Cormac Clarke of Cycling Ulster beats yellow jersey Sean Hambrook for stage 3 in Ras Dhun na nGall (Photo: Marian Lamb – Cycling Ulster)
Fresh from his excellent win at Ras Dhun na nGall earlier this month, Newry Wheelers teenager Cormac Clarke will start tomorrow’s Newry Three-Day as one of the pre-race favourites.
If he were to lift the title it would be only the second time in the race’s history that a local man made good, and would undoubtedly be a great way to celebrate the 25th edition of the event.
Clarke, who won a great stage atop Glengesh Pass to seal the GC in Donegal nearly four weeks ago, certainly won’t have it all his own way over the difficult three days of racing to come.
UCD’s Ian Richardson took a fine second place in the TT in the Tour of Ulster last month and will be looking to cap his good form this season with a stage race win. Among the Ulster contingent also hoping to do well will be promising junior rider Daniel Stewart, riding for the Ulster team.
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Banbridge man Gareth McKee will also hope to be in the hunt, as will Matt Blayney of North Down.
Omagh’s Stevie McKenna, who took a couple of nice wins early in the season, is one of three former winners due to line out this time around and will be looking to recapture that fine form he displayed in the early weeks of the 2012 campaign.
Another former GC victor down to start is Kevin Lynch, the only Newry man ever to take the title, while defending champion Aaron Baines is back this year for more.
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No rider has ever won it twice so if any of those three were to do the business this weekend they would be carving out a little piece of history for themselves.
The riders get underway tomorrow night, Friday, in Warrenpoint with a 44-mile stage starting at 7.00pm. The race will take in three laps of the carriageway before tackling Grinan Hill. The riders then go into Warrenpoint to complete three laps of the old circuit before finishing outside the police station for an estimated finish time at around 8.30pm.
Saturday sees a change in the traditional programme, with the TT taking place in the morning rather than the usual afternoon slot. It starts at 9.30am at Hilltown INF Hall and is approximately two miles. While not long enough to cause major time gaps, any seconds gained or lost here will be decisive in shaping the finishing GC.
The race’s queen stage starts in Hilltown at 1.30pm on Saturday; a 55-mile stage taking in three laps of the Hilltown/Kilcoo/Rathfriland circuit before heading to Rostrevor via Reed Hall and then back towards Hilltown on the Newtown Road - which are both category 1 climbs.
At the crossroads the race will swing right and take in the testing Spelga Dam climb, finishing at the car park at the top at approximately 3.30pm. The GC will undoubtedly be whipped into shape on what is a relatively short but very testing stage.
Sunday doesn’t get any easier for the riders. At 11am they leave Newry Hockey Club and take in a 65 mile route around the Mournes. The route is quite hilly and takes in climbs at Castlewellan, Bryansford and Rathfriland Hill before the run in to the finish at Newry MOT centre around 1.30pm.
Now in its 25th year, the race was started in 1987 by Noel McKinley who originally organised the event as well as sponsored and rode it.
The race relies heavily on a number of loyal long-term sponsors including: FPM Accountants who sponsor the King of the Hills jersey; McKinley contracts who support the points jersey; Green Bikes bike shop in Greenbank is sponsoring the queen stage on Saturday and Felix O’Hare - sponsor of Sunday’s stage. Also on board this year is clothing company Bio Racer, the provider of all of the classification leaders’ jerseys.
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