Conn McDunphy is in a great position going into the final weekend of racing and it might be now-or-never time for him to win the big one - Rás Tailteann (Photo: Lorraine O'Sullivan)
By Shane Stokes
The battle to win this year’s Rás Tailteann will rage over the next two days but, unless things are particularly tight on Sunday morning, the biggest showdown will almost certainly happen on Saturday’s epic stage from Carlow to Baltinglass.
The 141.6 race includes eight categorized climbs, although one of the two category one ascents on the menu was removed late on Friday when race organisers announced that Glenmalure would no longer be part of this year’s race.
Dangerous road conditions on the descent have been deemed too risky, with that climb now removed and replaced instead by an easier category three ascent.
Conn McDunphy would likely have preferred the more difficult climb remained in place but, either way, he will line out on Saturday morning fully intent on wresting the yellow jersey from the shoulders of Tim Shoreman.
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He certainly indicated he was up for the fight on Friday, giving an affirmative when asked if his lighter build meant that he believed he could drop Shoreman.
“I’d like to think so,” he told stickybottle after the finish in Enniscorthy. “Tim is a big boy but he is an absolute animal. We will see.
“Once it gets steep and long it should work, we brought a really strong climbing team too. But we are going to have to play our cards right, play it cute, and we will have to see on the road.”
What will matter is how he responds to the work he put in on Friday.
“I am feeling good. I had to burn a lot of matches today, to be honest,” he said. “There was a big group that went and I had to ride it back. Adam [teammate Adam Lewis] helped me a little bit, but I was probably ten, 15 minutes going full gas.
“I will look to recover tonight and hopefully have legs.”
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McDunphy’s USA: APS Pro Cycling team had a nice morale boost on Friday when Liam Flanagan won from the day’s breakaway.
He and McDunphy made it into a 17 man move towards the end of the stage, with Flanagan then getting a small gap just before the final climb and having enough strength to hold off a hard-chasing Shoreman.
McDunphy played an important role in that due to what he did when Flanagan floored it into some technical bends.
“It was brilliant,” he said of that win. “Me and Liam were not really riding because obviously Adam [race leader Lewis] was back the road. We were following, I did a few attacks but I was very careful not to force it.
“Coming into two K to go we were coming down a hill and Wheelbase were riding for Tim Shoreman. Tim was behind me and I knew he didn’t want to commit to early into the wind. I just let the wheel go.
“They got five seconds and no one is catching Liam if he gets to a K to go with a little gap. It was phenomenal, I’m really happy with that.”
McDunphy previously won a Rás stage in 2024 and would have loved to have done so again on Friday. However the APS team really appears to have worked well together this week and McDunphy was happy to see Flanagan succeed.
“He is a great guy,” he said, glad he fended off four-time stage victor Shoreman.
Now up to second overall, McDunphy will begin the final stage just 14 seconds behind the new race leader. He feels ready to battle for honours in a race he’s been chasing a long time.
“I’m happy. I’ve been in a good headspace all week, the team has been great and I am looking forward to racing through Wicklow,” he said.
“I am there every day. The last time I went through to Wicklow, I always tell people I beat Kenny de Ketele in a sprint, if you know who he is.
“I like racing there and am looking forward to it.”
