Simon Tuomey leads the break during yesterday’s Lacey Cup in Tralee, Co Kerry. The young Corkman has set himself some big targets for the coming season and based on his early season form he is clearly going very well (Photo: Maura Lynch Moriarty)
Though the junior racing scene has come in for some criticism of late, it was refreshing to see three riders from the grade effectively make the race at the Lacey Cup in Tralee yesterday.
Top A1 rider Sean McKenna claimed most of the plaudits for a thoroughly deserved win, but runner-up Simon Tuomey of Cork Giant also put in a very strong ride.
And two more juniors worthy of mention were Tuomey’s team mate Robert O’Leary and Darragh O’Mahony (O’Leary’s Stone Kanturk CC) who was 3rd yesterday.
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Tuomey, who finished 7th in the Junior Tour of Ireland last year, is looking like the man who will challenge Michael O’Loughlin in the U18 ranks this year.
And while the season is just two weekends old, he rode extreme well yesterday and spent a large part of the Ned Flanagan Memorial in Co Kildare last Sunday out front.
Up the road at the Ned Flanagan Memorial in Co Kildare last weekend (Photo: Sean Rowe)
“We were given tactics before the race which involved Robert attacking as hard as he could up the first climb,” he said of yesterday’s outing.
“And when he got around 20 seconds I was to try and go across to him.
“It was a brilliant ride by him considering it’s only his second race," he added in reference to O’Leary being a youth rider last season.
Tuomey would skip across to his team mate along with O’Mahony. Once they were formed into a trio they put significant daylight between themselves and the A3 bunch they started with.
Further back the road the big guns in the combined A1-A2 group were chasing them down in the handicapped event.
However, when eventual race winner Sean McKenna (Aquablue) jumped from the scratch group and bridged to the three juniors leading the race, he completed the race winning move.
Top ranked A1 rider from last year, Sean McKenna sees off Tuomey's challenge at the finish yesterday (Photo: Maura Lynch Moriarty)
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“Sean was the top A1 last year and I know how strong he is,” continued second year-junior Tuomey.
“We worked very well until we got the tailwind but Robert blew up; he didn’t have the speed in his legs because of the junior gears and Darragh couldn’t ride through either.
“He eventually blew up around 5k before the last climb of Slieve Mish.”
That left Tuomey and McKenna to battle it out for the remaining 8km or so.
“I was at my max heart rate for five minutes to try and get rid of Sean on that climb because I knew I’d be up against it in the sprint. He was very strong though,” lamented the young Corkman.
“It would have been nice to win but with the tailwind finish I was spun out so I’m very happy with second.”
Winning the criterium in the U16 category at the National Road Championships the year before last.
Tuomey has some big goals this year and wasn’t afraid to spell them out.
“I want to win the Junior Tour, that’s my biggest goal,” he said.
“An Irish jersey is another big target, be it at the Euros or the Worlds or both. I hope to push Michael (O’Loughlin) this year as well.
“If I took winter more seriously last year I’d have been up there,” he said of the 2014 campaign when O’Loughlin and Eddie Dunbar dominated the junior ranks.
“So I hope I can be as strong or stronger than (O’Loughlin). He’s one of the best in the country and I want to be too.”
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