The fireworks may have been about to go off at the 2026 UCI Road World Championships men’s road race in Montréal, but the racing calendar was also at full throttle elsewhere.
On Saturday 26th September the traditional Belgian one-day race Grand Prix Cerami (1.2) delivered another hard, selective contest over 168.6 km from Mons to Frameries.
Cériel Desal, Soudal Quick-Step Devo Team, claimed victory, outsprinting the late break to finish clear of Gianni Marchand, Tarteletto-Isorex, and Tuur Verbeeck, Lotto-Groupe Wanty. A small group contested the win after a race shaped by short sharp climbs, repeated circuits and a long cobbled section at Sars-la-Bruyère.
The event has a solid history counting among its previous winners Wout van Aert (2017), and remains a popular late-season target for Continental and Development squads.
Four Irish riders lined up. Among them were 2026 Rás Tailteann champion Conn McDunphy, APS Pro Cycling by Team Cadence Cyclery, and 2026 Irish National Road Race Championships Bronze medalist Finn Crockett, VolkerWessels Cycling Team.
McDunphy‘s teammates Matthew Walls and Ronan O’Connor were DNFs on the selective course.
McDunphy has enjoyed a superb 2026 campaign that included fourth places in both the national road race and individual time trial plus aggressive riding at the Tour of Britain amongst other fine performances.
Crockett has had a quieter year by his own standards and arrived due a strong end-of-season performance.
Both finished in the main chase group that crossed the line just five seconds behind the winner. Crockett 13th and McDunphy 14th.
Finn Crockett: Aggressive throughout, frustrated by late misfortune
The race was hard and fast from the outset. A sizeable break went clear after the second lap of the main circuits and built a lead of around a minute and a half to two minutes. Crockett had a teammate in that move.
With two laps remaining he attacked over the principal climb and helped form a chasing group. That group later made contact with the remnants of the original break after the leaders had split.
Mechanical trouble then struck on the main cobbled section: a puncture forced a wheel change, followed by a bike change when the gears failed. Crockett found himself last man in the peloton heading into the final lap.
He worked his way back through the bunch and attacked again on one of the final punchy kickers, helping establish a new group that caught the front of the race. Immediate counter-attacks followed; he was able to follow the decisive move and found himself in a six-rider group.
a little bit frustrating. I had a really good legs.
the main positive I guess is just feeling good again and nice to be active in the front of the race.
– Finn Crockett, VolkerWessels Cycling Team
On the final cobbles he hit the section first and was attacked from behind with speed. Unable to regain the pace, he was dropped by the three riders who contested the win. Riding with two companions in pursuit, he was caught in the final 800 metres and sprinted to 13th.
Despite the tactical frustration of missing the front group after having strong legs, the positive was his returning form and being active at the sharp end of a quality race.
Crockett now heads into a solid block that finishes with the Tour of Holland in Tuesday, 13th October to Sunday, 18th October, where he will aim to end the season on a high note.
Conn McDunphy: Dangerous late move and solid sprint to close the campaign
McDunphy described a lively, technical circuit featuring a long cobbled section and two short, sharp climbs. A dangerous move went clear on the penultimate lap on the cobbles. He bridged across with several others and made contact just after the stones.
Three riders remained ahead. In normal circumstances the chase would have closed them before the sprint, but a slight stall on the approach to the line allowed the front trio to contest the victory.
McDunphy found himself boxed in slightly yet was satisfied with his sprint effort from the group that finished five seconds back. He had launched several attacks in the closing kilometres in an effort both to bridge to the leaders and to shed the riders behind, but those moves did not quite stick.
Overall he was happy with the race and viewed it as a positive way to finish his 2026 season. With the campaign now complete, McDunphy will put the feet up and before getting ready for next year.
yeah I was happy with the race and it’s a nice way to finish the season.
– Conn McDunphy, APS Pro Cycling by Team Cadence Cyclery
Irish interest continues with the 2026 Petronus Tour de Langkawi at the moment with Dillon Corkery, Team PicNic PostNL, and Rory Townsend, Unibet Rose Rockets, in action hoping to shine on the flatter stages before it finishes in Putrajaya on Sunday 4th October.
