After tight racing on the opening stage of the Tour of
the North yesterday and only modest gaps opening during the Sunday morning TT,
Sunday afternoon’s road stage saw the race blow up.
At the end of the day the general classification was
rewritten after big gaps emerged at the front of the race.
Taking victory on the day, from what was a four-man
breakaway, was James Jobber of the UK Team Uplift Velo squad.
He jumped his breakaway companions on the run in to the
finish and stole four seconds from them to win the day, but not the yellow
jersey.
Finishing just those four seconds back were Leon Mazzone
of Spirit Tifosi, Gareth O’Neill of Newry Wheelers and Nathan Draper of Zappi
Racing.
After those three some 54 seconds elapsed before the next group came home; led in by stage 1 winner Jacob Tipper of Ribble from comeback Irishman Peter Hawkins, riding for Uplift Velo.
After them, in 7th and 8th places on the stage and on the same time, was David Montgomery (Kinning Cycles) and Ronan McLaughlin (Dan Morrissey-MIG-Pactimo).
Reece Wood (Zappi Racing), who was 2nd in Sunday morning’s TT and also 2nd overall starting Sunday afternoon’s third stage, was Reece Wood; another of the Zappi Racing men.
And rounding out the top 10 on the stage, and also 53 seconds behind the stage winner, was yellow jersey and morning TT winner, Zeb Kyffin of Ribble Pro.
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The riders today faced the 105km on stage 3, including five laps of the Roguery circuit, with a 15 per cent climb each lap.
While the racing split repeatedly and regrouped, the four riders who would eventually get clear and stay clear of the yellow jersey group made their move on the last lap.
Of the four men out front; Draper and O’Neill were best overall starting the stage. Both had finished in the 28-rider lead group on Saturday’s opening stage.
Draper was 12th in the TT this morning and O’Neill was 13th in the TT. That meant Draper was 12th starting the stage, some 32 seconds down, and O’Neill was 13th at 33 seconds.
And that means they are now 1st and 2nd overall; Draper leading O’Neill by just once second. Mazzone has jumped to 3rd place overall, some 17 seconds off new leader Tipper.
Furthermore, the man who won the TT and began the stage today in the yellow jersey, Zeb Kyffin, is 4th at 22 seconds. Jobber is next, in 5th place at 25 seconds, and then comes David Montgomery (Kinning Cycles); now in 7th place at 38 seconds.
Craig McAuley (Caldwell Cycles) is in 8th place at 42 seconds after his 4th place in Sunday morning’s TT. Donal Shearer of Phoenix CC is 9th, at 43 seconds, and Jordan Peacock of Spirit Tifosi rounds out the top 10 overall at 45 seconds.
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