Sean McKenna, on the right, and Sean Lacey (in blue) were both in the winning escapes in Rás Mumhan on the opening two stages. And with McKenna pipping Lacey to third today and snatching a time bonus, the 20-year-old leads one of Ireland's biggest stage races in his first time in an Ireland jersey (Photo: Pat Doherty)
By Brian Canty
From relative anonymity to leading one of the country’s biggest stage races, the newest leader of the Kerry Group Rás Mumhan Sean McKenna admits it‘s been a big 12 months and indeed a major couple of weeks in his fledgling career.
This time last year he was “chasing Dylan Foley around the Gorey” but this evening the 20-year-old and Foley are team mates on the U23 national squad on Kerry with four jerseys between them; yellow, climbers’, U23 and points.
Advertisement
McKenna was literally lost for words when he managed to get a breath after today’s queen stage of the race, having only been drafted in to the national set-up last week to essentially plug some holes left by others being called away to the Nations Cup to cover for injured men.
“You couldn’t write this story,” the UCD CC rider said today at the finish.
“If I did nothing else after yesterday’s opening stage, this weekend would have been a success. All I wanted to do this weekend was get in a break.
“If I came 50th or wherever I’d be happy as long as I was in the break. So if the race ended yesterday I’d have been chuffed because I got away.
“I didn’t even know I had the yellow jersey today until I spoke to Ken (mechanic) after the stage. I said I reckoned I beat (Sean) Lacey at the line and it was a photo finish so Gary McIlroy (commissaire) told me I got it and the one second time bonus and the jersey for coming third.”
Related News
McKenna made his move in the latter half of the race, attacking on a difficult stretch of road after Ballylickey on the climb of the second category Pass of Keimaneigh and escaping with around 12 others. And with team mate and eventual stage winner Dylan Foley already up the road, it meant he had an armchair ride up to the break.
.
.
“Dylan went in the first break, I managed to get in the second one then with Bryan McCrystal and a few other lads; Robin Kelly was there too. That came back and Dylan was still up the road.
“Then on the third last climb (of Keimaneigh) it split again and we got up to Dylan’s group. Mark Dowling was there, Eoin Morton and Anto Walsh (both from McKenna’s UCD club team); I couldn’t ask for a better group of lads really.
“I just kept tipping through until the bottom of the climbs. Then Anto and Eoin and the Dutch lads rode tempo up them. Anto is there now overall and it’s the icing on the cake to have me there as well but they’re not riding for me this weekend.
“I know that and they’ve said that, obviously they’ll do what they can if the time comes but I haven’t asked them for help. They’re all good friends and we all worked honestly, that goes for everyone.
“Dylan worked, Lacey worked, I worked, the UCD lads, the Dutch guys, the English guys all worked, which is why it stayed away.”
He said he had bore no grudge, nor was he riding to prove anyone wrong in the context of his not making the original Irish team for this weekend.
“No I don’t see it as that at all,” he said.
“Everyone who was here and is here deserves to be here. And I’m a nobody who has come from nowhere. It’s the biggest race I’ve ever ridden, let alone get a result in.
“The Cycling Ireland lads deserve huge credit for this jersey, for having a class set-up, unbelievable. Neil, the soigneur, the mechanic. That’s what makes the difference. I would have been happy even with seventh after yesterday, I’d have been happy with that for the weekend but what we have here makes a difference.
“Neil (Martin, manager) just calms me down, I don’t have to think or worry, he gives me a job and says if the legs are fast enough good things will happen.”
Topics
