Jake Gray is coming of age this season, winning some really big races against far more experienced men. Above, on his way to 5th in yesterday evening's stage 3 time trial (Photo: Source Studio. Homepage photo by David McVeigh - The Belgian Project)
By Brian Canty
Jake Gray has won the Newry Thee-Day in classy fashion today; clawing back the 14 seconds he needed on overnight leader John Heverin (TVR) and fending off a string of late challengers to secure the biggest win of his career.
With none of his NRPT-Magnet.ie teammates for support and being one of the youngest in the race at 17 years, the win marks him out as a really promising talent.
He’s still a first-year junior so to beat so many experienced riders on a difficult parcours was special.
Advertisement
And not only did he win the yellow jersey, he also took the points, king of the hills and young rider classifications.
When he lost the overall lead in the Lakeland Two Day on the final stage in April he told stickybottle afterwards he was determined that would not happen to him again.
He has been true to his word this weekend, but only just. Veteran Des Woods - a massive 32 years older than Gray - went all out to win the race for promoting club Newry Wheelers.
And in the end he came up short by just one second; an amazing and exciting finale to what has always been a terrific race.
Gary Crory of VC Glendale takes his second win of the weekend, completing a fantastic few days for himself and his club. Des Woods is just behind up, riding flat out to the line in search of the handful of seconds he needed on Jake Gray to win the race outright but just coming up short by one second (Photo: Toby Watson)
Today’s 117-kilometre final stage, which started and finished in Newry, saw attacks from the drop of the flag with the sizeable contingent from the promoting club going at it hammer and tongs to break the field.
They had three men in the top 10 starting this morning; Des Woods, stage one winner Mark McKinley and Andrew Bye.
But the aforementioned Heverin was not allowing anything away and with the help of his team pulled back umpteen potentially dangerous moves.
However, eventual stage winner Gary Crory (VC Glendale) went clear after the first prime of the day at Poyntzpass with David McIntyre (Maryland Wheelers), Gray and Kevin Lynch (Newry Wheelers).
They worked well and managed to eke out a one-minute lead on the approach to the next prime at Castlewellan.
Having turned to cycling from endurance running late in life Des Woods, right, is a fantastic competitor on the bike. Seen here after stage 2 in Newry yesterday with team mate and stage 1 winner Mark McKinley (Photo: David McVeigh - The Belgian Project)
Behind, Heverin’s brave bid at holding yellow began to unravel when two more danger men got across; Woods (Newry Wheelers) and Cathal Smyth (Phoenix CC).
Now there were panic stations as Woods was only 18 seconds off the yellow jersey and Smyth started the stage just 26 seconds down.
With only three teammates, Heverin and his colleagues rode well but it wasn’t to be.
On the hard road from Newry to Hilltown, the gap swelled again and with so much as stake for the men in the break they knew they could not take their foot of the gas.
Coming to the line, Crory kicked hardest and took his second stage win for VC Glendale.
Eventual stage winner Crory leads Gray and the ultra determined and strong Des Woods of Newry (Photo: Toby Watson)
And while he started the stage 33 seconds down and was delighted with his second victory of the weekend instead of winning the race outright, the same could not be said for the super strong Woods of Newry Wheelers.
He needed to put four seconds into Gray to take yellow; the teenager riding as hard as he could in the break all day.
Woods managed to get second on the stage and take three seconds out of Gray which meant the youngster won the race by a mere second.
Curtis Gilmore (Team Madigan) led in the bunch sprint at 26 seconds so Heverin lost the jersey but held on to third overall.
June 3rd to 5th: Newry Three Day
Promoted by Newry Wheelers
Stage 4: Newry-Newry - 117km
1 Gary Crory VC Glendale 2:53:51
Related News
2 Des Woods Newry Wheelers @s/t
3 Jake Gray NRPT-Magnet.ie @3s
4 Cathal Smyth Phoenix CC @4s
5 David McIntyre Maryland Wheelers @ s/t
6 Curtis Gilmore Team Madigan @ 26s
7 Fergus Rooney Phoenix CC @ s/t
8 Andrew Hicks Newry Wheelers @ s/t
9 Craig Sweetman Stamullen M Donnelly RC @ s/t
10 Lindsay Watson TVR @ s/t
Final General Classification
1 Jake Gray NRPT-Magnet.ie 6:54:16
2 Des Woods Newry Wheelers @ 1s
3 John Heverin TVR @9s
4 Cathal Smyth Phoenix CC @13s
5 Gary Crory VC Glendale @ 16s
6 Derek Cunningham Bikeworx Celbridge @ 17s
7 David McIntyre Maryland Wheelers @19s
8 Cameron McIntyre Banbridge CC @26s
9 Andrew Bye Newry Wheelers @ 27s
10 Mark McKinley Newry Wheelers @ 37s
Mountains Classification
1 Jake Gray NRPT-Magnet.ie
2 Gary Crory VC Glendale 21
3 Cameron McIntyre Banbridge CC 8
Points Classification
1 Jake Gray NRPT-Magnet.ie 24
2 Gary Crory VC Glendale 16
3 Lindsay Watson TVR 15
Young Rider Classification
1 JakeGray NRPT-Magnet.ie 6h 54m 16s
2 Cameron McIntyre Banbridge CC @26s
3 Robert Greer Apollo CT @ 51s
Topics
