Fresh from taking the climbers’ classification at the Youth Tour of Scotland, Mark Downey holds the lead in the U16 ‘Gerry Cumiskey VW Commercials Ras na n’Óg’ after the first day’s racing promoted by Drogheda Wheelers.
The Banbridge CC man did not take victory in either of yesterday’s two stages but his second and third places have put him in the lead going into the final stage today, Sunday.
In yesterday’s first stage of the U16 event, a morning criterium, Darragh Bailey (Donamon) took a fine solo win, with Downey sprinting in at the head of the chasers to take second from his team mate Matthew Taggart.
In the more challenging afternoon stage a two-man breakaway by Eddie Dunbar – a Kanturk man riding for Munster – and Michael O’Loughlin (Iverk Produce-Carrick Wheelers) went clear at around the halfway point.
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With O’Loughlin having just returned from international duty at the Youth Tour of Scotland and Dunbar having recently ridden the TRAC Tour in South Africa with Kanturk, both are in very good form.
They combined well yesterday to stay clear until the finish, where it was Dunbar, a stage winner in South Africa, who got the better of O’Loughlin to take a great stage win.
Downey was again to the fore just behind the leaders, taking a very tight sprint for third; enough to move him into the GC lead with one stage remaining today. His team mate Taggart is second with stage 1 winner Bailey in third.
In the U14 event Jake Gray (East Tyrone) took the opening criterium stage yesterday morning ahead of Fermoy’s Dion McCarthy, with Adam Stenson of Lucan in third. During the harder afternoon stage McCarthy improved on his morning crit second place, taking victory from Stenson, with Gray this time in third.
That victory in the second stage was enough to move McCarthy into the overall lead, with Gray in second and Stenson in third ahead of the final road stage today.
The U12 race has been something of a family affair with the Dougan and Birchall families both having two members in yesterday morning’s breakaway. At the finish it was PJ Dougan who beat Emily Birchall into second place with her brother Eoin in third.
In yesterday’s afternoon stage, Emily Birchall showed the class that saw her selected for the Ireland Talent Team 2020 for the Youth Tour of Scotland two weeks ago. She took the uphill finish from Dougan with Eoin Birchall again finishing third. Dougan leads the GC from Emily Birchall with Eoin in third.
U16 Results
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U16 Stage 1
1 Darragh Bailey (Donamon)
2 Mark Downey (Banbridge)
3 Matthew Taggart (Banbridge)
U16 Stage 2
1 Eddie Dunbar (Munster)
2 Michael O’Loughlin (Iverk Carrick)
3 Mark Downey (Banbridge)
U16 GC
1 Mark Downey (Banbridge)
2 Matthew Taggart (Banbridge)
3 Darragh Bailey (Donamon)
U14 Results
U14 Stage 1
1 Jake Gray (East Tyrone)
2 Dion McCarthy (Fermoy)
3 Adam Stenson (Lucan)
U14 Stage 2
1 Dion McCarty (Fermoy)
2 Adam Stenson (Lucan)
3 Jake Gray (East Tyrone)
U14 GC
1 Dion McCarty (Fermoy)
2 Jake Gray (East Tyrone)
3 Adam Stenson (Lucan)
U12 Results
U12 Stage 1
1 PJ Dougan (Errigal)
2 Eoin Birchall (Fermoy)
3 Emily Birchall (Fermoy)
U12 Stage 2
1 Emily Birchall (Fermoy)
2 PJ Dougan (Errigal)
3 Eoin Birchall (Fermoy)
U12 GC
1 PJ Dougan (Errigal)
2 Emily Birchall (Fermoy)
3 Eoin Birchall (Fermoy)
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