![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Keogh-by-Sean-Rowe-1200x800.jpg\")
Cian Keogh has claimed victory in the men\u2019s race at the Leinster Road Race Championships and Ellen N\u00ed Cleirigh is the new women\u2019s champion (Photo: Sean Rowe)<\/p>\nCian Keogh has claimed victory in the men\u2019s race at the Leinster Road Race Championships and Ellen N\u00ed Cleirigh is the new women\u2019s champion (Photo: Sean Rowe)<\/p>\n
Cian Keogh Keogh (Team Skyline) has been crowned Leinster men\u2019s road race champion after an aggressive title race in Co Wexford today saw a strong breakaway go clear and then explode in the closing stages.<\/p>\n
In the separate Masters-Women\u2019s race, over a shorter distance of 84km, Ellen N\u00ed Cleirigh (Longcourt Hotel \u2013 NCW) won the women\u2019s category while newly minted Irish Masters road race champion Ronan Killeen (Lucan CRC) won the Masters 40 crown.<\/p>\n
The main event was a lumpy 105km \u2013 five laps of a 21km course in Ballindagan with 1,400m of elevation gain. As the racing was run off in wet and windy conditions, there was no place to hide.<\/p>\n
However, that did not deter a five-man breakaway getting clear in the combined C+-C1-C2-C3 event, with that move going clear with five laps of the circuit remaining; eventual winner Keogh in that move with some other very strong riders.<\/p>\n
Keogh was joined by his team mate, and former elite Irish TT champion, Conn McDunphy, as well as Des Hanlon Memorial 2025 winner, and R\u00e1s Tailteann Team Ireland member Ruairi Byrne (UCD Cycling Club).<\/p>\n
Two of the rising young guns of the domestic scene were also in the move; cyclocross international Tadhg Killeen Kilcullen (Cycling Club Murphy Geospacial) and junior MTB and cyclocross international Ryan Daly (Scott Racing IRL).<\/p>\n
Though the five up front worked well together, in the Wexford Wheelers promotion, that cooperation was put aside on the penultimate lap when the attacks began, with McDunphy first to strike. Young Ryan was the first casualty, though having been focussed on his MTB racing this summer \u2013 including riding the Europeans \u2013 he did well to make the breakaway and stay up there for as long as he did.<\/p>\n
As the last lap approached, Killeen was the next to lose his place up front, leaving Byrne in the unenviable position of being left with the two Team Skyline riders, who duly worked him over.<\/p>\n
When McDunphy put in a strong attack in the second half of the final lap, Keogh left it to Byrne to chase. And when the UCD man caught McDunphy, Keogh countered and got away on his own.<\/p>\n
He rode solo in TT mode for about 5km, but behind McDunphy kept at it, and was able to get rid of Byrne. Keogh and McDunphy then joined forces, racing into the finish, where they sprinted it out with Keogh winning from his team mate, with Byrne surviving for a deserved 3rd place.<\/p>\n
Byrne also took C1 gold, from Killeen and Mark Dowling (All human-VeloRevolution). The junior men\u2019s podium was topped by Jamie Byrne (Carlow RCC) from Oscar O\u2019Connor (Wexford Wheelers) and Callum McCaffrey (Saxun Extrusax Primot).<\/p>\n
Daniel Stone (Roadman Cycling Club) was leading C2 from Adam Cullen (Barrow Wheelers) and Jake Bickerdike (Dan Morrissey Pissei Cycling Team). The C3 victory went to Donal O\u2019Brien (Unattached) from Eoin Bailey (Carlow RCC) and Matt Lynch (Orwell Wheelers).<\/p>\n
In the women\u2019s race, N\u00ed Cleirigh claimed the Leinster road race title from silver medal winner Claire Diffley (Unattached Leinster), with Doireann Killeen (Kilcullen Cycling Club Murphy Geospacial) taking bronze. Ffion Dolan (TC Racing) took the junior women\u2019s title, with Holly McCaffrey (Longcourt hotel-NCW Wheelers) claiming silver.<\/p>\n
In the Masters 40 men\u2019s race, Killeen led the way from Rob Farrell (Lucan CRC) and Jamie Phillips (All human-VeloRevolution). The Masters 50 title was won by Paddy Ennis (Unattached) from Shem Cullen (Spin the Bean Power by Coffee) and (Philip White Dan Morrissey Pissei).<\/p>\n
Sun, Aug 31st | Leinster Road Race Championships<\/p>\n
Ballindagan, Co Wexford<\/p>\n
Hosted by Wexford Wheelers<\/p>\n
Senior Men (105km)<\/p>\n
Cian Keogh Team Skyline<\/p>\n
Conn McDunphy Team Skyline<\/p>\n
Ruairi Byrne UCD Cycling Club<\/p>\n
Senior Women (84km)<\/p>\n
Ellen N\u00ed Cleirigh Longcourt Hotel \u2013 NCW<\/p>\n
Claire Diffley Unattached Leinster<\/p>\n
Doireann Killeen Kilcullen Cycling Club Murphy Geospacial<\/p>\n
C1 Podium (105km)<\/p>\n
Ruairi Byrne UCD Cycling Club<\/p>\n
Tadhg Killeen Kilcullen Cycling Club Murphy Geospacial<\/p>\n
Mark Dowling All human-VeloRevolution<\/p>\n
C2 Podium (105km)<\/p>\n
Daniel Stone Roadman Cycling Club<\/p>\n
Adam Cullen Barrow Wheelers<\/p>\n
Jake Bickerdike Dan Morrissey Pissei Cycling Team<\/p>\n
C3 Podium (105km)<\/p>\n
Donal O\u2019Brien Unattached<\/p>\n
Eoin Bailey Carlow RCC<\/p>\n
Matt Lynch Orwell Wheelers<\/p>\n
Junior Men Podium (105km)<\/p>\n
Jamie Byrne Carlow RCC<\/p>\n
Oscar O\u2019Connor Wexford Wheelers<\/p>\n
Callum McCaffrey Saxun Extrusax Primot<\/p>\n
Junior Women Podium (84km)<\/p>\n
Ffion Dolan TC Racing<\/p>\n
Holly McCaffrey Longcourt hotel-NCW Wheelers<\/p>\n
Masters 40 Podium (84km)<\/p>\n
Ronan Killeen Lucan CRC<\/p>\n
Rob Farrell Lucan CRC<\/p>\n
Jamie Phillips All human-VeloRevolution<\/p>\n
Masters 50 Podium (84km)<\/p>\n
Paddy Ennis Unattached<\/p>\n
Shem Cullen Spin the Bean Power by Coffee<\/p>\n
Philip White Dan Morrissey Pissei<\/p>\n
Masters 60 Podium (84km)<\/p>\n
Shaun Kelly Unattached<\/p>\n
Paul Bolger Slaney CC<\/p>\n
Jimmy Flynn Cuchulainn CC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cian Keogh has claimed victory in the men\u2019s race at the Leinster Road Race Championships and Ellen N\u00ed…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":107019,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[4985,101,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-107018","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-cycling","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107018","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=107018"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107018\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/107019"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=107018"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=107018"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=107018"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}