On a day when youth and experience combined brilliantly at the front of the Newry Three Day and after 123km of racing it looked like the top two places in the final general classification had been sewn up, though there is still the final stage to come.
In hot and sunny conditions on the Camlough Circuit, teenager Josh Callaly (Lucan CRC) took his latest victory after going clear a long, long way from the finish.
With him was Bryan McCrystal (Bear Group), the evergreen Louth man showing he was still a forced to be reckoned with. And though McCrystal - coming back to cycling after previously racing as a top A1 - may have been beaten to the win today, he's very much in shout for the general classification victory.
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Indeed, just one second separated the top two today, with Callaly getting the better of his rival in the sprint and putting a few lengths into him. And as both finished in the bunch on stage 1 last night - won by Cameron Henry (Inspired Cycling) - they are 1st and 2nd overall, with just that single second between them.
In their wake today was a lot of damage. The opening stage runner-up, Paul Kennedy (AHC Racing) was 2:28 down in 3rd place. He had set off with Piers Mahn, from British team Halesowen, in pursuit of the two leaders.
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And though Kennedy and Mahn lost 2:28 to the duo up front, the next riders home were almost four minutes back; Patrick O'Sullivan (Orwell Wheelers) and Ronan Killeen (Lucan CRC) in 5th and 6th at 3:56.
Race leader, Cameron Henry (Inspired Cycling) finished in 20th place, alongside fellow rapidly emerging junior Toby Sweetman (VC Glendale), both at 6:19.
Lucan CRC set out its stall early, with Matthew Walls winning taking maximum points on the first passage of the Kilcurry climb and the sprint on the opening lap. It was the turn of his team mate, Killeen, to take the maximum points on the Kilcurry climb next time around.
However, after that, McCrystal and Callaly made their move and once they got clear as a duo to moved forward very rapidly to inflicted serious damage on the rest of the field, which split to pieces.
Going into the final stage tomorrow, Callaly has yellow by one second from McCrystal, followed by Kennedy and Mahn, in 3rd and 4th, both at 2:28. Then follows Killeen and O'Sullivan, at 3:56.
McCrystal holds the green jersey going into the last day of action, with Walls in the climbers' jersey and UCD Cycling Club's Hugh Butler leading the A3 classification.
