Shay Donley leads an NRPT-Chill Insurance 1-2 on the final stage. But it was Cathal Dillane's raid that won him the final yellow jersey after great riding all weekend (Photo with thanks Conor McKeown & Westport Covey)
Cathal Dillane wins Rás Mhaigh Eo final yellow jersey
Shay Donley may have powered up the finishing incline to take the final stage, but Cathal Dillane is the Rás Mhaigh Eo 2018 champion.
Yesterday's final stage in Mayo saw 10 men steal up the road never to be seen again. And while Dillane was on the wrong side of a split at the finish, he still did enough to win.
The Team Gerry McVeigh Cars man can feel satisfied not just with his victory, but with the manner of it.
He made the winning breakaway on the opening stage early on Saturday. While he was narrowly beaten into 2nd place by Niko Harmanen (St Tiernans CC) he had laid the foundation for a strong weekend.
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On Saturday evening the second part of the split stage saw the riders tackle a 3.8km uphill TT.
It was won by Paul Forristal (Orwell Wheelers). And when stage 1a breakaway man Cian Keogh (The Sports Room Racing) took his second 3rd place of the day, he took the yellow jersey.
Dillane also performed well in the test; claiming 12th place. Crucially, he lost only 15 seconds to Keogh.
Cathal Dillane, who made the breakaway on both road stages and held his own in the TT. He ran out the overall winner.
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It was Keogh who went into yesterday's 104km final stage with the yellow jersey on his back. His team mate Declan Maloney was 2nd, at 14 seconds.
And Dillane was next another second back, with the last of racing to come on the Tullycross loop.
On that stage Dillane was among the men up the road who gained time. He put 2:41 into the peloton which contained the yellow jersey.
Dillane and John O'Regan (St Tiernan's CC) were the only two riders from the opening stage escape to get clear yesterday.
But O'Regan had lost 13 seconds to Dillane on stage 1a, having let a gap open at the finish. And he also lost a further seven seconds to Dillane in the TT.
It meant all Dillane needed to do yesterday when he got clear was to make sure O'Regan did not get away from him.
And when they finished on the same time, Dillane ran out the overall winner. Donley took the stage and the junior classification.
Tom Regan, a team mate of Dillane's, took the sprint classification. And runner-up on the final stage, Halvey was top climber.
Gareth McCormack (Ballina CC) was the top Masters rider. And Keogh had to be content with winning the A3 classification after losing yellow.
Mar 24 & 25: Rás Mhaigh Eo
Westport, Co Mayo
Promoted by Westport Covey Wheelers
Sun, March 25: Stage 2 (104km)
1 Shay Donley NRPT-Chill Insurance 02:38:51
2 Conor Halvey NRPT-Chill Insurance
3 Kieran Regan St Tiernan’s CC
4 Matthew McCullagh Sundrive Track Team
5 Conor Gallagher NRPT-Chill Insurance 02:38:54
6 Derek Joyce Galway Bay CC
7 John O’Regan St Tiernan’s CC
8 Gareth McCormack Ballina CC
9 Damien Creighton Ballina CC
10 Cathal Dillane Gerry McVeigh Cars
11 Paul Forristal Orwell Wheelers CC 02:40:49
12 Declan Egan K Weston Wheelers
13 Ciaran Slattery Tralee Manor West 02:40:49
14 Kenneth Kennedy Nenagh CC 02:40:51
15 Declan Maloney The Sports Room
16 Keelan Carberry Four Masters CC
17 Ollie Kelly Longford CRC 02:41:32
18 Eamon Daly Westport Covey Wheelers
19 Peter McGee Tir Chonaill Gap CC
20 Alex N. Ekiz Ballina Cycling Club
Stage result in full.
Final General Classification
1 Cathal Dillane Gerry McVeigh Cars 04:56:54
2 Kieran Regan St. Tiernans Cycling Club 04:57:11
3 John O’Regan St. Tiernans Cycling Club 04:57:14
4 Conor Halvey NRPT 04:57:16
5 Matthew McCullagh Sundrive Track Team 04:57:24
6 Shay Donley NRPT 04:57:29
7 Gareth McCormack Ballina Cycling Club 04:57:34
8 Conor Gallagher NRPT 04:57:41
9 Damien Creighton Ballina Cycling Club 04:57:43
10 Derek Joyce Galway Bay CC 04:58:32
11 Declan Maloney The Sports Room Racing 04:58:50
12 Paul Forristal Scott Orwell Wheelers Cycling Club 04:59:08
13 Cian Keogh The Sports Room Racing 04:59:17
14 Ciaran Slattery Tralee Manor West BC 04:59:26
15 Declan Egan K Weston Wheelers 04:59:31
16 Niko Harmanen St. Tiernans Cycling Club 04:59:36
17 Kenneth Kennedy Nenagh Cycling Club 04:59:37
18 Keelan Carberry Four Masters CC 04:59:45
19 Andrew Higgins Ballina Cycling Club 04:59:49
20 Jonathan Caulfield Castlebar Cycling Club
Final general classification in full.
Classification Winners
Junior Classification
1 Shay Donley NRPT-Chill Insurance
Sprint Classification
1 Tom Regan Gerry McVeigh Cars
Climbers’ Classification
1 Conor Halvey NRPT-Chill Insurance
Masters Classification
1 Gareth McCormack Ballina Cycling Club
A3 Classification
1 Cian Keogh The Sports Room Racing
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