A3 Newbridge Grand Prix: Best Cycling Race of 2014?

sheepfield

Ok - another thread about A3 racing etc but bear with me.

Back in March, in the freezing cold and rain, the Newbridge GP attracted its usual huge field in the A3 including the usual mix of contenders of all ages and abilities. Given the unfolding of the subsequent season and recent results around the country, I think it is not too outrageous to claim that this race was pretty much the best event "in its class" to be held this year, or maybe any grade this year. To borrow some terminology from horse racing (the race did take place beside The Curragh to be fair) students of the "formbook" would have taken a lot of future winners from this one. And I'm not talking about mixed handicap races or the like: rather, a straight A3 only open race event doesn't get much better than this.

On the first lap, a remarkable quartet went up the road and despite a chase, counter-attacking and bridging attempts from over 100 others, were not caught. They were:
Adam Stenson (Lucan) - National U-16 Champion
Michael O'Loughlin (NRPT) - First Year Junior
Sean Hahessy (Carrick) - First Year Senior
Martin O'Loughlin (Carrick) - Former National Vets Champion

While young Stenson did get caught on the way home, Hahessy attacked the others on the last drag to take the win ahead of the son/father combo in 2nd/3rd.

Behind in the gallop, the next point scorers were the following:
Fintan Ryan (NRPT) - National Junior Road Race Champion
Daragh Campbell (Drogheda Wheelers)
Ferghal Regan (Headstrong CC) - with evergreen Colm Bracken (who needs no introduction) up there too in the final battle.

I believe that young Campbell has now moved to ride as a neo-pro in America with Novo-Nordisk: the very best of luck to him. Regan in 6th put up an incredible ride in that he was only a few weeks into a racing career with a new local club; in hindsight, his performance would have won any average A3 race in the calendar, but this clearly was no "average" race.

My point is that we can debate all day whether juniors/supervets can/should ride the A3 grade - god knows the discussion has been had many times. We can rightly ask whether A3 - the equivalent of "Class C" races for "third tier" riders - actually exists for those riders at all, seeing that the calibre of rider regularly winning is far better than that. But for me, it is in everybody's interest to have better riders making better races by challenging each other and making it a real race for everybody. And so what if I get whipped by a teenager or a super-vet: some day I might be delighted to say I raced with the same people.

I think anybody within an asses roar of a prize in this event on the day can be happy with their effort. And I wouldn't be at all surprised if every one of the top 30 or so on the day has subsequently gone on to take a win of some sort this season, either at club, open or (perhaps) international level. And while some A3 races have basically come down to a type of junior national champs rehearsal (Des Hanlon/Nenagh come to mind), the range of ages and styles in this roll of honour are what I found most remarkable.

And congratulations to Michael O'Loughlin - winning the Wexford 2-Day aged 16, beating the likes of Greg Swinand, Damien Shaw, Paidi O'Brien etc.

He is some awesome A3 rider..... I saw him first in Newbridge. Riding into the distance in a pretty awesome race.

Inquitus

I think the point is the like of Michael O'Loughlin finishing second to likely neo-pro Eddie Dunbar in the junior champs shouldn't really be in the same class as a rank amateur near 40yo like me, maybe if you feel you belong in such rarified airs you should be in A2 or higher racing them where they belong. A3 isn't the cat for this level of competition, it's one step up from never rode a bike before!

Arthurdaly

Inquitus wrote: »

A3 isn't the cat for this level of competition, it's one step up from never rode a bike before!

And you have decided this? How did you do in the national champs of barely turned a pedal?

Inquitus

Arthurdaly wrote: »

And you have decided this? How did you do in the national champs of barely turned a pedal?

I didn't do great, but then I was just back from a 2 week family holiday off the bike, like an A3 would be, given it's one step up from never tried racing.