The Junior Tour will feature established names from home and abroad even though the riders are still teenagers. Others who are only just emerging or perhaps have not hit the heights they are capable of can also come to the fore this week. But who are they? (Photo: Stephen McMahon - Sportsfile. Homepage photo Yvette O'Beirne)
The Junior Tour of Ireland is due to get underway this evening, Tuesday, in Ennis, Co Clare, with a 6.2km time trial.
There follows five road stages until the race concludes next Sunday, with the field facing a tough challenge.
Just before the action gets underway, we profile five Irish riders we think can make a mark.
There are others – last year’s winner Eddie Dunbar for one – who might spring to mind more quickly as potential stage or overall winners. But the five me we’ve selected are either emerging very quickly or are established names who we feel are due are some big results.
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Ryan Reilly (Cycling Ulster)
The Foyle CC, leading the Tour of the Mournes in the photo above, man looks like a really classy rider and though he’s only a first year junior, he has already tasted success this year. Most notable was his win in the Ulster Championships when he attacked late and soloed to a fine win, ahead of established elite riders like Conor Murphy (Caldwell Cycles) and Ronan McLaughlin (Dig Deep Coaching). He also won the Tour of the Mournes in April - a not insignificant race of 72 miles – as well as the Phoenix GP and the CicliSport GP. He’s a great climber and will relish the lumpy stuff this week. (Photo: Toby Watson)
Simon Tuomey (Munster Sensa)
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The Giant Racing Team man from Cork is in flying form at the minute and is good at sniffing out a winning break. Tall and rangy, he has a very smooth pedalling style and has come on a huge amount in the last 12 months. He won the Coachford Classic back in May from a three-man break, he was runner-up to Stephen Shanahan in the Munster TT Championships, was fifth in the Leahy Cup, when he was the only man who could stay with eventual winner Eddie Dunbar. He’s a dark horse for a stage win.
Seamus Sinnott (Cycling Leinster)
The Wexford Wheelers man - seen here on his way to winning in Dungarvan last month - is another newcomer to the sport but has already clocked up some very impressive wins - all from bunch sprints. He’ll definitely get a chance to show just how good a kick he has this week, and Sunday’s circuit race is where he might do just that. He was first in the Deenside Cup and also won the Cyclesport Dungarvan GP last month, meaning he should be confident for his first Junior Tour. (Photo: Dave Coleman - Dc Images)
Dylan O’Brien (Munster Sensa)
The O’Leary’s Stone Kanturk man has had a number of great wins this year but was very unfortunate to miss the European Championships because of illness. O’Brien - seen here on his way to TT stage victory and the overall win at the Tour of Connacht back in March - is right up there with defending champion and team mate Eddie Dunbar, but has often played second fiddle to him. However, he is perhaps lacking a really big win, which could come this week. He won the A3 race in Tralee last weekend to suggest he’s right on form and if he’s over the chest infection that forced him out of the Europeans he’ll be right up there competing for the yellow jersey. (Photo: James Wright Photography)
Craig McAuley (Standard Life NRPT)
The NRPT man - leading in the photo above) is one of the team’s fancied names this week, along with national champion Fintan Ryan so it will be interesting to see what they can do as a squad. McAuley rode the Trofeo Karlsberg in Germany recently on the Irish team and did a superb job for Eddie Dunbar, who was second overall. He was unlucky not to be brought to Switzerland last weekend for the Euros. But a good performance this week could see him right in the mix for selection for the World Championships. (Photo: Darren Crawford)
Junior Tour of Ireland - The Stages
- Stage 1: Individual Time Trial, 6.2km Ennis – Drumquin
- Stage 2: 116km – Ennis – Ennistymon – Lahinch – Cliffs of Moher Category 2 – Fanore – Black Head – Ballyvaughan – The Burren Category 3 – Kinaboy – Corrofin – Ennis
- Stage 3: 123km – Ennis – Crusheen – Gort – Kinvara – Carron Category 3- Ballyvaughan – Corkscrew Hill Category 1 – Lisdoonvarna – Doolin – Castle Hill Category 1 – Cliffs of Moher Category 3 – Liscannor – Lahinch – Ennistimon
- Stage 4: 118km – Mountshannon – Scarriff – Category 2 – Caher – Killaneana – Maghera Category 2 – Feakle – Bodyke – Tuamgraney – Ogonnelloe – Kilnabarnan Category 2 – Tuamgraney – Scarriff – Mountshannon – Whitegate
- Stage 5: 101km – Ennis – Barefield – Crusheen – Killaneana – Kilcarron – O’Callaghans Mills – Broadford – Sallybank Category 2 – Truagh – Meelick – Windy Gap Category 2 – Sixmilebridge – Cratloe – Gallows Hill Category 1
- Stage 6: 70km Circuit race. 7 laps of 10km circuit – Ennis – Ballyhea – Kildysart Road – Clonroadbeg – Ennis.
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