Cidona Carrick rider Eddie O'Donoghue yesterday completed an impressive double in one of Ireland's hardest one-day cycling races when he won his second Des Hanlon memorial in Carlow.

On the four mile ascent of Killeshan half-way through the race, the biggest threat to a repeat win came when Paddy Moriarty (Dublin Skip), Tim Barry (Leeside Douglas) and Banteer's Richie Cahill forged ahead and established a one minute lead.

However, the efforts of a chasing group containing O'Donoghue and Saturday's Leinster league victor Morgan Fox gradually reduced this advantage, and with five miles remaining these two, plus Shane Baker (Usher IRC) and Martin O'Loughlin (Cidona Carrick) raced clear and with one mile to go the gap was finally negated and, profiting from an unselfish lead-out from team-mate O'Loughlin, O'Donoghue sprinted clear to take his second win ahead of Fox.

Of the other competitors, Emyvale's Conor Murphy and Paudi O'Brien (Kanturk) won the senior B and junior competitions respectively, while Tosh Lavery was best veteran. Meanwhile, Barry Sheehan (Limerick CC) won the Ras Luimni event in Limerick.