Friends First Laragh Classic, Sunday, September 14, 2014

Hosted by St. Tiernan’s Cycling Club – proudly sponsored by Friends First

KEITH GATER came out on top in the inaugural A1/A2 Friends First Laragh Classic Road Race in County Wicklow after a grueling, three-man breakaway ride with a teammate and a champion.

Gater went up the road with newly-crowned Leinster champion Sean McKenna and his Aquablue teammate Damien Shaw, who was to prove crucial to his success.

The trio worked honestly, out on their own for most of the race, to take a one minute gap out to almost three minutes on the hilly circuit.

Gater then rode away in the final metres leaving UCD’s McKenna to sprint for second over Shaw, just 24hrs after his Leinster Road Race Championship win in Newbridge.

McKenna’s teammates dominated the minor placings, Eoin Morton and Ian Richardson taking fourth and fifth and Greg Swinand landing eighth after a costly puncture.

Joseph Breheny followed him in with the final Aquablue rider Joe Fenlon landing seventh and brilliant climber Mark Dowling filling sixth spot.

The A3 race, supported by FitzCycles.ie. went to Fixx Rouleur Ian Cassidy, riding in that category for the first time to beat Wexford Wheelers’ Conor Crowley. Last year’s winner Fintan Ryan was fifth.

The A4 event, supported by FitzCycles.ie, was won by Dublin University’s James McFadden.