Conn McDunphy (Team Skyline) has stormed to a very strong solo victory on today's stage 2 at Tour de Beauce (2.2) in Canada; his second win in that race and the fourth UCI-ranked victory of his career.
The former Irish TT champion took victory on the 164km stage - starting and finishing in Saint-Odilon-de-Cranbourne. McDunphy prevailed, after 2,200m of climbing, by over one minute on his own.
He had been aggressive on the opening stage, before losing time, and today got up the road in an initial five-man group with well over 100km of racing remaining. Though a small number of riders later bridged to the breakaway, McDunphy was the strongest is the stage continued to unfold.
In the breakaway with the Irishman were: American Stephen Bassett (Project Echelon Racing), Kiwi James Gardner (MitoQ-NZ Cycling Project) and four Canadians, including, Alexis Bouchard (Team Marni N'SIDE), Carl Truffer (Les Regis p/b groupe automobile Amis Juniors), Nathan Pruner (TaG Cycling Race Team) and Cooper Langard (Manteo Racing).
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Bouchard (20) is a Canadian U23 international who has ridden the Worlds while Gardner (20) has been national elite criterium champion twice, as well as winning the junior national road title two years ago.
After McDunphy was part of the initial five men that went clear at the 70km marker, their number swelled with the addition of two more within 10km. By the halfway point of the stage, the leaders had two minutes.
And though the breakaway would later fall apart, McDunphy pressed on to win solo as all of the riders he was with were caught by chasing pack.
After the breakaway passed the 100km marker, having negotiated a 2.7km climb, average gradient 7.5 per cent, the gap remained at just over two minutes. And it was just after that point, with 60km remaining on the stage, that McDunphy attacked solo.
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He opened up a gap of 25 seconds very quickly and by the time he was 10km on his own that had grown to 1:30, with the remainder of the breakaway having been caught by the peloton.
McDunphy continued to make very good progress on his own and with 20km to go, two chasers were at three minutes and the bunch was five minutes back, meaning the Irishman was yellow jersey on the road.
The bunch then ramped up the chase after him, with his advantage falling, but still at 3:15 with 15km to go. And though that gap would continue to come down all the way to the line, McDunphy held on for a brilliant win, and did so comfortably.
The Irishman was 1:17 up on the line, with a 13-man chase group being led in by Colombian Wilmar Paredes (Team Medellín-EPM) from Canadian Joel Plamondon (Team Marni-N'side).
As well as McDunphy, Irish riders - and his Skyline team mates - Ronan O'Connor and Cian Keogh are also in action in Canada this week. O'Connor finished in 31st today, at 1:28, in a 35-strong group just a few seconds down on those sprinting for 2nd place. Keogh finished in 68th, in a large group at 2:54.
The yellow jersey is held by 25-year-old Italian Mattia Gaffuri (Swatt Club), with McDunphy now 10th at 2:23, O'Connor 33rd at 4:16 and Keogh 59th at 5:42, with three stages remaining.
