With a massive field of 199 riders, the Gorey Three Day is always full of comeback sharks, super vets and emerging young guns looking to do plenty of damage. Ciaran Kelly (above) is back in the sport after a long break and has to be red hot favourite, his latest win being in Mondello on Tuesday night (Photo: Amy-Norah Farrell)
The Gorey Three-Day continues to grow in stature and with 199 riders on the start-list for this year’s event, which gets underway on Saturday and runs until Monday, it looks set to be one of the most open races in years.
The race offers the home-based riders a great chance to put their names beside previous winners Stephen Roche, Sean Kelly and Philip Deignan.
Here we look at eight Irish riders in with a shout, though other riders in the field have already ridden well this year and will undoubtedly challenge.
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Darragh Zaidan riding in the colours of French club UC Aubenas last year. He's back home competing in Ireland and may prove one to watch this weekend.
Darragh Zaidan, Adamstown CC
The former Junior Tour of Ireland stage winner was based in France for a couple of years with the VCC Morteau and UC Aubenas teams before he decided to return home late last year.
He’s still an A2 rider but showing signs that he’s ready to make the jump to the top tier; and Gorey could be where he makes his move.
The race is a real mix, with a mix of breaks staying away – usually, a time-trial and a bunch sprint is often the outcome on at least one stage. In that regard, an all-rounder like the Adamstown CC man should definitely contend.
Ciaran Kelly, Bikeworx Celbridge
The former An Post Sean Kelly team rider made an emphatic return to domestic racing this season when he won the Ned Flanagan Memorial in February, Rás Naomh Finian in March, while he also took sixth in the Lucan GP as well as the opening round of the Mondello Park series of racing this week.
He has the backing of a five-man team with him for this weekend and as well as his class and power, he has experience and will be one to keep an eye on.
Ben Delaney of South Dublin CC topped the first Cycling Ireland A2 rankings of the new season. Seen here in the winning move on stage 1 of Rás Mhaigh Eo last Saturday. He went on to claim 2nd overall (Photo: Pawel Sadowski – www.shutterstills.com)
Ben Delaney, South Dublin CC
He was third in the time-trial last year behind junior internationals Mark Downey and Dylan Foley, then riding with the Nicolas Roche Performance Team so it's reasonable to assume that Delaney has a very good engine.
Underlining that was his position atop the A2 rankings in mid-March which came about following his good showing in Rás Maigh Eo where he was fourth on the opening stage and third overall.
He was also sixth in the A1-A2 race in Rás Luimni, Caherconlish, a race famed for its gruelling nature. He has experience of winning races, like in the Boyne GP last year, and he could be there or thereabouts again this coming weekend.
Mark Reilly Lucan CRC
He rose as high as eighth in the Cycling Ireland A2 rankings last month and is now 10th, but he certainly won’t be coming in under the radar this weekend.
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He led the bunch home in fifth on the opening stage of Rás Maigh Eo in mid-March, took fourth in the stage two time-trial behind winner Jason Prendergast and was third on GC overall. So though he hasn’t set the world on fire, he has a very good chance of doing something similar again.
Of course, the 17 team mates he has will definitely help his cause.
James Pittam Cork County CC
Fifth in the hellishly hard Aquablue Classic three weeks ago – which wasn’t handicapped - and third in the Silver Pail GP in Fermoy last weekend, are two very solid results for the Cork County CC man.
He’s currently three points behind Mark Gater in the Cycling Ireland rankings in second place and with the help of Barra Harrison and promising first year junior Simon Twomey, he could do a good result this weekend.
The race is wide open with no out-and-out favourite as there’s an Irish Junior team going to the Tour of the North with Michael O’Loughlin, Stephen Shanahan, Eddie Dunbar, Dylan O’Brien and Mark Downey in it.
So that leaves it wide open for any number of others to make their names, not that those juniors would have been assured stage wins and the overall glory in Gorey; a race that has a habit of producing surprises.
From very good cycling stock; Newry Wheelers man Cathal Clarke can be counted on to be aggressive, helping to shape the race and possibly taking a top result (Photo: www.blackumbrella.ie)
Cathal Clarke, Newry Wheelers
He’s only a first year junior but he’s a mighty bit of stuff and will be the youngest member of an experienced Newry Wheelers team in the race.
Clarke was fourth overall at the U16 National Championships last year, taking sixth in the time-trial, third in the road race and fourth in the criterium. Given he was up against the likes of Aaron Swan and Michael O’Loughlin, they’re results that can’t be taken lightly.
He’ll love the hilly stuff too on the opening day, where a break has often gone away in the past.
He was second in the Clann Eireann Cup last month too so if he still has that kind of form he could be a real dark horse. His team mate Drew McKinley is also one to watch.
Marc Gater, Waterford Racing Team
Currently the highest ranked A3 rider in the country, Gater will definitely fancy his chances of jumping up to the A2 ranks this weekend.
He started the season an A4 but quickly made the jump up following his win in the Lacey Cup in Tralee back in February. He won last weekend’s A3 race in Fermoy in a bunch sprint, while he was narrowly beaten by Martin O’Loughlin on St Patrick’s Day in Carrick on Suir.
Has a stunning burst of speed, which will make him one of the men to watch on Monday’s expected bunch sprint finish.
Robin Seymour may be best known for his exploits off road, but he has bags of talent and if he puts his mind to it can be one of the men of the Gorey (Photo: Sean Rowe)
Robin Seymour, Team WORC
At 43 years of age, Seymour could be forgiven for winding down his glittering career that has seen him race mountain bikes at a professional level as well as representing the country at two Olympics in 2000 and 2004.
He has also raced the mountain bike World Championships and been one of Ireland’s best ever cyclo-cross riders. He is the 14-time National mountain bike champion and 18-time cyclo-cross winner, so it’s fair to say he needs no introduction.
Though he took a break from racing after the cyclo cross season ended in January, he’s back into the road racing scene now and it would take a wise man to bet against him for glory this weekend.
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