Michael O’Loughlin is proving a really class act again this year, doing the needful with the minimum of fuss. The young Carrick-on-Suir man won the time-trial at the O’Leary’s Stone Kanturk Three-Day this morning. And he successfully defended the leader's jersey in this afternoon’s road stage, won by Dungarvan man Damien Travers, above. O’Loughlin and his teammates have one more stage to go tomorrow.
Michael O’Loughlin holds the race leader’s yellow jersey going into the final stage of the O’Leary’s Stone Kanturk Three-Day A2-A3-Junior event following a brilliant time-trial in this morning’s second stage.
The NRPT-Magnet.ie man blitzed the field over the eight-kilometre course – as many expected he would - to take the jersey from overnight leader and stage 1 winner Sean Yelverton of Mego Racing.
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Paul O’Connell (Tipperary Wheelers) was second on the TT stage, with Mark O’Callaghan (Limerick CC) in third.
O’Loughlin safeguarded the lead on this afternoon’s third stage, despite a brilliant and brave long-range attack from stage winner Damien Travers (Dungarvan CC).
He slipped away with Brian McArdle of Orwell Wheelers and three Mego Racing Team men on the second lap.
They worked very well together to eke out precious seconds on the bunch, led by O’Loughlin and his teammates.
Michael O’Loughlin on his way to the time trial stage 2 win this morning at the Kanturk Three Day, taking the yellow jersey in the process (Photo with thanks to Jim McSweeney)
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With one Mego Racing Team man in the top 10 on GC the bunch were having none of it and they began to chase in earnest.
Sensing the move would come to nought, the three Mego men sat up on the fourth lap when the peloton closed to within 20 seconds.
But Travers and McArdle persisted, with both keen on the stage win and not willing to throw in the towel.
And they managed to stay clear to the finish after a very wet stage.
In the end it was Travers, a former stage winner in Kanturk, who got the verdict after a late attack.
He managed to shake off McArdle and took victory from him by less than 10 seconds, with what remained of the peloton coming home some 20 seconds later.
First year junior rider Dion McCarthy (Zanatta-Lotto) took the bunch gallop for third to remind everyone of his speed and skill in those fast, frantic finals.
The A4 race was won by Dwayne Kirwan (Dungarvan CC) in a sprint from a depleted peloton. Kirwan also won the opening road stage yesterday.
We’ll have more later.
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