Conn McDunphy was best of the Irish on the opening stage of Ronde de l'Oise (2.2) in the Oise department of northern France today. He is part of the EvoPro Racing line-up in the four-day race, alongside Tom Moriarty, Cian Keogh, Mitchell McLaughlin and Liam Curley.
Former Irish elite TT champion McDunphy was 14th today after 142.8km of racing from Labruyère to Liancourt. The stage included 2½ laps of a finishing circuit with five short and sharp climbs to negotiate in the final 35km of racing. Curley also finished in the remains of the peloton today alongside McDunphy.
A seven-man breakaway managed to get clear on today's opening stage just before the race entered the finishing circuits. The escapees survived out front to mop up the top seven placings and gain valuable time in the general classification battle.
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The final climbs - 1.8km with an average gradient of 4.6 per cent and a 1km ascent averaging 7.3 per cent - resulted in the race splitting as the main field was whittled down, while a late crash also took out some riders.
At the front of the race, Kiwi national champion James Fouché (Bolton Equities Black Spoke) put in a great ride to win solo by 44 seconds from Aritz Bagües (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA). Fouché's team mate, and former EvoPro Racing rider, Aaron Gate won the sprint for 3rd from the remains of the breakaway, 1:19 down on the winner.
The peloton sprinted it out for 8th place, some 1:35 down on the stage victor; that gallop won by Iuri Leitao (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA). McDunphy was leading out Welsh team mate Rhys Britton, with many of the riders in the bunch believing the breakaway men had been caught and they were sprinting for victory.
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A crash near the front of the peloton deep inside the final kilometre meant only the riders in the top 10 were not impeded by the crash. And while McDunphy was among that unscathed front section of the group, he had already used his bullets during his lead-out effort and so rolled home in 14th place.
Liam Curley also finished in the remains of the bunch, numbering just 60 riders; placing 51st. Cian Keogh - who put in a very solid performance to finish Antwerp Port Epic in the second group two weeks ago against World Tour teams - was 79th today, in a group at 3:29
Mitchell McLaughlin was 97th, in a group at 6:37, while the youngest member of EvoPro Racing - Tom Moriarty (19) - placed 112th at 15:11. The man the team was backing for the sprint, Britton, was among those taken out by the late crash.
EvoPro Racing was expected to field an all-Irish team in Rás Tailteann, where it will be permitted to start five riders. The race in France over the next three days will be ideal preparation for any of the Irish EvoPro riders competing there who are also given the nod for the Rás.
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