Liam O'Brien (19) in thick of final action at Flèche du Sud | Video

Mats Wenzel and Liam O'Brien of Lidl-Trek Future Racing on the front of the select group in the final of stage 3 at Flèche du Sud today (Photo: Grand-Ducal Cycling)

Liam O'Brien has put in a strong ride in the hilly final of stage 3 at Flèche du Sud (2.2) today, when he was among the select group that formed at the front and then played a significant role on the finishing circuits.

However, though the Irish teenager and his Lidl-Trek Future Racing team mate, Mats Wenzel, took charge on that finishing circuit for a time, they could not stop Pim Ronhaar (Baloise-Trek Lions) going clear to take an impressive solo victory.

The Dutch rider, who emerged last winter as one of the top cyclocross riders in the world, made his move as the riders ascending the climb on the circuit for the second time, to go out onto the last lap. At that point, the front group was down to about 15 riders, with O'Brien and Wenzel on the front in a bid to keep the pressure on.

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However, while they flew down the descent after the lone leader, they got no help from the others in the group on the flat. And having worked for a time at the front, they saw two more attackers - Lukas Rüegg (Team Vorarlberg) and Jonas Rapp (Hrinkow Advarics) go clear to take 2nd and 3rd.

When the group got to the climb to the finish line for the last time, O'Brien had a dig as the road kicked up but was marked and later paid for those efforts.

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The group split into ones and twos on the climb to the line, with O'Brien eventually finishing in 16th, some 1:17 down on lone winner, and new race leader, Ronhaar, who claimed victory on the day by 32 seconds from Rüegg and Rapp.

O'Brien is now 16th overall at 1:17 but he is only 10 seconds off 5th place and will fancy his chances of moving up tomorrow when the riders tackled a flat 18.6km TT in Sanem.

Finn Crockett, who recently declared for Ireland, was 3rd on yesterday's stage, though the VolkerWessels Cycling Team rider had to settled for 44th today at 3:19.

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