A summit finish, on Kerryman's Table, has served up a brilliant finale to stage 3 of Kerry Group Rás Mumhan, with Dom Jackson (Foran CC) taking an impressive win. He held off pursuer Daire Feeley (All human-VeloRevolution) in the closing stages.
Jackson led solo for approximately 40km after attacking the day's main breakaway of 20 riders. And though Feeley went after him, and closed a gap of over one minute down to 20 seconds on the line, the Rás Tailteann champion had to settle for 2nd place on the day.
Just 20 seconds behind Feeley came his All human-VeloRevolution team mate, Mark Dowling, in 3rd place, leading in a three-man group that had gone clear of the breakaway in the final 10km. Luke Smith (Moynalty CC) and Aaron Wade (Lucan CRC) were with Dowling and finished 4th and 5th, at 43 and 46 second respectively.
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Then came Jamie Meehan (Spellman Dublin Port), who was with yellow jersey Finn Crockett (Spokes Racing Team); those two finishing 6th and 7th at 48 seconds. That was enough for Crockett to hold the yellow jersey going into the final day of action tomorrow. He has four seconds on Dean Harvey (Cycling Ulster) with Ewan Warren (Caldwell Cycles) 3rd at 28 seconds.
After the top three - who were in the three-man winning breakaway on yesterday's stage 2 - today's winner, Jackson, is now up to 4th overall, some 57 seconds down on the yellow jersey. Feeley's efforts today also move him up overall and he is now 5th at 1:19.
Race leader Crockett also leads the points classification while Jenson Young (ROKit SRCT) has the climbers' jersey. Harvey leads the young rider classification, by 24 seconds from Warren, with Wade 3rd at 1:44.
How it unfolded
The riders were met with wet conditions, and cloud cover reported on some of the climbs, as they began today in Millstreet to race 115km to the uphill finish on the Kerryman's Table climb.
The first hour of racing was run off at a frantic pace; attacks firing off up the road only to be brought back. However, the same kind of regrouping was not taking place at the back, as rider after rider was spat out of the peloton.
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That bunch was trimmed by about one third, approximately 50 riders distanced, by the time they covered 50km of the stage.
Around that point a large breakaway group, made up of about 20 riders, got clear including yellow jersey Finn Crockett (Spokes Racing Team). The gap to the leaders quickly shot out to about 50 seconds by the time they reached Knocknagree village with 60km completed and 12km to go to the cat 1 climb of Kilmeedy.
Behind the breakaway, the bunch had split into several groups. When they moved onto that climb it was race leader Crockett and 2nd placed overall Dean Harvey (Cycling Ulster) took the initiative, going clear of the others in the front group.
However, they were soon caught and as a small chasing group also made contact with the breakaway, its number was swelled to 19.
In that group were: Crockett, Harvey, Daire Feeley (All human-VeloRevolution), Joe Wilson (Embark Spirit BSS), Conal Scully (Team Dan Morrissey Primor by Pissei), Dominic Jackson (Foran CC), Matthew Warhurst (ROKit SRCT), Mark O'Donovan (Blarney CC), Jamie Meegan (Spellman Dublin Port), Seth Dunwoody (Cycling Ireland Junior), Finn McHenry (Crimmins Howard Burren CC), Luke Smith (Moynalty CC), Aaron Wade (Lucan CRC), Tobias Dahlhaus (Foran CC), Joe Brookes (Halesowen A & CC-Mapei), James McNicholson (TAAP Endura), Benjamin Fish (TAAP Endura), Mark Dowling (All human-VeloRevolution), Liam Crowley (Tarrant Skoda Munster U23).
Once Harvey and Crockett were caught after the Kilmeedy climb, Foran CC's Dom Jackson went clear solo. He remained out front as the raced headed for the cat 2 climb of Mushera, peaked at 90km. Jackson took maximum points at the top of that climb with Benjamin Fish next followed by Jenson Young, Luke Smith and Tom Williams.
At that stage, lone leader Jackson was doing an incredible job, holding a gap of one minute as All human-VeloRevolution were especially active in the chase group, trying to attack and isolate yellow jersey Crockett. Those attacks led to a stop-start pace in the chasing group, playing into the hands of Jackson as he raced into the final 20km of the stage.
In that last section, Feeley managed to get away from the yellow jersey group and with lone leader Jackson still facing the uphill finish into Newmarket, it was all still to play for. Yellow jersey Crockett was left on the front of the original breakaway trying to hunt down Feeley, and Jackson up ahead.
With 5km to go, Jackson was still holding very firm out front with the yellow jersey almost 1:20 down and Feeley in between that gap, as were three other riders chasing the Rás Tailteann champion. That trio of chasers was comprised of Aaron Wade (Lucan CRC, Mark Dowling (All human-VeloRevolution) and Luke Smith (Moynalty CC).
However, yellow jersey Crockett wasn't finished and attack on the final climb to the line to go off in pursuit of the five riders ahead as Feeley closed right up to long-time lone leader Jackson in the final 1km. But Jackson held on to win by 20 seconds from Feeley.
- For full stage 2 results, and the general classifications, please follow this link.
