Dillon Corkery was best of the Irish team in Kreiz Breizh Elites (2.2), which finished in France yesterday after four days of very hard racing.
While the event is effectively the same UCI grading as Rás Tailteann used to be, the standard was considerably higher this year. As so many races have been cancelled due to the pandemic, pro teams have been seeking out events they would not normally ride in big numbers.
That meant Kreiz Breizh Elites attracted the development teams for some of the biggest WorldTour outfits including Jumbo Visma, Bahrain-Victorious, Team DSM and Groupama FDJ.
ProContinental teams, such as Uno-X Pro Cycling Team, and top Continental teams like Riwal Cycling Team were also in the field.
With a TTT to start last Friday followed by three hard
road stages between 170km and 190km, the racing was all-out and the gaps in the
field were huge.
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The Irish team - Cathir Doyle (19), Kevin McCambridge
(19), Matthew Devins (19), Adam Ward (20), Dillon Corkery (22) and Ben Walsh
(21) - found the going tough in the opening TTT as they had never ridden
together before and were up against well-drilled trade teams.
Over the 12.5km test in Ploumagoar the Irish lost 1:43 to stage winners Jumbo Visma. On Saturday - some 190km into Plouray littered with short sharp climbs - Corkery and Walsh did very well to finish in the peloton on a day when about 50 riders were off the back.
The stage was won solo by Johan Le Bon; the Team Pays De Dinan rider with four seconds to spare over the bunch. Corkery finished in 32nd and Walsh in 62nd.
Fellow Irishman Matt Teggart was riding the race, for top French team Velo Club Villefranche Beaujolais, and placed 23rd on the stage.
Ward was 129th at 2:36, Doyle placed 143rd at 3:52,
Devins as 145th at 5:24 and McCambridge was 151st at 11:27.
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Sunday’s stage 3 took the riders 180.5km from Ploërdut to Carhaix, with an undulating finishing circuit shredding what remained of the bunch.
Three riders were off the front at the
finish. Samuel Watson (Great Britain) took a very impressive solo win by
23 seconds from eventual overall winner Nick van der Lijke (Riwal
Cycling Team), with Julian Lino (Bike Aid) 3rd three seconds later.
The trimmed down
bunch finished 52 seconds down on the stage winner and numbered just 37 riders
on the line; Corkery and Teggart were both in that group and placed 28th and
35th respectively.
Walsh was 88th,
Ward 91st and Doyle 98th; all three in a group 20:22 down. McCambridge and
Devins were 121st and 122nd in a group 22:47 down.
Yesterday’s final day of action took the riders some 172.6km from Guingamp to Rostrenen and with seven laps of a hilly finishing circuit, the racing blew to pieces.
The stage was won by Mick van
Dijke (Jumbo-Visma Development Team), by four seconds from a
15-man group, which was the largest group on the road.
Corkery was 62nd at 5:27, Walsh was 63rd at 5:45, Doyle
was 73rd at 11:51, Devins placed 89th at 14:02 and Ward was 90th at 18:04.
Both McCambridge and Teggart were among the large number of non-finishers on the final stage; Teggart forced out with knee pain.
In the final overall, Nick van der Lijke (Riwal Cycling Team) won after yellow jersey, and stage 3 winner, Samuel Watson (Team GB) crashed out yesterday. Van der Lijke won by six seconds from Mick van Dijke of Jumbo Visma Development, with his team mate Michel Hessmann 3rd at 10 seconds.
Corkery was 42d overall at 6:41, Walsh was 69th at 27:04 and Doyle placed 86th at 36:58. Ward was 89th at 41:20 and Devins finished in 90th at 43:06, with 75 riders of the initial start list not finishing the race.
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