From the U23 Tour of Flanders to attacking around Achill; Derek Burke is glad to be back

Derek Burke during his days as a full time rider with Pezula back in 2008; he is back on the bike for a second season and has taken victory on the opening stage of Rás Mhaigh Eo (Photo: Gerry McManus)

A returnee to the sport of cycling last year, former full time rider Derek Burke took the Brian McNamara Memorial in his native Tuam last July and since then has enjoyed a good winter with a number of foreign training camps to hone his form.

The fruits of that labour were evident yesterday when he sprinted home at the front of a four-man escape to take the opening stage of the Rás Mhaigh Eo.

He was facing a time trial stage this morning followed by a road stage in the afternoon in a bid to defend his leader’s jersey.

And while he laughed aloud when asked by stickybottle how he expected to ride in this morning’s 8km test, the Galway man is hopeful the large time gap the escape managed to put into the bunch yesterday will aid him greatly in trying to win the race overall.

“The time trial... well, I’ll ride it and we’ll see,” he laughed after winning the first of three stages in the two-day in Mayo.

“But I felt good today and coming into the finish I was hopeful I could win. I didn’t really know the guys I was with so it’s always hard to tell how they are going to be in a sprint finish. But thankfully I managed to get it and I was very happy with that.

“We got away around Achill and the two of us ploughed on for around 30km on our own and just as the gap was coming down two other guys came across.”

The 88km opening stage was run off in fine but breezy conditions, taking the riders from Westport out on a loop of the scenic but always testing Achill Island before coming back into Westport via Mulranny and Newport.

As well as winning the stage, the Seeng.ie rider also took the king of the hills prime on Achill and was second on the only other categorised climb, just before the finish; giving him the lead in the climbers’ competition.

In what would prove the key move of the day, Burke attacked on the loop of Achill at around the halfway point in the stage after a group of 10 had been clear and were caught.

He opened a gap and was joined by Peter McBride of Errigal CC.

While it was still a long way from home, especially on such a windy day and with an 80-rider bunch chasing them, the pair worked very well together, strongly sharing the workload.

They ploughed on for around 30km out front and managed to pull their lead out to one minute.

However, as the racing went inside the final 20km the gap began tumbling and it looked like the efforts of the leaders might come to nothing.

But as the gap came down to between 25 and 30 seconds, two riders jumped across to them in the shape of Ronan Killeen (Lucan CRC) and Bill Delaney (South Dublin CC).

With that extra firepower up front and facing a slightly easier breeze on the run in, the lead shot out again and with 5km remaining had reached 1:50 to the bunch; the stage honours clearly to be decided among the leaders.

Burke said while the gap came down a little – to 1:28 by the finish – as a result of cat and mouse in the final miles, the escape rode as a unit right to the end of the stage.

He got the verdict over Killeen, with McBride 3^rd and Delaney 4^th.

It was Killeen’s Lucan CRC team mate Mark Reilly who came in alone some 1:28 down for 5^th.

He was followed by a three-man group some seven seconds later, before the bunch charged in a further 11 seconds later.

The affable 27-year-old Burke has a long history with racing already behind him, a remarkable fact given his relative youth and the fact he was away from racing for four seasons.

Back in 2006 he was riding for the Murphy & Gunn team, which would go on to morph into what is now the An Post-Chainreaction squad. He is also a veteran of European campaigns on the Irish team, including riding the Nations Cup which includes the U23 versions of pro classic races Liège–Bastogne–Liège and the Tour of Flanders.

Burke, in blue and pink kit on the right, was third in the 2008 national U23 road race championships behind winner Dan Martin and silver medalist Adam Armstrong (Photo: Derick Whyte)

In 2008 Burke moved to the Pezula team, riding alongside well known former pro, Giro rider and double Rás winner Ciaran Power. However, he then decided he had had enough of cycling, that decision aided and abetted by joining the workforce.

But last year after injuring his knee playing football he began cycling again for rehabilitation and was quickly pulled back in by the cycling bug.

“A lot of people would know the cycling coach Jonathan Gibson and he lives near me and it was him who was ringing me getting me back into it,” Burke said of his return.

“So I’ve been working away with him and he’s done a good job on me. I’ve done a few training camps as well, the last one was in Gran Canaria. So I think they have brought me on too.

“I was probably feeling a bit tired from that the past couple of weeks but I am definitely feeling good now.”

A veteran of the professional version of the Tour of Ireland, Burke is keen to ride the Rás in May and will follow the usual schedule of preparation races ahead of that including the Des Hanlon Memorial, the Visit Nenagh Classic, Kerry Group Rás Mumhan and the Shay Elliott.

But before any of that he had the small matter of trying to defend his yellow jersey in this morning’s 8km time trial followed by the afternoon road stage.

March 15th & 16th : Rás Mhaigh Eo

Stage 1 Results & General Classification

1.	Derek Burke	SEENG.ie	A2	2.16’51″
2.	Ronan Killeen	Lucan CRC	A3	2.16’51″
3.	Peter McBride	Errigal CC	A2	2.16’51″
4.	Bill Delaney	South Dublin CC	A2	2.16’51″
5.	Mark Reilly	Lucan CRC	A2	2.18’19″	1’28″
6.	David Nugent	Seven Springs CC	A2	2.18’26″	1’35″
7.	John James Flaherty	Western Lakes	A2	2.18’26″	1’35″
8.	Tony Burke	Galway Bay CC	A3	2.18’26″	1’35″
9.	Chris Jenken	Visit Nenagh DMG	A3	2.18’37″	1’46″
10.	Tom Blennerhassett	Orwell Wheelers	A2	2.18’37″	1’46″
11.	john E Holland	McNally Swords CC	A3	2.18’37″	1’46″
12.	Damien O Farrell	Garda CC	A2	2.18’37″	1’46″
13.	Gerard Corcoran	Westport Covey Wheelers	A3	2.18’37″	1’46″
14.	Colm Staunton	Westport Covey Wheelers	A3	2.18’37″	1’46″
15.	Eoin O Donoghue	Limerick CC	A3	2.18’37″	1’46″
16.	Carl Benson	Castlebar CC	A3	2.18’37″	1’46″
17.	Kieran Heneghan	Western Lakes	A3	2.18’37″	1’46″
18.	Phillippe Bourdarias	Orwell Wheelers	A2	2.18’37″	1’46″
19.	Martin McNamara	Lucan CRC	A3	2.18’37″	1’46″
20.	David Brody	Castlebar CC	A3	2.18’37″	1’46″
21.	Oliver White	Westport Covey Wheelers	A3	2.18’37″	1’46″
22.	Jason Prendergast	Limerick CC	A2	2.18’37″	1’46″
23.	James Busher	Orwell Wheelers	A3	2.18’37″	1’46″
24.	Patjoe O Connell	Westport Covey Wheelers	A3	2.18’37″	1’46″
25.	Joseph Breheny	UCD CC	A2	2.18’37″	1’46″
26.	Donal Mulkeen	Ballina CC	A3	2.18’37″	1’46″
27.	Damien Creighton	Blanch Wheelies CC	A3	2.18’37″	1’46″
28.	Tom Bourke	Westport Covey Wheelers	A3	2.18’37″	1’46″
29.	Paraic Conway	Westport Covey Wheelers	A3	2.18’37″	1’46″
30.	Liam Cullen	Barrow Wheelers	A3	2.18’37″	1’46″
31.	Aidan Collins	Orwell Wheelers	A2	2.18’37″	1’46″
32.	Donal Kelly	Galway Bay CC	A2	2.18’37″	1’46″
33.	Michael McBride	Errigal CC	A3	2.18’37″	1’46″
34.	Cale Coen	Castlebar CC	A3	2.18’37″	1’46″
35.	Gary Hack	Western Lakes	A3	2.18’37″	1’46″
36.	Paul McCarter	NRPT	A2	2.18’37″	1’46″
37.	James McCreevy	Westport Covey Wheelers	A3	2.18’37″	1’46″
38.	Greg Dempsey	Barrow Wheelers	A2	2.18’37″	1’46″
39.	Valerio Di Bacco	Galway Bay CC	A3	2.18’37″	1’46″
40.	Daire Feeley	Donamon Dynamos	A3	2.18’37″	1’46″
41.	Michael Doyle	Barrow Wheelers	A3	2.18’37″	1’46″
42.	Richard Meaney	Westport Covey Wheelers	A3	2.18’37″	1’46″
43.	Thomas Walshe	Castlebar CC	A3	2.18’37″	1’46″
44.	Constantine Bartels	St Tiernans CC	A3	2.18’37″	1’46″
45.	Sean Flynn	Lucan CRC	A3	2.18’37″	1’46″
46.	Brian Cullen	Barrow Wheelers	A2	2.19’06″	2’15″
47.	Kenneth Conlon	Naas CC	A3	2.19’13″	2’22″
48.	David Whitty	Barrow Wheelers	A3	2.19’30″	2’39″
49.	Michael Devins	Related News Lara Gillespie attacks Dolomite stage as Giro hits high mountains Video - Italy's hero Balsamo mobbed mid-stage during Giro TT UA	A2	2.19’37″	2’46″
50.	Brian McMorrow	Eire Óg CC	A3	2.19’37″	2’46″
51.	Paul Keogh	Eire Óg CC	A2	2.19’37″	2’46″
52.	Aidan O Grady	Visit Nenagh DMG	A3	2.19’37″	2’46″
53.	Michael Leonard	Lucan CRC	A3	2.19’37″	2’46″
54.	Gary Scully	Nenagh CC	A2	2.19’37″	2’46″
55.	Shane Scully	Nenagh CC	A2	2.19’37″	2’46″
56.	Paul O Connell	Kilmallock CC	A3	2.19’37″	2’46″
57.	Hugh Gallagher	Naas CC	A3	2.19’37″	2’46″
58.	Steve Franzoni	Mullingar Lakeside Wheelers	A2	2.19’37″	2’46″
59.	Joseph Kelly	Naas CC	A3	2.19’37″	2’46″
60.	Keith O Connell	Westport Covey Wheelers	A3	2.19’37″	2’46″
61.	Brendan Stewart	Lucan CRC	A3	2.19’37″	2’46″
62.	Darragh McCarter	Omagh Wheelers	A2	2.19’37″	2’46″
63.	Niall Dwyer	UCD CC	A3	2.20’13″	3’22″
64.	Conn Mc Dunphy	Lucan CRC	A3	2.20’37″	3’46″
65.	Gary Moran	Castlebar CC	A3	2.20’37″	3’46″
66.	Perter Tuohy	Castlebar CC	A2	2.20’37″	3’46″
67.	Caimin Muldoon	NRPT	A3	2.26’22″	9’31″
68.	David O Brien	UCD CC	A3	2.26’22″	9’31″
69.	Paul Crowley	Mullingar Lakeside Wheelers	A2	2.26’22″	9’31″
70.	Cathal Usher	Western Lakes	A3	2.27’17″	10’26″
71.	Darren O Neill	Castlebar CC	A3	2.27’17″	10’26″
72.	Joseph Mulledy	Curlieu Wheelers	A3	2.33’00″	16’09″
73.	Matthew McCullough	Sundrive Road Track Team	A3	2.34’00″	17’09″
74.	Rory Conroy	Castlebar CC	A3	2.35’00″	18’09″
75.	Shane Dillon	Adamstown CT	A3	2.35’10″	18’19″
76.	Kevin Roache	UA	A3	2.35’15″	18’24″
77.	Michael Walshe	Castlebar CC	A3	2.40’00″	23’09″
78.	Cormac Cadden	Westport Covey Wheelers	A3	2.45’00″	28’09″
79.	Philip Comerford	Seven Springs CC	A3	2.47’00″	30’09″
80.	Alan Lyne	Bikeworx	A3	2.49’00″	32’09″
81.	David Walshe	Westport Covey Wheelers	A3	2.50’00″	33’09″
82.	Micheal Flynn	Westport Covey Wheelers	A3	2.50’00″	33’09″

Sprint Point 1

Sprint Point 2

Sprint Classification Overall

Climbers’ Prime 1

Climbers’ Prime 2

Climbers’ Classification Overall