By Brian Canty
Simon Ryan has made it two wins in as many weekends for the newly-formed Visit Nenagh-Team DMG when he took a fabulous bunch-sprint win on the opening stage of the Corkman Three-Day in Kanturk today, Saturday.
Ryan, a full-time athlete since the beginning of the season, showed the cleanest pair of wheels on the slightly uphill finishing.
Today’s win, the first for Ryan as a senior, was not a massive surprise as he has shown some good form this season, mainly in support of team leader Richard Hooton who won the John Drumm Memorial in Currow last weekend. He has notched a number of top 10 results as well as some prizes for best A2 rider.
He’ll wear the race leader’s yellow jersey into tomorrow morning’s eight kilometre time-trial from Lombarstown Cross and judging on this afternoon’s style of race, he’ll do well to hold onto it.
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He does have the seasoned Mick Butler to ride in support of him but with strong teams from Fermoy, Black Rose, Iverk Produce Carrick Wheelers and particularly Blarney, the race is set to be one of the most open in years.
Today, 100kilometres was what faced a peloton of just over 60 riders and from the off the pace was hot with several small groups trying to get away but to no avail.
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A threatening quartet did escape on the second of three laps, but on the long draggy roads their advantage never stretched to more than 20 seconds.
The final lap saw another group attempt an escape with Dylan Foley of St Finbarr’s keen to impress the management of the Irish junior team. Foley did himself no harm at all and displayed his attacking instincts in the final 25 kilometres. But again nothing of any real significance escaped. And, as expected, with five kilometres remaining it was all back together.
Ryan bided his time, picked a good wheel and weaved his way around several would-be winners to just take it on the line for his first win as a senior.
Stage 1: Result
1) Simon Ryan (DMG - Visit Nenagh)
2) Brendan McLoughlin (Blarney CC)
3) Alisdair McCauley (Phoenix CC)
4) M Slattery (Killarney CC)
5) A Loftus (Blarney CC)
6) P Rimmer (Lakeside Wheelers)
A minute's silence was observed at the start of today's race as a mark of respect for Morgan Sparrow, the Usher IRC rider who sadly died today from injuries sustained in an inter club race in Dublin on Thursday night. May he rest in peace.
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