Eoin Morton puts his heart and soul into the bike and he got his just rewards this afternoon in Cookstown when he claimed the race lead on the penultimate stage of the AmberGreen Energy Tour of Ulster. The UCD CC man knows he has it all to do tomorrow if he is to hold onto the pink jersey (Photo: With thanks to John Coleman/DC Images)
By Brian Canty
Eoin Morton has spoken of his pride at pulling on the race leader’s pink jersey at the AmberGreen Energy Tour of Ulster today but believes his only chance of holding it is if the race ends in a bunch sprint tomorrow.
The UCD CC man rode an incredible race today, going clear in a break of some 15 riders before high-tailing it from that with Ed Laverack (Cheshire JLT Condor), Mark Dowling (DID Electrical Dunboyne) and Wouter Sybrandy (Velo Café Magasin).
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That quartet rode “impossibly hard” for the final 40 kilometres, all knowing the race lead was the prize on offer.
And courtesy of his blistering prologue time on Friday, Morton edged Dowling to the race lead by a few seconds, despite coming second on the stage today to Ed Laverack.
“I had pink in mind coming to the line; I knew there were time bonuses so I’d have to get up in the sprint.
“I wasn’t sure where Ed was (on GC), I thought he did better in the prologue so that really helped.
“I knew I’d beaten Dowling in the TT. We knew the race lead was on the cards so that’s why we all rode so honest, impossibly hard”.
Asked how he felt at knowing he’d taken the lead he said: “I’m very proud; I’ve never had a leader’s jersey in a stage race before so I’m absolutely thrilled, over the moon."
Ed Laverack (Cheshire JLT Condor) edges Morton into 2nd place today with Mark Dowling in 3rd (Photo with thanks to Jerry Rafferty)
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“ I was beaming from ear to ear up on the podium,” said Morton.
“I think it was only my third ever visit to a podium. I’ve been knocking around long enough but have always been the nearly man.
“We lost half our team last year (to Aquablue) and we were never anywhere (in the past).
"We were the lads getting laughed at in the Rás and now we have the leader’s jersey in one of the country’s biggest races so it’s a very proud day for us.”
The Swords man wasn’t getting carried away for a moment though as there are 16 riders within a minute of him.
“It’d be an absolute dream to win but dreams are just that, unfortunately.
“Honestly, unless it comes down to a bunch sprint tomorrow I won’t get it.
“That’s where the game is at. But we’ll ride the bikes like it’s a one-day race, enjoy the day and see what happens.
“Will I win tomorrow? Probably not,” he continued.
“I’m under no illusions. I was saying to my teammates at the finish that it’s great to have it (race lead) for a day, it looks good for the team.
“If we win it tomorrow it’d be great, it’ll take an unbelievable amount of fate but we always have to try.”
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