Conor Dunne has come close to winning stage six of the Tour of Korea but had to settle for fourth after being part of the breakaway that stayed away to contest the finish.
By Brian Canty
A day after crashing hard and finding himself lost in a rainforest in Korea, Conor Dunne has come agonisingly close to taking a huge win in the Tour of Korea.
The JLT-Condor Cycles man was part of the six-man break that stayed away to contest the finish on the race’s penultimate stage and though he went “all in” with attacks in the closing stages, he came up marginally short.
The Irish elite international clipped away early in the flat 142-kilometre stage 7 and said he knew with 15 kilometres remaining the leading group would contest the stage, though one rider lost contact.
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He played his cards almost to perfection in the company of some real hitters, with the likes of Pro Continental outfits ONE Pro Cycling and Drapac in there.
Knowing he probably wouldn’t win a straight-out gallop, Dunne laid it on the line a few times on the run-in for home at the Seoul Olympic Park.
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“I’m gutted, I thought I could have nabbed something special after a long week,” said Dunne from Korea this morning.
“I gave it everything to go away on my own at the finish but it came down to a sprint from our group. There were six but one got dropped so it was just five of us going for it.”
Australian Brad Evans (Drapac) got the verdict from ONE Pro Cycling man Kristian House with local man Jung Ha Jeon (Seoul Cycling Team) keeping the home crowd happy with a third place.
Dunne was next across the line three seconds back.
“I knew we were staying away with 15 kilometres to go. I felt good and hit them with all I had but it wasn’t to be. But considering I was lying in a ravine yesterday it’s not too bad!”
His next assignment will be the national championships road race in Kilcullen in two weeks where he will start as one the favourites for the road race.
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