Archie Ryan, a first-year junior who doesn't turn 17 years until the last weeks of 2018, wins atop Tumble Mountain. He left the world cyclocross champion in 2nd place in his wake (Photo: Huw Fairclough)
Archie Ryan wins on summit of Tumble Mountain, Wales
Ireland's Archie Ryan has announced his arrival with a brilliant win atop Tumble Mountain on the final stage of the Junior Tour of Wales.
Ryan took his victory in some style; leaving the best of British standing when the going really got hard on the road to summit finish today.
With Tumble Mountain a 15-minute effort, the field split to pieces after four days of hard racing.
And when it did, three top men pulled clear, Archie Ryan one of them - following the footsteps of Eddie Dunbar who won this stage back in 2014.
This afternoon out front on the final climb, Ryan was with Mason Hollyman (Zappi). He has already built up a series of top results in UCI races in Europe.
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And completing the trio was junior world cyclocross champion Ben Tulett (South East Region).
Tulett began today’s final stage 2nd overall, just two seconds down on yellow jersey Leo Hayter, the stage 1 TT winner riding for VC Londres.
As the climb progressed and the leading three pulled further away from the rest, Hollyman was the first to fade.
He lost the wheel leaving Tulett, chasing the stage and overall victory, with Ireland's first-year junior Ryan.
And with a long section of the climb remaining, Ryan (NRPT-Chill Insurance) hit the after burners. He put in a blistering attack, distancing Tulett to win by eight seconds.
Next came Hollyman, some 20 seconds down on Archie Ryan. And coming home in 4th place was race leader Hayter.
With the yellow jersey on his back, he was no match for the leading three. But he fought all the way to the line. Unfortunately for him, his time loss meant he lost the overall.
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Tulett ran out the overall winner by 19 seconds from Hayter. And Ryan was 3rd overall just two further seconds back, having started the stage in 5th overall.
Earlier on today’s stage, Aaron Doherty (NRPT-Chill Insurance) was on the attack. Another Irish rider, the national TT champion Ben Healy (Zappi), was also up the road.
Healy showed admirable bravery and class in distancing the breakaway and going solo for a long time. At one point he had well over 1:30 on the main field.
However, the peloton would catch the escape Healy had attacked from. And then the pack gradually closed in on the lone leader as the finishing climb approached.
That paved the way for a drag race up Tumble Mountain, which Archie Ryan won by a very clear margin.
Ryan (16) has been racing in Spain this year. And because of that his profile in Ireland is not as high as some of the other juniors.
However, he represented Ireland a number of times at youth level. And in his first weeks in the junior category at the start of 2018 he made his first Irish team.
He competed in the junior race at the World Cyclocross Championships in February.
His season was interrupted by a knee problem after riding for an Irish junior selection at the Tour of the North.
Despite riding very well there, three months off the bike followed due to his knee issues.
And while he was only able to begin training again less than two months ago, he has come good quickly and in style.
His victory today means Irish riders won two of the four stages in Wales; Adam Ward (Cycling Ulster) triumphing on stage 2 when compatriot Doherty was 3rd.
Today, Ireland's PJ Doogan was 12th on the stage; the Cycling Ulster man 1:20 behind Ryan.
Liam Curley (NRPT-Chill Insurance), who was on the attack for most of the stage yesterday with Healy, was 14th on today's final stage at 1:23.
Doherty finished in 16th place on the summit finish today, just one second behind Curley.
Healy was 2nd overall in the sprints classification and NRPT-Chill Insurance, with whom Ryan was guesting in Wales, won the team prize.
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