Ben Walsh leads the Newry Three Day winning escape as it pulls clear. He is followed by Adam Ward, Ethan Downey, Mark McKinley and Alan Bingham (Photo by Adrian Crawley)
Ben Walsh wins big at Newry Three Day
Ben Walsh has scored a big win at the Newry Three Day, taking stage victory and the yellow jersey.
The NRPT-Titan Containers rider is emerging as one of the juniors of the season; winning races in spectacular fashion.
He was kept honest all the way to the line this evening in Newry by Adam Ward of Powerhouse Sport; another man making a name for himself of late.
But when the winning breakaway reached the line to sprint it out for victory, Walsh won the day.
The story of the night was just how much time that escape put into the rest of the field.
Advertisement
They were 1:47 up on the peloton. And that likely puts the general classification out of the reach of anyone who missed the boat this evening.
The breakaway numbered 15 men when it went clear. It escaped some 14 miles into what would prove a very bruising 33 mile first stage.
The breakaway get to work and put big time into the peloton at Newry Three Day (Photo: Toby Watson)
The 15 escapees combined well and built a comfortable lead, before the first climbers’ prime; the cat 1 Grinan Road.
And it was there that levels of discomfort set in sharply for all but the strongest.
Ward and Walsh made life difficult on the climb along with the emerging Ethan Downey (Clann Eireann).
And while Alan Bingham (Cuchulainn CC) and Mark McKinley for host club Newry Wheelers have a few more miles on the clock than the juniors, they were able to match.
Indeed it was only those two who held the three teenagers on the climb; the 15-man escape being hammered into a five-man formation by the top of the climb.
Related News
And with only about 6 miles remaining to the finish after the ascent, that quintet never looked back.
Walsh took the sprint to win from Ward, with the impressive McKinley and Bingham 3rd and 4th and Downey in 5th place.
The other men who had been in the escape may have lost their place up front, but they managed to hang on for the minor placings and time gains.
Other breakaway men
Des Woods was 6th for Newry Wheelers at 20 seconds. A trio was a further two seconds back featuring Nick Clayton (Halesowen), Nathan Weir (Harps CC) and another Newry Wheelers man Gareth O’Neill.
And then came the bigger gaps; over a minute slipping by before Gavin Magowan of Velo Cafe Magasin was 10th at 1:40.
Tomorrow’s stage involves 65 miles on the lumpy Kilcoo circuit, with two late climbs.
And the final stage on Sunday takes the riders into the hilly area around Markethill and Newtownhamilton. There follows a very tough run in through Mountnorris.
June 30-July 2: Newry Three Day
Fri, June 30th, Stage 1: Warrenpoint Circuit (53.07km)
1 Walsh, Ben NRPT 1h14m15s
2 Ward, Adam Powerhouse
3 McKinley, Mark Newry Wheelers
4 Bingham, Alan Cuchulainn
5 Downey, Ethan Clann Eireann
6 Woods, Des Newry Wheelers @20s
7 Clayton, Nick Halesowen @22s
8 Weir, Nathan Harps
9 O'Neill, Gareth Newry Wheelers
10 Magowan, Gavin Velo Café Magasin @1m40s
11 Hendron, Cathal Apollo CT @1m42s
12 McCarter, Caolam Omagh
13 O'Neil, Neville Velo Café Magasin
14 Buller, John Banbridge @1m47s
15 Morton, John Harps
16 Fotheringham, Patrick Halesowen
17 Thompson, Michael Bann Wheelers
18 Doherty, Robbie Davy McCall
19 Halvey, Conor NRPT
20 Rafferty, Neil Armagh City
Team Stage Result
1 Newry Wheelers 3h43m27s
2 Powerhouse 3h46m19s
3 Cuchulainn 3h46m19s
4 Clann Eireann 3h46m19s
5 Harps 3h46m41s
6 Velo Café Magasin 3h47m54s
7 Omagh 3h48m01s
8 Davy McCall 3h48m06s
9 Banbridge 3h48m06s
10 Stamullen 3h48m06s
11 Bann Wheelers 3h48m06s
12 Orchard 3h48m06s
13 TVR 3h48m06s
14 Ards 3h48m06s
15 Phoenix 3h48m06s
16 Dromara 3h48m06s
17 VC Glendale 3h49m25s
18 North Down 3h50m08s
19 Haldane Fisher 3h50m09s
20 Armagh City 3h51m40s
Sprints & KOM Primes
Narrow Water start Lap 2
1 McKinley, Mark 5pts 3"
2 Buller, John 3pts 2"
3 Rooney, Fergus 1pt 1"
Narrow Water Start Lap 3
1 Clayton, Nick 5pts
2 Woods, Des 3pts
3 McKinley, Mark 1pt
KOH Category 1: Grinan Road
1 Ward, Adam 8pts 3"
2 Walsh, Ben 5pts 2"
3 Bingham, Alan 2pts 1"
First passage finish line
1 McKinley, Mark 5pts 3"
2 Walsh, Ben 3pts 2"
3 Bingham, Alan 1pt 1"
Combativity
41 Clayton, Nick Halesowen
General Classification
1 Ben Team NRPT Time Deficit 1h14m01s
2 Ward, Adam Powerhouse @5s
3 McKinley, Mark Newry Wheelers @6s
4 Bingham, Alan Cuchulainn @12s
5 Downey, Ethan Clann Eireann @14s
6 Woods, Des Newry Wheelers @34s
7 Clayton, Nick Halesowen @36s
8 Weir, Nathan Harps
9 O'Neill, Gareth Newry Wheelers
10 Magowan, Gavin Velo Café Magasin @1m54s
11 Hendron, Cathal Apollo CT @1m56s
12 McCarter, Caolam Omagh
13 O'Neil, Neville Velo Café Magasin
14 Buller, John Banbridge @1m59s
15 Rooney, Fergus Phoenix @2m00s
16 Morton, John Harps @2m01s
17 Fotheringham, Patrick Halesowen
18 Thompson, Michael Bann Wheelers
19 Doherty, Robbie Davy McCall
20 Halvey, Conor NRPT
Topics
