Adam Armstrong (left) leads a breakaway last year; who’ll be up the road this time around? (Photo: Pat Doherty)
With a total of nine of the top 12 finishers from last year returning this weekend, the 2013 Kerry Group Rás Mumhan promises to be one of the hardest fought races in years. Stickybottle’s Brian Canty profiles 15 riders to watch out for.
Ryan Mullen – IG Sigma Sport
Mullen has boundless talent and if he maintains his current level of progress, he looks set for a bright future in the sport. In short, Mullen can do it all. He took silver in the Junior European TT Championships last year, ninth in the Worlds, romped to victory in the inaugural Visit Nenagh-Team DMG Classic in April, broke the British Junior TT record and but for a crash in the Junior Tour, heaven knows what he could’ve done. He failed to take a medal at the Junior National Road Race Championships last year after doing too much work in the race but did take the TT title. He has already been in the prizes in his first pro races in the UK so far this season. Expect him to push for the espoir jersey in Kerry this weekend.
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Martin Mizjayski – Iverk Produce Carrick Wheelers
Mizjayski is heading into his fourth season on the Irish domestic racing scene and every year has improved enormously. Initially starting at the lowest category – despite being a full-time triathlete in his native Poland for 10 years - he took little time adjusting to the Irish roads and now is one of the strongest guys in the peloton. Last year he underlined that with a superb showing on the Conor Pass stage of Rás Mumhan that also put him 4th on GC. He then finished the An Post Rás for the first time in May before going very close to winning the Suir Valley Three Day.
Dennis Bakker – Killorglin CC
The reigning champion is back to defend his title and aiming to do something not done since Kevin Dawson won back-to-back crowns in 2002 and 2003. Crucially, Bakker doesn’t have the backing of his team who have not travelled this year. He’ll be guesting with the local team Killorglin CC. A year older and a year wiser, Bakker has invaluable experience of the Kerry terrain, but he has no experience of defending the jersey, something that has proven difficult in the last number of years here.
Sean Lacey - Aquablue
The 2011 winner of the race is in great form having already taken three wins so far this season. And they were all very similar victories, with Lacey blasting off the front with very few being able to stay with him. Lacey is durable and can do pretty much everything; attack, defend, climb, sprint and key to his chances will be the army of Aquablue riders around him, several of whom are good enough to win as well.
Darren Bell – Isle of Man
The Isle of Man rider is a decent climber and comes with the backing of a strong team. He could have been one of three to win the Suir Valley last August for his team only they got their tactics horribly wrong on the final day. Still, was sixth overall in Clonmel last year and third in the mountains classification.
Barry Twohig –Blarney CC
The Blarney man’s win in the Suir Valley Three-Day last year was arguably the shock of the season, given how little Twohig had done at that level throughout the season prior to it. And he’s back for more this year, with plans to ride the An Post Rás in May. The course in Kerry will suit him and it’ll be interesting to see if he’ll target stages two and three. He was sick over Christmas and missed a couple of weeks but has been going well since then, with placings in Tralee, Limerick and Carlow last weekend.
Conor Murphy – Eurocycles
His memorable win in Waterville last year capped a superb weekend for the Eurocycles team – remember that was the same day his teammate Adam Armstrong took off around Valentia on his own and stayed away for over half the stage, mopping up KOM points in the process. Murphy has frightening power – as he showed when he rode across to the break in Carlow last Sunday. He’ll love the look of Saturday and Sunday’s profile, and in such form, who could write him off for the overall, particularly as he has the likes of Armstrong, Fraser Duncan, Thomas Martin and Will McCabe around him?
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George Harper – Felt Colborne Hargroves
In only his second season racing, the man from Andover, Hampshire, took his biggest ever win last weekend when he won the Dulwich Paragon CC’s early-season race. In that field were the likes of Ryan Mullen (6th) and Felix English (5th) while Colin Parry, another who’ll be in Kerry this weekend, was runner-up. Harper was sixth overall last year, just over a minute behind Bakker. He has a five-man team with him again and will take some beating.
Javan Nulty – DID Dunboyne
The DID Dunboyne man has always been a good rider but seems to have taken it up a notch or two this year. He’s been among the very strongest in a number of hard races already this year – making the winning four-man breakaway in the recent Newbridge GP for example. And he won two races the weekend before last, with victory in Rás Mhaigheo, Co Mayo, and the Cicli Sport GP in Co Tyrone. Nulty has ridden from the front so far this year and when races have split, he’s often been one of strong men doing the damage. He spent the winter training with former team mate Mark Dowling in Lanzarote and appears to have benefitted from that enormously.
Colin Parry –SpinRotor PrimalEurope
Fourteen seconds was all that stood between Parry and overall glory last year but third place behind Ryan Sherlock and Bakker is no disgrace. He pushed Conor Murphy all the way into Waterville the day before and will be a real dangerman again this year.
Damien Shaw -Aquablue
The Mullingar man was 10th overall last year at 1 minute 40 seconds riding for the Mullingar Lakeside Wheelers. He has really only raced twice this year because his employment with the fire service in his home town demands a lot of his time. In those two races, however, he was second to Conor Murphy in Navan and last weekend, finished the Des Hanlon very strongly, taking a top 10 after spending the day chasing down attacks while team mate Sean Lacey was up the road. A repeat of that this weekend perhaps?
Tom Stockdale – SpinRotor PrimalEurope
He gave a very solid account of himself last year, finishing fifth on the Conor Pass stage just over half a minute behind stage winner Mark Dowling. And he was just outside the top 10 a day later into Waterville. Those results were enough for sixth overall and with a strong team around them – one of whom is Frenchman Antoine Gaudillat - he could be celebrating more than just a stage win come Monday afternoon.
Tino Haakman – West Frisia
The Dutchman just loves coming back to Kerry every year and is arguably the most recognisable figure in the bunch. His bright yellow attire is noticeable enough but his ‘rapunzel’ hairdo is quite the statement. In 2011 he was the highest placed West Frisia rider on GC, in ninth; with stage placings of 19th, 14th and 2nd. But missing the decisive move on Monday’s stage cost him a place in the top five. He will be up there again this year, you can bet on that.
Geertjan Jonkman – West Frisia
He last rode here in 2009 when he finished fourth in a race that saw Brian Kenneally and Paul Griffin play out one of the most epic duals the race has ever seen. Behind that tete-a-tete was the 29-year-old Dutchman who recorded three top 10 finishes on stages. This year, along with the aforementioned Haakman, he has two very good climbers for support in U23 riders Harry Sweering and Ruben Dorren. He’ll be looking for that elusive stage win and possibly more.
Chris McNamara (Casco Europe/Surrey)
He was fifth overall last year and sixth on the Conor Pass stage while also proving very solid on the Valentia and Waterville stage, coming home in a chase group 30 seconds back on stage winner Conor Murphy. His Casco Europe/Surrey team will be coming in under the radar, such is the presence of the three Dutch teams and this will work in his favour, undoubtedly. He has experience of the race and the ability to make the crucial splits on Saturday and Sunday, which will decide the race. Has a team around him as well.
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