenny McAuley (Bray)
8, Sarah Franzoni (Lakeside)
9, Geraldine Gill (Bohermeen)
10, Michelle Geoghegan (Moving Ladies)
11, Francine Meehan (Tullamore)
12, Heather Wilson (Maryland Wheelers)

14.54: Mark Kiernan (Kilcullen CC) attacked and went clear alone, opening a good lead.

14.58: Davy Gardiner (Bike Pure) and Peter McConville (Newry Wheelers) are chasing hard. Further back, Seamus Kelly (Usher IRC) is in pursuit of those two.

15.03: McConville drops back, and Kelly gets across to Gardiner. They join up to Kiernan, and there are three leaders going over the finish line for the first time.

15.06: They press onwards and have a good lead.

15.09: Kelly is now dropped, so there’s two leaders. These are being chased by Gerry McCabe (Cuchulainn) and John Dillon (Orwell Dundrum TC).

Sam Craig (Curran Racing) gets across to the two chasers.

15.13: It’s all together again, 20 kilometres into the race.

15.16: Other groups are trying to get away but no real gap is opening.

15.20: There has been attack after attack, but nothing is sticking.

15.27: Still together…a couple of riders get clear at a time, but get no more than a few bike lengths.

15.30: 32 kilometres after the start, Sean Bracken goes clear with a Swords rider. Two others get across, including a Dan Morrissey competitor.

15.32: That lead group is Sean McIlroy (Carrick Wheelers), John Madden (Curran Racing), Patrick Callaly (Swords) and Sean Bracken (Usher IRC).

15.33: Five riders set off in chase and have just bridged across.

David Gardiner (Bike Pure), Gerry McCabe (Cuchulainn), Stephen Baines (East Antrim CC), Paul Mulligan (Eurocycles/Eurobaby) and Jan Gieglis (Henry J Lyons).

15.37: One chaser is 30 seconds behind, with the main field 47 seconds back.

15.45: So there’s nine leaders – let’s give you those names again: Sean McIlroy (Carrick Wheelers), John Madden (Curran Racing), Patrick Callaly (Swords) and Sean Bracken (Usher IRC), David Gardiner (Bike Pure), Gerry McCabe (Cuchulainn), Stephen Baines (East Antrim CC), Paul Mulligan (Eurocycles/Eurobaby) and Jan Gieglis (Henry J Lyons).

They have 39 seconds over the peloton.


15.55: Five riders have been chasing for a few minutes – they are Rory Wyley (Carrick Wheelers), last year’s winner and current Cycling Ireland president, Laurent Dumoulin (Kanturk), Colm Bracken (Kilcullen), Greg Swinand (Usher IRC) and Conchubar O’Crualaoich (Wexford Wheelers).

After 42 kilometres, the chasers are 29 seconds back and the main field at 1’02”. They have 2km to go until the end of this lap, and are riding well together.

16.02: They have just gone over the finish line – four laps to go. The chasers are 24” back

16.08: The lead group and chase group have come together.

16.18: Okay, took a bit of time to work out something – there was one incorrect number called out in the chasers. David Peelo (Kilcullen) was there, rather than Laurent Dumoulin (Kanturk).

So, the composition of the 14 man lead group is as follows:

Sean McIlroy (Carrick Wheelers), John Madden (Curran Racing), Patrick Callaly (Swords), Sean Bracken (Usher IRC), David Gardiner (Bike Pure), Gerry McCabe (Cuchulainn), Stephen Baines (East Antrim CC), Paul Mulligan (Eurocycles/Eurobaby), Jan Gieglis (Henry J Lyons), Rory Wyley (Carrick Wheelers), Laurent Dumoulin (Kanturk), Colm Bracken (Kilcullen), Greg Swinand (Usher IRC) and Conchubar O’Crualaoich (Wexford Wheelers).

16.32: They are working fairly well together, although it got a bit scrappy for a while. They have a lead of 1’47 after 72 kilometres of racing.

A group of 11 tried to chase from behind but were caught.

16.35: A new gap: 1’30.

Reminder: this race will see the riders cover eight laps of 13.3 kilometres. That totals 106.4 kilometres, so they are well past half way.

16.39: On one of the drags on the circuit, Swinand is trying to go clear. They are keeping tabs on him, but the change in pace is hurting some riders, including McIlroy and Callaly.

16.42: Those two riders have now been dropped and won’t make it back on. There’s now 12 leaders.

They’ve just gone over the finish line again – two laps to go!

16.48: Swinand has been racing at a high level in recent years; he has to be a tip for the win. He’s one of the younger riders in this group.

16.49: Right on cue, he’s tried to clip away. They’ve brought him back, though.

Colm Bracken looks to be suffering – he seems under pressure.

16.50: BikePure rider Davy Gardiner has attacked. He’s got a small lead.

16.52: He was brought back. Peelo and Swinand countered and have a good gap now. These are two big dangers for the others – strong riders that they shouldn’t really let out of their sight.

16.55: They are pulling further and further ahead of the ten chasers. There’s a lot of stop/start racing in this group, but no one rider can get clear of the others. It really looks like this move has gone, unless someone can break the elastic very soon.

The two leaders are now 29 seconds clear, and are a rapidly-disappearing blip on the horizon.

17.02: Mulligan has cracked and is going backwards, as is Gieglis.

With approximately two kilometres left before the bell, this chase group has broken up. There was a lot of jumping around on the hill and as a result, Baines is suffering and slipping back. Sean Bracken went off the front but is now being brought back. There are now seven chasers: John Madden (Curran Racing), Sean Bracken (Usher IRC), David Gardiner (Bike Pure), Gerry McCabe (Cuchulainn), Rory Wyley (Carrick Wheelers), Colm Bracken (Kilcullen), and Conchubar O’Crualaoich (Wexford Wheelers).

At the bell, Peelo and Swinand were 40 seconds ahead and looking good.

The chasers are now on the descent, but need to really knuckle down significantly if they are to fight it out for gold. Frankly, we don’t see that happening as the two leaders are strong riders who have every reason to work well together.

17.07: The gap is now 45 seconds. This chase group is not really riding well, and Baines has got back up again.

17.13: The two leaders are riding very well in the headwind section of the course.

Behind, the chase group has split – there are three chasers, then four a little further back. Those first chasers are about to be caught by the other four, so there’s seven chasers again. They are 32 seconds back.

17.19: They are getting closer to the finish now – probably inside the final three kilometres. The gap is up to 38 seconds so barring disaster, or track stands, these two will fight it out for the win.

Peelo has one of the best pedalling styles in the peloton. This is one of the rare days where he isn’t wearing leggings – he always seems to have them on longer than most of the peloton. Swinand is more upright – he goes to the front after taking a brief break. They are working honestly, doing an equal turn each.

17.22: One kilometre to go…will they leave it for a sprint…?

17.23: Peelo has been at the front for the past kilometre or so...500 metres to go...

17.24: Swinand goes - Peelo comes back at him, edges past and then wins easily! Great win...he had about two or three lengths at the line..

17.25: Looks like Colm Bracken got the bronze medal...Sean Bracken and last year's winner Rory Wyley fought it out for fourth place...bear with us and we'll get the order...

17.27: Subject to verification, it's Sean Bracken ahead of Rory Wyley for fourth and fifth. We think Kilcullen may have got the team prize, but that needs to be verified.

We'll leave the coverage there for now - come back later for a report and results. Thanks for reading!