By Brian Canty
Barry Meade has won the opening stage of the two-day Tour of Connacht this afternoon, Saturday, from a two-man breakaway.
The Planet Tri rider saw off the challenge of local man Charlie Prendergast (Polygon Sweet Nice) after the two broke clear from a dangerous escape group in the latter half of today's hilly 100k race.
Meade is a classy rider and showed that today when he was one of the stage's key players, having escaped early in the race with Robin Kelly (Aquable) and Prendergast before being caught after around 15kilometres.
After they were reeled in another move stole off the front and this proved the big moment in the race.
Padraig Marrey (Western Lakes) was there, as was Richard Hooton (Visit Nenagh-DMG) and Ryan Sherlock (Polygon Sweet Nice), Padraig Hughes, Cale Coen and Martin Cullnane.
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Meade and Prendergast showed they were up for it when they made the split and that group worked very well together until the attacks came again.
Sherlock tried time and again to escape, as did Hooton but it was Meade and Prendergast who eventually got clear. They worked well together straight away, with Prendergast doing some particularly big turns, clearly keen to put time into those behind.
Sherlock and Hooton formed a chase behind but the former wasn't obliged to work with his team mate up ahead and it was therefore down to Hooton to close the gap.
Up the road, Meade got the jump on Prendergast for a fine win to see him take yellow but the defending champion will look to take it back on tomorrow's 9k time trial.
Sherlock will be the favorite to win that on testing roads and with another hilly road stage tomorrow afternoon it's still very much all to play for.
Tour of Connacht Stage 1 Results
| Barry Meade | Planet Tri | 02:19:49 | 0 |
| Charles Prendergast | Polygon SweetNice | 02:19:49 | 0 |
| Richard Hooton | Visit Nenagh | 02:20:12 | 00:00:23 |
| Ryan Sherlock | Polygon SweetNice | 02:20:12 | 00:00:23 |
| Cale Coen | Castlebar | 02:20:12 | 00:00:23 |
| Liam Corcoran | NRPT | 02:21:32 | 00:01:43 |
| Mark Reilly | Lucan | 02:21:32 | st |
| Derek Joyce | Galway Bay | 02:21:32 | st |
| David Walsh | Slaney | 02:21:32 | st |
| Chris Troy | Castlebar | 02:21:32 | st |
| David Brody | Castlebar | 02:21:32 | st |
| Keith O Connell | Covey Westport | 02:21:32 | st |
| Gary Moran | Castlebar | 02:21:32 | st |
| Nick Hughes | Orwell | 02:21:32 | st |
| Kieran Gallagher | Castlebar | 02:21:32 | st |
| James Mc Greevey | Covey Westport | 02:21:32 | st |
| Darragh Feeley | Donamon | 02:21:32 | st |
| PatJoe O Connell | Covey Westport | 02:21:32 | st |
| Martin Cullinane | Comeragh | 02:21:32 | st |
| Thomas Walsh | Castlebar | 02:21:32 | st |
| Padraig Marrey | Western Lakes | 02:21:32 | st |
| Jimmy Dignam | Adamstown CC | 02:21:32 | st |
| Sean O Malley | Western Lakes | 02:21:32 | st |
| Mel Spath TIBCO | 02:21:32 | st | |
| Laurent Dumoulin | Kanturk | 02:21:32 | st |
| Jason Prendergast | Cunga CC | 02:21:32 | st |
| Thomas Curley | Galway Bay | 02:21:32 | st |
| Mark Quigley | Western Lakes | 02:21:32 | st |
| Rory Conroy | Castlebar | 02:21:32 | st |
| Padraic Hughes | Western Lakes | 02:21:32 | st |
| Stevie Finnigan | Bottecchia | 02:21:32 | st |
| Mike Ryder | Galway Bay | 02:21:32 | st |
| Padraic Conway | Covey Westport | 02:21:32 | st |
| Constantin Bartels | Western Lakes | 02:21:32 | st |
| Frank Dunne | Slaney | 02:21:32 | st |
| Robin Kelly | AquaBlue | 02:21:32 | st |
| David Brennan | Castlebar | 02:21:32 | st |
| Darragh Bailey | Donamon | 02:21:32 | st |
| Ger Corcoran | Covey Westport | 02:21:32 | st |
| Shane Dillon | Adamstown CC | 02:21:32 | st |
| Nick Watson | Orwell | 02:21:32 | st |
| Paul O Connell | Kilmallock | 02:27:14 | 00:07:25 |
| Declan Egan | UK | 02:36:05 | 00:16:16 |
| Daniel Belassi | Adamstown CC | 02:36:07 | 00:16:18 |
| Joe Christian | Bray Wheelers | 02:36:09 | 00:16:20 |
| Padraig Frayne | Swinford | 02:49:58 | 00:30:09 |
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