Big gaps open up on hectic stage 2 at Junior Tour of Ireland

*Conor Murphy of Team Ireland leads the winning breakaway on a day when big gaps emerged at the Junior Tour of Ireland (Photo: Sean Rowe)*

In most stage races, especially Irish ones usually run off at a frenetic pace, a decisive move goes clear, often with some fancied riders from the home scene and the secret weapons from abroad. Wednesday's stage 2 at Quanta Capital Junior Tour of Ireland looked like one of those days.

We won't know for sure until this race is done and dusted at the weekend. But when the field arrived into Kilkee in Co Clare today after 93.7km of racing a large breakaway had gained 1:45 on the nearest chasers and much more than that on everyone else.

Those who missed the boat today could still impressive, with a stage win or even still mount a general classification challenge if another breakaway group again forges clear by minutes. But the smart money says the main men of Junior Tour 2024 were up the road today.

Of the 15 breakaway men who made it all the way, four were Irish, and they are high quality domestic riders. Ominously, given their track record in this race and internationally, the US Hot Tubes team had three men up there and they were 1st and 2nd on the stage, after finishing 2nd, 3rd and 4th on the opener yesterday.

*Brendan Luongo from Compton in California takes the victory on stage 2 at Quanta Capital Junior Tour of Ireland, an with it the yellow jersey (Photo: Sean Rowe)*

The victory went to Brendan Luongo, an 18-year-old US international from Compton, California, with his team mate Caden Budd, also an American international rider, in 2nd. Caden Freyre made it a US 1-2-3, after the Kelly Benefit Strategies rider from Redding, Connecticut, pushed his compatriots close at the finish.

Joseph Mullen (Cycling Leinster) was best of the Irish, in 8th place, with Cameron Henry (Cycling Ulster) and Conor Murphy (Team Ireland) in 11th and 12th,

While the top 12 all finished on the same time as the winner, there was then a four-second gap to the next three home, including Rory Condon, the Tarrants Skoda Cycling Munster rider who also made the cut today and finished 15th.

The first climb of today - the 1.8km cat 3 Cooga crested with 15.8km completed - saw Antoine Bergeron (Ignite Canada) set out his stall early. He took maximum points, from Willem O’Connor (Tarrants Skoda Cycling Munster) and Cal Tutty (Team Ireland); the latter in the climbers' jersey after spending time in the stage 1 breakaway.

*Two Good Lads | Cameron Henry, Cycling Ulster, leads Joseph Mullen, Cycling Leinster, in the breakaway today (Photo: Sean Rowe)*

Related News

Lara Gillespie attacks Dolomite stage as Giro hits high mountains

Video - Italy's hero Balsamo mobbed mid-stage during Giro TT

In the hard racing that followed, with groups going off the front and riders being spat out the back, the winning breakaway went clear. And it was well established by the time the leaders reached the second classified climb; the 6km Knock cat 3 crested with 48.8km completed.

There, it was Bergeron (Ignite Canada) who again took maximum points from eventual stage winner, Brendan Luongo (Hot Tubes), and Alexander Erasmus (South Africa On Track). The breakaway group then continued to plough on, with the gap over the bunch at 2:30 with 30km remaining.

However, they were now being chased by a six-rider group. The chasers were: Gabriel Tilli (Ignite Canada), Alexander Scopinich-Burgel (Kelly Benefit Strategies), Paul Opie (Lee Valley), Killian O'Brien (Cycling Leinster), Alejandro Che (Hot Tubes) and Nick Makin (Mid Devon RC).

As the race dipped inside 15km to go, and with the climb of Kilkee Cliffs to come, the break's advantage over the bunch was 2:40, though that would soon change. Over the cliffs, and with the finish nearing, the Hot Tubes riders in the breakaway lined out the group.

That added pressure resulted in the gap going up to 4:30, after Bergeron had again taken maximum points on the cliffs, from Ulster's Henry, US rider Luongo and Ireland's Murphy.
The Hot Tubes riders then continued to apply the pressure all the way to the line, where Luongo claimed the victory from team mate Budd.

That resulted in Luongo taking the yellow jersey by four seconds from Budd, with Freyre 3rd at 10 seconds. Best placed of the Irish are Mullen in 5th, Henry in 10th and Murphy 12th, all equal on time at 10 seconds. Condon is 15th at 14 seconds.

A 50-man bunch finished at 4:10 but in between the breakaway and that bunch were 16 riders who managed to get off the front of the pack. The best of those was Alexander Scopinich-Burgel (Kelly Benefit Strategies) and Paul Opie (Lee Valley Youth CC), both of whom finished at 1:45.

Irish riders Michael Collins and Willem O'Connor, both of Tarrants Skoda Cycling Munster, also managed to give the bunch the slip, finishing 19th and 20th at 2:24 and 2:25. The only other Irish rider to get away from the peloton was Patrick O'Sullivan, the Orwell Wheelers man who finished in 29th at 3:39.