David McCarthy was pipped at the post for the opening stage in the A2-A3 race in Kanturk, but was happy with his ride.
Ahead of a planned relocation to France in the coming period, Cork teenager David McCarthy believed he was on the cusp of his first win of the year and his first ever yellow jersey until those hopes were dashed within touching distance of the finish line in Kanturk earlier today.
However, the 19-year-old Nicolas Roche Performance Team rider has now gained his A2 licence on the back of his second place in the A2-A3 race opening stage of the O’Leary Stone-Kanturk Three Day.
“It was tough, it was pretty hilly at the back of the course and Eddie Dunbar was pretty active,” he said of the 90km opener today which saw the riders take in three 30km loops.
Advertisement
With a seven-man escape gaining a gap of one minute before it was reeled in on the last lap, McCarthy said he regretted going a little too early in the dash to the line. He was passed in the dying metres by Martin O’Loughlin (Carrick Iverk Produce).
McCarthy said when the breakaway got clear and the field raced through the final passage of the hilly part of the course, he felt strong and was one of a number of riders trying to clip away and press on in an effort to close down the move.
“There was myself, Martin O’Loughlin, Eddie Dunbar and a few others trying to get the break back,” he said.
“And then when it came back; even when we were getting close to them, it was just about trying to save the legs a little bit to get to the line.”
He believed he had perhaps gone a little early in the sprint and was passed by eventual winner O’Loughlin around 50 metres before the line.
Related News
“I just put the head down and went and then obviously Martin got me but I was happy enough I suppose,” he said of the finish.
“That was my best result of the year and I’m upgraded to A2 now. It’s about my fifth or sixth top 10 of the year. It’s as close I’ve gone to getting a win so hopefully we’ll see how it goes now for the rest of the weekend.
“I went from quite far out; I really didn’t know how far it was at the time. I came up fast through the bunch. With about 400 to go I was thinking ‘this could be my first yellow jersey’. But still I am pleased with it.
“My thinking going into it today was that Eddie Dunbar would be pressing it hard, especially at that back part of the course where it was pretty hilly.
“So I just said to myself for the first stage if I finished on the same time as the stage winner that would be a start and I’d be reasonably happy. I was thinking that would give me a chance in the overall going into the time trial tomorrow, to try and get a result.”
He said when the race came down to a bunch sprint, going for the win from that scenario was perhaps not uppermost in his mind.
“I probably wasn’t planning on going for it. But I was coming up through the bunch, going through gaps that weren’t there; everything was going my way.
“And the next thing I realise is that I’m at the front of the bunch with around 350 metres to go. So I said to myself, ‘it’s now or never, just go’. I thought I might hold it to the line but Martin was super strong and he just came around me.”
Now upgraded to A2 McCarthy will race for the coming weeks in Ireland ahead of a planned move to AC Bisontine in France.
Topics
