After a series of mechanicals, yellow jersey Daire Feeley gets a bike change starting the grueling climb of Glengesh in Donegal yesterday, with experienced campaigner Derek Burke on hand to get him sorted. Feeley went on to take 4th on the stage, enough to seal the overall win after four hard stages of racing over three days at Rás Dhun na nGall (Photo: Eymard Brennan)
By Brian Canty
A slew of mechanicals and crashes failed to stop Daire Feeley claiming the biggest win of his career yesterday, Sunday, when he sealed the overall title at Rás Dhun na nGall.
Riding at the weekend for Seeng.ie, he only had the help of one team mate in the shape of Kieran Heneghan.
But after claiming the final yellow jersey he is now setting his sights firmly on wearing the green of Ireland at the European Championships later this season.
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The fifth-year student from Roscommon has gone about his business in admirable fashion so far this year, taking a number of fine wins and topping the junior rankings for a prolonged spell.
But he hit new heights at the weekend when he won a stage in Donegal and held the yellow jersey for the final two grueling legs of the three-day, four-stage, event promoted by Four Masters CC.
“It was unbelievable to win,” said the Donamon Dynamos man.
“I’m still in shock because it hasn’t sunk in yet. It was the best weekend of my life on the bike by far.”
His race could have been over on Friday when a number of crashes brought some big names down, though he was lucky to avoid those.
“We got away after the first KOH; myself and Craig McAuley,” he said of going clear with the Cycling Ulster man on that opening stage on Friday evening.
“We were away for 10 minutes but the bunch reeled us back in. Nothing was staying away, we averaged around 43kph for the stage.
“It was pure carnage; so many crashes. And coming into the finish there was a big crash as well so I was relieved to get that out of the way,” he noted of opening 52kilometre leg around Ardara.
“The day after was the day to try and go for it and I got the yellow jersey on the mountain time-trial in the morning.
“Halfway up the climb I was out of it though, it was awful hard and I was really suffering. It was hard to believe I had won it when I went down and got my time.”
Indeed, Feeley had almost 12 seconds to spare over McAuley – despite the stage being only 2.5km.
That set him up for the final two road stages, though 35 riders were within a minute of him overall.
Feeley battles back on after falling on the final stage along with U23 classification leader Curtis Gilmore (Photo: Eymard Brennan)
At that point he said he was unsure if he would hold the lead, though Derek Burke and Jonathan Gibson of his Seeng.ie team for the weekend kept him calm and his race plan clear in his head.
“The second road stage we were in the break and I punctured with 200 metres to go and I thought it was over,” he said of his misfortune while in the winning eight-man move.
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“The bunch nearly caught us but the commissaire came up and told me I had the same time (as the leaders) so the Gods were definitely looking down on me there,” he explained.
Still, it was all to play for on the final day with so many still in contention and the climb of the brutally steep Glengesh Pass to come and on the summit of which the race ended.
“About 20k in, all the jerseys were up the road but my front derailleur slipped and I couldn’t get into the big ring on a flat road with a tailwind.
“I had to pull up and I lost two minutes. But the lads in the car sorted me out, and Kieran Heneghan helped me out massively too.
“Then with around six kilometres to go my chain went in behind my block and it jammed and I came off. The white jersey came down with me.
“The bunch went up the road and we lost another minute and I thought that was that. But they slowed and I got back on.”
But further on in the stage there was more drama when Feeley could not get his chain onto his small ring and was forced to change his bike halfway up the climb and get back in as quickly as he could.
“I attacked the group going up because there was a bike waiting for me up there. I was halfway through the bunch when I got back in and stayed there, though two clipped off the front for the stage win.”
One of those was Gary Scully of Nenagh CC, who claimed the stage from breakaway companion Philip Hinch (Brotherton).
Scully had started the day in 7th place overall some 42 seconds down on leader Feeley. And while his breaking clear on the climb threatened the yellow jersey, Feeley kept calm and climbed very well despite his mechanical nightmares earlier in the stage.
He took 4th on the day and lost just 29 seconds to winner Scully, with McAuley just ahead of the yellow jersey man in third place on the same time.
That was enough to seal overall victory for Feeley by 12 seconds from McAuley, with Scully moving into third place overall a further one second back.
“The Ulster lads attacked the shit out of me that final day, it was so hard and I’m in complete shock I’ve won it,” said Feeley.
“It was my best day on a bike, but I wouldn’t have done it without the lads; Jonathan and Derek were unbelievable and this is as much for them as it is for me,” he said of benefiting from the presence of the experienced Burke and coach Gibson.
“Now I want to get on an Irish team. That is my goal and I know I’m good enough. The Europeans would be a dream and though I know the competition is fierce, I know I have what it takes.
“I don’t envy the lads picking the team; you saw this weekend Ryan Reilly is another guy who rode unreal well for a fella only on the bike two years. I’ll just keep my head down, keep training, and hope the call comes. If it does, I’ll be ready.”
Final stage and final general classification, Rás Dhun na nGall 2014
Breakthrough Season: Daire Feeley has won a series of races so far this year and having taken such a big victory in Donegal this weekend must now be set for national team selection (Photo: Eymard Brennan)
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