By Shane Stokes
Odhrán Doogan may have been disappointed to lose the Rás Tailteann yellow jersey on Saturday, but he was upbeat at the end of the race on Sunday afternoon.
The 21 year old rode superbly during the event, picking up six seconds in time bonuses on Wednesday’s stage one and ended the day third overall.
He took over at the top on Thursday and said then that he had surprised himself. That sentiment continued on Sunday.
“I’m very happy,” he said, having taken third overall as well as the best county rider award. “Coming in, I don’t think my expectations were as high as what I’ve achieved. I was obviously disappointed to lose yellow yesterday, but then I went out swinging today and give it everything.”
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Doogan started the day 22 seconds behind the race leader George Kimber (Isle of Man Cycling Club). The latter was already under pressure when sixth-place Daire Feeley (Clare: Burren CC) went clear early on and became race leader on the road.
His stress levels rose further when Doogan put in a determined burst with just over 12km remaining.
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“I bridged across to that move containing a few GC guys in the last lap on my own,” he said. “I really just gave everything, and then looked back and saw the yellow jersey and the white jersey had bridged.
“I was lucky to have my teammate Lindsay Watson to try and drive on the break a bit when I when I managed to bridge. Since it was only inside the last two three kilometres, I just rode all in to either get a gap or even go for the stage.”
The day’s winner Josh Charlton (Great Britain) was too far ahead by then to be caught, but Doogan finished just behind John Buller (Down: Banbridge CC Specsavers) in the bunch sprint for second place.
His performances over the past five days have done a lot for his self-belief.
“I definitely take a lot of confidence from this,” he said, smiling. “This is the biggest race in Ireland, with a lot of international riders who are competing on an international stage. So it definitely boosts the confidence.”
Doogan has had some limited racing abroad, but has mostly focused on Irish racing in recent years. He wasn’t sure what he would target next, but his performances in the Rás could and should increase his expectations.
“I haven’t really looked past this,” he said. “This is a big goal of mine, so I thought just get to this and then take it from there. Hopefully there are some bigger things to come towards the end of this season.
“The ambitions are definitely keep on moving up the ladder and hopefully find myself racing again in the big European races.”
