Proud Kerryman Richard Maes gets a kiss of his mother Marie as he prepares to wear the county rider jersey into his native county (Photo with many thanks to Vincent O'Connor)
By Brian Canty
Richard Maes has put in a strong opening two stages at the An Post Rás and wears the blue best county rider jersey on Tuesday’s stage 3 as the race heads for his native Kerry.
He’s also the second placed county rider overall and his Kerry team lead the county team prize overall, though level on time with Cork Aquablue.
The Killarney man is having a whirlwind year so far; his weeding 10 weeks ago was followed by a honeymoon and Rás Mumhan after which he wore the yellow jersey at the Kanturk Three Day.
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And in his debut An Post Rás he is currently just 23 seconds down on the yellow jersey.
Maes looking pleased in the jersey back at the hotel last night as the Rás heads for the roads of Kerry which he knows well.
“It was always the goal coming in here to get the county rider jersey,” he said.
“I knew I could sprint and I knew today and yesterday were maybe the only two days I could’ve done it, maybe stage eight as well, but I’m thrilled."
Of yesterday's stage 2 into Charleville he said: “The plan today was to sit in, glass crank as much as I could and stay in the top 30 as safe as possible.
“There was a bad crash coming in the road and it was right beside me.
“I bounced off Conor Dunne (JLT-Condor Cycles) and stayed up so I got on the back of the An Post Chain Reaction train and stayed there the whole way in the road.
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The men from Kerry who are leading the county team classification so far on this Rás.
“Everyone was trying to get on that wheel but I was throwing elbows and knees trying to hold it and I did!
“Fortunately I got into the last corner in a good position, dropped the head and gave it 100 per cent to the line.
“I was keeping an eye on Conor Hennebry (Aquablue) because he was in the group too and I knew if McCrystal was caught Conor would have a go and there was a Mego RAW Cycles guy there as well.
“It’s my first Rás and I’m delighted for the team,” he said of wearing the county jersey into home territory.
“I got married 10 weeks ago, had my honeymoon, got a yellow jersey in Kanturk and now I’ll wear this county jersey Kerry tomorrow so I’m delighted.”
Classification jersey movements explainer
While Maes is placed 2nd in the county rider classification, behind Bryan McCrystal (Louth ASEA Wheelworx), he will wear that classification leader's jersey on stage 3.
Race leader Taco van der Hoorn (Join-S De Rijke) holds the yellow jersey and leads the points classification.
However, he will wear yellow on stage 3 and so the points jersey passes for the day to Eoin Morton (UCD-Fitzcycles.ie) who is 2nd in that competition.
And because Morton is leading the climbers' classification, that jersey passes to the man placed 2nd in the classification, who happens to be McCrystal.
And McCrystal wearing the climbers' jersey means his leader's jersey in the county rider classification passes to the man 2nd in that competition, Maes. So now you know!
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