Lambert holds his nerve for fine win

SIMON LAMBERT of Wexford Wheelers held his nerve at the end of the National A3 Road Race Championships to win the sprint from the bunch that settled the contest in Blarney, Co. Cork.

A four-man escape went clear very early and stayed away for around one-third of the nine-lap, 95 km. race.

But failing to build a lead that would ever reach one minute, as counter-attacks and chasing in the bunch kept them at bay, the escapees always looked doomed.

The testing course, with two climbs each time, meant the move would perhaps have needed to contain more riders than just four. Their chances of making it all the way looked limited and they were eventually caught on the third-last lap.

The race was a rather negative affair, with very little sticking aside from that four-man break as it was characterised by stop-start action rather than decisive sustained riding that would split the large field.

Perhaps the most dangerous move was when Craig Arrigan of South Dublin C.C., a first year Under-23 rider, took flight on his own with a couple of laps to go.

Arrigan rode a good Suir Valley Three Day on a hilly course two weeks earlier and had every right to fancy his chances of taking a medal away.

However, he was caught in the closing stages, paving the way for a sprint from a depleted peloton.

New champion Lambert was around fifth in line when some of those at the head of the action blasted into the finishing climb hard.

However, while they would fade, Lambert picked them off and hit the line first after a strong and perfectly-timed finishing surge.

Paddy McKenna of the Emyvale club in Monaghan came from a long way back to take the silver medal, with Declan Reid of Newry Wheelers in the bronze medal position.