Paidi O'Brien just about edges out Cathal Moynihan and Eugene Moriarty to take stage 3 of Kerry Group Rás Mumhan today (Photo: Pat Doherty)
By Gerard Cromwell
Cork sprinter Paidi O’Brien managed to overcome a bout of cramp in the middle of today’s 142km trek through ‘the Kingdom’ to repeat his victory of one year ago on stage three of the Kerry Group Ras Mumhan in Waterville.
The Osborne Meats-Edge Sports rider was part of a nine-man group that went clear shortly after the first king of the hills climb at Kilurley, around 23km into today’s stage.
Building a lead of over a minute as the race circumvented Valentia Island, the escape group also contained O’Brien’s compatriots Patrick Clarke (Liquiworx Fitscience), stage one winner Cathal Moynihan (Tralee BC), and DID Dunboyne duo Eugene Moriarty and Mark Dowling as well as Scotland’s Jack Pullar, Andy Roche of the Isle of Man, Dutchman Sjors Dekker and British rider Conor Ryan.
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“There were ten of us originally but I think a Dutchman fell off in the feed zone so that left nine,” said O’Brien, the reigning national criterium champion who is climbing with the best this season.
“We were away from the start but there was really good cooperation in the break. Everyone rode. It was a really tough race, but up the front was a good place to be in Valentia.
“It was very exposed and windy. Last year I won this stage in the wind and rain. Today it was hot and sunny, but it was just as hard.”
It was on these exposed roads of Valentia Island that O’Brien first began to suffer, a bout of cramp making things difficult for the Banteer man on the undulating stage.
“I had cramps in Valentia because I didn’t drink on time,” he admitted afterwards.
“I was lucky I got a bottle of water from the team car. It took maybe 20 minutes or half an hour and my cramps went away then. But it was that kind of day. Everyone in the break was suffering.
“We were there so long and we were riding fast because you had lads trying to keep the gap open, riding for the GC, and you had other lads interested in winning the stage.”
Among those interested in the overall classification were Clarke and Dowling, who had both started the day 39 seconds down on race leader Sean McKenna of the Irish U23 team.
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These two drove the group on, as did Dowling’s teammate and local hero, a rejuvenated Eugene Moriarty.
“I have to praise everyone in the break,” said O’Brien of the effort to stay clear to the line.
“I thought it was a really good group and everyone deserved to stay away. We needed to work because the gap was a minute and a half and the lads needed 40 or 50 seconds, so everyone was interested.
“Eugene Moriarty and Mark Dowling had a fantastic race. And Paddy Clarke, the warrior he always is... he’s gallant, he wasn’t going to lie down easy, so it’s nice to see those lads rewarded with the GC as well.
“Even if I’d been seventh or eighth, I would have said it was a successful day because everyone rode so hard.”
The victor and the vanquished: Stage winner Paidi O'Brien (right) chats to fellow escapee Andy Roche of the Isle of Man just after coming over the line on a hot day into Waterville (Photo: Brendan Slattery)
Despite incessant attacking from the group in the last 20km, O’Brien managed to hang on, mark a few moves and pull off another sprint victory in Waterville.
“Because I had cramps, I wasn’t as fresh as I’d normally be so I knew I had only one chance of winning the race and that was in the sprint.
“With 2km to go I had to cover a lot of moves because I was in the position to win then. But anything before that, I didn’t have the legs to cover so I just had to take the chance. Everyone was in the same position.”
Today was O’Brien’s third win of the season for his Cork-based team.
“I’m delighted, because as a team we aren’t the biggest team, but our sponsors put a lot of effort into it and it’s nice to get a win for them, and for the manager.
“Patsy Crowley puts in every Sunday on the road with us and he’s here again this weekend. It’s nice to be able to win a big race like this to reward people like that, who put so much into the team.”
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