The Easter Bank Holiday weekend produced brilliant racing, with a number of Irish junior and U23 riders really stepping up to put on a show. But while the races were very entertaining - notwithstanding the dramatic late twist at Rás Mumhan - there are also some issues for concern.
An examination of the numbers racing this weekend at both Rás Mumhan and Gorey Three Day - compared to recent seasons when three Easter stage races were promoted - produces mixed findings. And with an upcoming stage race postponed, it looks like the expense of competing in stage races - especially those coming in quick succession - is having a real impact on the home scene.
We've reached these five conclusions from different aspects of the racing on the domestic scene last weekend.
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Rider numbers
Before we comment on the numbers racing, it has to be said the organisers of both Rás Mumhan and the Gorey Three Day did a great job last weekend. The events were also animated by very aggressive riders, who put on great racing. Lucan CRC's seniors ambushed the top juniors in Gorey; Gavin Hendley winning the final stage and team mate Peter Kirwan claiming the overall after both made the winning breakaway on Monday. And at Rás Mumhan, Finn Crockett (Spokes Racing Team), Dean Harvey (Cycling Ulster) and Ewan Warren (Caldwell Cycles) were locked into a battle after stage 2, with a dramatic twist 48 hours later.
When one looks at the numbers in both races, it's something of a mixed bag. In the Gorey, for example, 200 riders entered the race in 2015 and 2016, though that fell to 104 in 2018. This weekend there were 129 starters. That included 17 women, who did not have an event at Gorey before last year and whose presence partially disguised the lower number of entries at the weekend. Yhis year's women's race was won by Linda Kelly (Spin the Bean Power by Coffee). So numbers were down this year compared to relatively recent highs. Similarly, there were over 200 riders in Rás Mumhan back in 2014 and 2015, compared to 171 starters this year. At a glance, this year's numbers looked decent. However, Irish cycling used to host three stage races at Easter, until the Tour of the North ceased after the 2019 edition - initially due to Covid-19 and sponsorship problems last year. It means numbers in both the Gorey Three Day and Rás Mumhan are down compared to recent highs, even though there are now only two races, rather than three, for riders to choose from at Easter.
Stage race costs
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News leading into the Easter races that the Tour of Ulster - which was due to run at the end of the month - has been postponed is of real concern. It faced unspecified logistical issues, though the number of riders entering was lower than required. Given the costs now associated with riding stage races - entry fees, accommodation and fuel - during the current inflationary spike, it is an expensive business. In the current climate, riding an Easter stage race, then Tour of Ulster and Rás Tailteann, all within about seven weeks, may simply be too much for most riders' wallets. With inflation now falling a little, one hopes the situation will have improved - with riders under less pressure - next season. The Tour of Ulster organisers have said they are trying to reschedule the event for later in the season. Hopefully that will happen because once these events are lost for a season or two - even those as prestigious and well run as Tour of Ulster - they often do not return.
Strength in depth in junior ranks
One of the most notable features of the weekend was how well some of our best junior riders did in both Kerry Group Rás Mumhan and the Gorey Three Day. At Rás Mumhan Sam Coleman of the Irish junior team was 3rd on the opening stage. Seth Dunwoody of the Irish junior team also took a solid result on the Kerryman's Table uphill finish of stage 3. He proved one of the strongest in the remains of the bunch, which was chasing six riders up the road, eventually finishing 13th. On the final stage, Dunwoody was up the road for most of the race in a two-man move with Matthew Warhurst (ROKit SRCT). And though they were caught by the chasing group on the finishing circuits, Dunwoody was still 2nd on the stage.
Dunwoody's team mate, Liam O'Brien, was in the chasing group that day, making for a very strong stage for that duo at the end of four hard days of racing. At the Gorey Three Day, junior rider Conor Prendergast (Galway Bay CC) won stage 1 with a final solo effort from the breakaway and he has now conformed himself as one to watch. Junior riders Darragh Doherty (Flanders Color Defever Team) and Killian O’Brien (Orwell Wheelers) were 1st and 3rd on stage 2 - from the winning breakaway. And on the stage 3 TT there were seven juniors in the top 10, including Curtis Neill (Caldwell Cycles), who won the stage. On the final day of racing, 16-year Josh Callaly (Navan RC) was 2nd while Daniel Scott of Inspired Cycling, another 16-year-old, also made the winning breakaway; Callaly finishing 2nd overall and Scott 5th. The fact those juniors - who are all at different stages of their development - were able to win stages in Gorey and mix it with the top elites and U23s at Rás Mumhan bodes well. It suggests there is strength in depth among the top juniors and they should all push each other on. Those performances were achieved despite two other leading juniors being abroad at the weekend. Irish champion Oisin Ferrity (Caldwell Cycles) was racing in Belgium, and taking a win, and Joseph Mullen (Navan Road Club) was competing well in Portugal for a team based there. This is a group within which competition for international selection should bring out the best in them and produce quality national teams. It's imperative more national team selection opportunities are created for the best of them.
Rás Mumhan finale a let-down
The final stage of Rás Mumhan initially looked like a perfectly timed effort by Irish rider Dean Harvey (Cycling Ulster) to win the day and the overall. But moments later it was clear a complaint was being lodged about the manner he was brought back to the breakaway after a double puncture on the finishing circuits. He was then relegated to the back of the breakaway - 8th on the stage - and penalised by two minutes, meaning he lost the final yellow jersey and even the young rider classification. It was a messy way to end the race and meant UK riders won all four stages and the overall. At the same time, Finn Crockett (Spokes Racing Team), who won the race, rode very strongly through the weekend. He deserves credit for the manner he won stage 2 to take yellow and then contained the attacks by Harvey on stages 3 and 4. As is always the case with domestic stage races, it would definitely have been more satisfying - and perhaps better for the race - had Irish riders at least won a stage or two.
Irish U23 performances
While the juniors rode very well in Wexford and Kerry, Harvey's performance at Rás Mumhan was eye-catching, as was that of fellow Irish rider Ewan Warren (19). Harvey was riding for Cycling Ulster at the wekeend and he and overall winner, Crockett, looked like the strongest in the race. For a rider who has just moved into his second season as an U23, Harvey's rate of progress is remarkable. He was able to boss the race at some of the hardest moments at the weekend and it will be interesting to watch his progress with Trinity Racing for the remainder of the season.
For his part, Warren went into the final stage 3rd overall and was bumped up to 2nd - and young rider classification winner - after Harvey's time penalty. Twelve months ago Warren was riding the Gorey, winning a stage, and has clearly progressed at a significant rate since then. He looks like a real prospect for the Irish U23 team in the next couple of seasons. The 19-year-old is based in Spain this year, racing for Brocar Ale, alongside Jamie Meehan, a second-year U23 who medaled in the road race nationals as a junior. When the pressure was really on at Rás Mumhan, on the uphill finish of stage 3, it was notably that Meehan was the one who finished ahead of everyone else in the bunch, with yellow jersey Crockett. Aaron Wade also did well that day. Though he is known as a sprinter, there was very little wrong with his climbing. He went in the chase group and survived out front for 5th on the day, showing he clearly has more strings to his bow than his finishing kick.
