After several top 10 placings in recent weeks, Ciaran Maguire, Team Dan Morrissey Pissei tagged the Emyvale GP onto his 2026 tally.
Plenty of buzz around the Ardaghey Community Centre early morning with Dany Blondeel, The Belgian Project providing the animation.
While the sky overhead was grey and cloudy, there was no threat of rain and unusually not a puff of wind with a nice 14°C. Plenty of sunny spells throughout the morning’s racing too.
The organisers estimated that over 100 riders had signed up in all categories, which was great to see at this end-of-year magnificently-run event by Emyvale CC.
Early doors
The C2s were first away for the four laps of the 25km lumpy circuit with a handicap followed by a slightly larger group of C1s.
The gap was slowly reduced and a main peloton was formed after about a lap and a half of racing.
Seán O’Kane, Pinergy Orwell Wheelers, who has been in great form recently with multiple top 10 and podium finishes, was first to get hostilities underway.
However, it wasn’t until the outward stretch on lap 3 that the first serious move was formed.
5 riders gained a 25-second advantage over the peloton: Darnell Moore, Caldwell Powerhouse Racing, Nathan Mullan, Banbridge CC, Padraig Moran, Pinergy Orwell Wheelers, Ruairí Woods, Burren CC, and Ciaran Maguire, Team Dan Morrissey Pissei, were moving along nicely.
Race on!
As the race approached the end of lap 3, the peloton had split into three groups with approximately a minute separating the leaders from the third group.
a group of ten of us got away and rode pretty well together.
Ciaran Maguire, Team Dan Morrissey Pissei
The winning break formed shortly afterwards with the initial 5 being joined by the impressive Seán O’Kane, Pinergy Orwell Wheelers, Lindsey Watson, Caldwell Powerhouse Racing, Dean Harvey and James Alexander, McConvey Cycles, and Aliyah Rafferty, DAS-Hutchinson.
With about 10 kilometers to go it looked almost certain the winner would come from the group of 10.
James Mackey, Foyle CC, and Jody Wright, Inspired CC, were chasing hard trying to bridge the gap with the peloton a further 20 seconds back.
Coming into the final climb to the finish, the cat and mouse tactics started. Ruairí Woods, Burren CC, having a dig followed by another from the inform Padraig Moran, Pinergy Orwell Wheelers.
The winner was going to be the rider who got the tactics spot on with perfect timing, and that turned out to be the impressive Ciaran Maguire, Team Dan Morrissey Pissei, powering in the saddle to the line ahead of Dean Harvey, McConvey Cycles, with Lindsay Watson, Caldwell Powerhouse Racing, completing the podium.
Good finish. thought it would be too hard on the day, but luckily got the win in the end.
Ciaran Maguire, Team Dan Morrissey Pissei
Maguire adds this win to his 2026 Carn Classic and seems to revel in these upward sloping finishes.
A superb afternoon’s racing again, and full credit to Emyvale CC and their volunteers.
The podium
Top 10
- Ciaran Maguire – Team Dan Morrissey Pissei
- Dean Harvey – McConvey Cycles
- Lindsay Watson – Caldwell Powerhouse Racing
- Padraig Moran – Pinergy Orwell Wheelers
- Darnell Moore – Caldwell Powerhouse Racing
- Seán O’Kane – Pinergy Orwell Wheelers
- Nathan Mullan – Banbridge CC
- Ruairí Woods – Burren CC
- Aliyah Rafferty, DAS – Hutchinson
- James Alexandre – McConvey Cycles
