Chris McGlinchey was dominant this weekend, winning the Kerry Group Rás Mumhan by over a minute from the ASEA-Wheelworx pair of Ali Macaulay and Bryan McCrystal (Photo: Brendan Slattery - TheBigLittleBikeShop.com)
Chris McGlinchey has written his name into Irish cycling history after safely defending the yellow jersey on a tension-filled final stage of the Kerry Group Rás Mumhan on Easter Monday.
The 21-year-old Belfast rider, making his debut in Kerry, managed to hold off a host of challengers over a gruelling four days of hectic racing to be crowned a worthy champion.
Taking the yellow jersey after winning Friday’s opening stage, the former downhill mountain biker successfully held the race lead for the following three days.
He was aided by his team mates in the Irish Development Team in the shape of Ian Richardson, Darragh O’Mahony, Fintan Ryan and Craig McCauley.
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Each of that quartet rode out of their skins in the face of relentless attacks but McGlinchey was the man who took on more than anyone, and emerged victorious.
The winner overall two years ago and also a stage winner in the past, Mark Dowling takes the final stage on Monday (Photo: Brendan Slattery - TheBigLittleBikeShop.com)
Over the course of the 500-kilometre race he battled brutal climbs and driving rain, savage crosswinds and frantic chases, not to mention the nerve-racking 120 kilometres on today’s final stage.
Ali Macaulay and Bryan McCrystal trailed him by 1’25” and 1’26” respectively going in stage 4 so it was always unlikely the general classification would change.
However, today’s stage winner Mark Dowling (ASEA-Wheelworx) definitely had the yellow jersey worried when he went two minutes up the road in a break.
In that move were yesterday’s stage winner Anthony Walsh and his Aquablue teammate Caimin Muldoon, Paul O’Reilly (UCD-Fitzcycles.ie), John Brosnan (Moda Sports-Kingdom Endurance), Lewis Mulholland (Scotland), Douwe Daatselaar (West Frisia-CombiLift), Ronan O’Flynn (Scott – Orwell Wheelers), Brian Canty (Killarney CC Pink), Stephen Murray (Strata3-VeloRevolution) and Shane Power (Waterford Racing Club).
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McGlinchey may have had help from a strong Irish team but he did a huge amount of work himself and sealed the deal in some style (Photo: Brendan Slattery - TheBigLittleBikeShop.com)
Dowling was 3’40” down in the general standings starting the stage but he’s got history when it comes to smash and grabs so the bunch, led by the Irish team, ramped up the chase.
The break lost Canty, O’Flynn and Mulholland as the finishing laps commenced in Killorglin.
And with half of the nine laps of the small circuit completed it would be trimmed back to just.
O’Reilly, Walsh and Dowling pulled clear with the gap dipping lower and lower under a minute back to the yellow jersey bunch.
Alas, Dowling blasted clear of those two to take stage honours, with Walsh hanging on for a brilliant second and O'Reilly third.
The winning escape splits on the circuits, with Scotland's Mulholland, Orwell's O'Flynn and Killarney's Canty showing the strain having been up front (Photo: Brendan Slattery - TheBigLittleBikeShop.com)
Dowling arrived at the line with plenty of time to celebrate a great win, 5 seconds ahead of the clearly in-form Walsh, with O'Reilly in 3rd a further 4 seconds back.
The bunch containing the yellow jersey were right behind O'Reilly, with McGlinchey claiming 7th on the stage and relinquishing just 16 seconds to winner Dowling.
Ali Macaulay would end the race in the polka dot jersey while ASEA-Wheelworx took the team prize, Sean Yelverton (Mego Racing Team) claimed the A2 jersey and McGlinchey the U23 jersey.
McGlinchey was a deserving winner with the manner of his ride suggesting the Irish scene may not hold him for much longer.
Mon, March 28th: Stage 4, Killorglin (117km)
1 Mark Dowling Asea Wheelworx 02:31:58
2 Anthony Walsh Aqua Blue @5secs
3 Paul O Reilly UCD Fitzcycles @9secs
4 Ottenbros Joury Combi Lift – WF @15
5 Cathal Moynihan Tralee Manor West iBike
6 Dorren Ruben Combi Lift – WF
7 Chris Mcglinchey Ireland Development Team @16
8 Jacob Booth Team Bikehaus
9 Daire Feeley Team iTap
10 Mark O Callaghan Aqua Blue
11 Louis Carnec UCD Fitzcycles
12 Richard Maes Killarney CC – Black
13 Angus Claxton Scotland
14 Stephen Shanahan Asea Wheelworx
15 Jamie Lowden Surrey League – Casco Europe
16 Aaron O Brien Mego Raw Cycles Racing Team
17 Mark Mccullagh Rapha Cycle Team
18 Chris Mcnamara Surrey League – Casco Europe
19 Eoin Morton UCD Fitzcycles
20 David Brody Team iTap
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