Ireland's Corkery and Townsend shine against World Tour rivals | Video

Dillon Corkery has gotten stuck in against the World Tour riders in Belgium and come away with a strong late season result (Photo: Tim van Wichelen-Cor Vos)

Irish riders Rory Townsend (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) and Dillon Corkery (St Michel-Mavic-Auber93) have put in some very strong performances in Belgium and the Netherlands riding against World Tour opposition.

Former Irish road race champion, Townsend, was in very good company on Wednesday when he spent most of the 200km Betcity Elfstedenrace (1.1) in the Netherlands off the front in a 17-rider group that made it all the way.

It was one of Townsend's best performances of his season, his second at ProConti level, as he went toe-to-toe with very strong World Tour men and came out with a very good result.

In the final the lead group split, with Taco van der Hoorn (Intermarché-Wanty) attacking from solo with just under 4km to go to take an emotional win; the Dutch rider having battled his way back into the peloton after a concussion sustained in a crash at last year's Tour of Flanders.

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He only returned to racing in August after being sideline for 16 months but came good today, taking the victory some seven seconds up on Jelte Krijnsen (Parkhotel Valkenburg) and Christophe Laporte (Team Visma | Lease a Bike).

Then came Lionel Taminiaux (Lotto Dstny) at 10 seconds, followed by Elmar Reinders (Team Jayco AlUla), in 5th at 16 seconds, with Ireland's Townsend placing 6th at 35 seconds; best of the riders who missed a late split when the top five went clear after 113km up the road.

In Belgium on Tuesday, Corkery was in action in Binche-Chimay-Binche (1.1). The 198.6km race came down to a reduced bunch sprint won by Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Dstny) from Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty), Milan Fretin (Cofidis) and Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck).

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Corkery was 14th, just one place ahead of Tim Merlier (Soudal QuickStep) and with only one non-World Tour rider ahead of him, winner De Lie. Corkery was also one of 36 riders credited with the same time as the winner.

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