Foyle junior Ryan Reilly comes of age; leads from front for terrific Tour of Mournes victory

Ryan Reilly leads the winning trio at today's Tour of the Mournes as David Hamilton and Drew McKinley feel the pressure of the Foyle CC teenager (Photo: Toby Watson)

Foyle CC junior, Ryan Reilly has shown his potential today, Sunday, at the Tour of the Mournes; going clear in the breakaway and then proving strongest in the finale as that group splintered.

Young Reilly was one of three riders to pull clear in the closing stages from the main escape of the day and proved composed and strong under pressure when he bested those he was with to take a fantastic victory.

His fellow escapees in the late winning move, David Hamilton of Curran Racing and Drew McKinley of the promoting club Newry Wheelers were left to rue what might have been when the younger man took his chance to win on the day.

Having to settle for a place on the podium will come as a particular disappointment to McKinley, the chief organiser of today’s event.

He put in something of an epic ride when he got across to the decisive move after initially missing it and then had the legs to forge clear with eventual winner Reilly and Hamilton in the closing stages.

But he was denied the victory that he and his club would have really savoured as those present were treated to an excellent performance by a young man whose name we will get to know a lot better if he can repeat the kind of ride he put in today.

The race distance, at a longer than usual 72 miles, did not deter some of the braver and stronger men in the field; with a breakaway going early and driving for home.

In there were Jude Sands of Newry Wheelers and his team mate Cathal Clarke; the latter a member of the Clarke stable that is producing strong young talents, with brother Cormac an established junior international in recent years who has more recently moved on to the U23 national set up.

With them in the escape was Sean McIntyre, an Orchard CC man who has tasted victory more than once already this season, the most recent of which being just yesterday when he beat Liam Dolan (Cuchulainn CC) in the two-up sprint that decided the John Beggs Memorial.

Adding to the escape today was eventual winner Reilly and eventually runner-up Hamilton, along with Sean Loughran (Cuchulainn CC) and another Newry man Barry Monaghan.

They got organised quickly and were not long in pulling out a gap of over a minute on a chase group that formed behind and included top veterans Mark Kane (Dave Kane-Northern CC) and Jason Henry (Unattached).

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And while Newry were well represented in the lead group they also had men in this chasing pack, including Des Woods, Mark McKinley, Drew McKinley and Gareth McCullough.

The Nicolas Roche Team was also represented, by Aaron Sean and Mark Downey; the latter having taken his first win of the season in the A3-Junior race yesterday at the John Beggs in Dromore.

It was McKinley and McCullough who managed to get clear of that chase group and caught the leaders, despite the pace being set up front.

And in the exchanges nearing the finish the lead group was to split, with McKinley again in the thick of it and pulling clear with two of the original breakaway men Reilly and Hamilton.

In the end, Reilly went for a flier and took the win ahead of Hamilton and McKinley.

The strength of those three up front was underlined by the fact almost two minutes elapsed before Newry’s McCullough and Sands tool 4^th and 5^th, with Bikeworx’s Derek Cunningham in 6^th and Woods 7^th.

The in-form McIntyre then came in on his own for 8^th, with Henry and Downey taking 9^th and 10^th.