Simon Tuomey of the Irish national team said today's sprint finish at the Junior Tour was not for the feint hearted (Photo: Stephen McMahon - Sportsfile)
Simon Tuomey has said he is relieved to be still second overall at the Scott Bicycles Junior Tour of Ireland after today’s crash-marred third stage of the race.
The Cork Giant team man, riding for the national team this week, admitted the sprint that decided today’s stage into Whitegate was the most aggressive he’s ever been involved in.
But he escaped unscathed and is looking forward to tomorrow’s queen stage.
“Today was much different with attacks from the off,” he said in reference to a more muted day yesterday.
“A group of 20 got away early on including myself, the yellow jersey, Robert O' Leary (Cork Giant) and pretty much all the big teams.
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“We stayed away until the top of the first climb but it was too big and it came back together.”
O’Leary went again and took two more with him and they were gone for over 60 kilometres.
But when he suffered some problems with his gears, the power was taken out of the move and they were reeled in.
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“Hot Tubes weren’t happy with that and went to the front and brought them back,” said Tuomey of the race leader’s team.
He added when the US team closed down the break his team mate for the week, Darragh O’Mahony, went off the front but was chased by both Hot Tubes and the NRPT-Magnet.ie team of eventual stage winner Nathan Pernot and caught with around 10km remaining to the finish.
Tuomey had a brief period off the front himself but with six Hot Tubes well placed overall he knew it would take a superhuman effort to pull it off.
“Every team wanted to lead out their sprinters at that point so it was all together coming into the finish,” he explained.
“The sprint was very dangerous; the most aggressive finish I've ever seen. So I’m happy to just be still there for the moment and not to have crashed.
“I'm feeling good though, the team's working very well and we're all quite strong so it’s all to play for.”
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