High quality Time Trialling on the N7

First year WorldTour professional Ben Healy showed his strength at the national time trial championships on Thursday, blitzing around a 32.13 kilometre course in Nenagh to win the Elite men’s event.

The 21-year-old beat both George Peden (Team PB Performance) and Eddie Dunbar (Ineos Grenadiers) by one minute 32 seconds, landing his first win since turning pro with EF Education-EasyPost this year.

He will now wear the distinctive national champion’s jersey in time trial events for the next twelve months.

The 2018 and 2019 champion Kelly Murphy clocked up a third gold medal in the women’s race, taking a close victory over Joanna Patterson (Independent Pedaler – Nopinz). She beat last year’s winner by 1.12 seconds, with the champion from two years ago Eve McCrystal (Bellurgan Wheelers) netting third.

Darren Rafferty shrugged off the fact that he has just stepped up from junior ranks this year, with last year’s road race and time trial champion in that age group taking the under 23 title. The Hagens Berman Axeon rider beat the defending champion Kevin McCambridge (Trinity Racing) by 23 seconds, with Adam Ward (Team SmartDry Girona Cycling City) third.

Conal Scully (Carlow RCC) beat Quillan Donnelly (Usher Irish Road Club) by 15 seconds to take the junior men’s gold medal. Shauna Finn (Newcastle West Cycling Club) was best of the junior women, beating Katie Reilly (Orwell Wheelers Cycling Club) by 1.8 seconds.

Declan Slevin (Rosemount Cycling Club) took the handbike championship ahead of Allister MacSorley (Unattached Ulster) and Ray Murnane (Unattached Munster).

Triple Paralympic gold medallist Katie-George Dunlevy teamed up with pilot Linda Kelly to win the tandem event, beating Damien Vereker and Marcin Mizgajski (Comeragh CC) into second and Josephine Healion and Francine Meehan (Tullamore CTC) into third.

William Clifford (Galway Bay CC) triumphed in the C Class ahead of Richael Timothy (Castlerea Cycling Club) and Scott Drummond (Cork County CC).