Mark Dowling comes home solo for Suir Valley Three Day stage and overall victory. But just behind him three young Irish riders were also flying up the climb (Photo by Sean Rowe, homepage photo by Conor Coleman)
Mark Dowling takes Suir Valley Three Day
Mark Dowling has taken overall victory at the Suir Valley Three Day by winning the final stage.
The Strata 3-VeloRevolution man went into the final day, with The Nire summit finish, in 10th place overall.
He was among a group of 10 riders some 21 seconds down on race leader Thomas Bustard (Spirit Bike-Tifosi).
The British rider had claimed the opening stage in a solo move and took the yellow jersey.
But has so often proven the case in recent years on the domestic scene; when the big moment came and the road went up yesterday Mark Dowling was out on his own.
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He took victory atop the final climb by 32 seconds from Adam Stenson; the U23 Team Bikeworx Celbridge man enjoying arguably the best result of his career.
Stenson, who lifted the climbers' classification, infiltrated a six-man move with just over 20km remaining. And he was able to keep it going up the climb.
Tom Bustard in yellow and Adam Stenson finishing 2nd just ahead of Craig McAuley (Photos by SeanRowe)
Mark Dowling spun a high cadence up the ascent for Suir Valley Three Day stage and overall victory. But Stenson rode the climb very well too to take 2nd.
And he was not the only young Irish rider to flex muscle when the big moment came at the end of a very testing weekend.
Just two seconds behind him yesterday came another of the rising young guns, Craig McAuley (Caldwell Cycles Omagh).
On the early part of the climb, with a number of groups having gone clear before it, Dowling, McAuley and Dowling would ride clear.
Stenson was able to jump onto McAuley and Dowling when they attacked from the bunch and caught and passed the breakaway men on the early part of the climb.
The leading trio were chased by a small group including Cigala and his team mate Sean Lacey, Denis Allen of Newcastle West CC as well as Ronan Tuomey. And then the bunch was just behind.
And that was more or less the way it would stay; Dowling further up the ascent dropping his two breakaway companions.
The minor placings on the stage were filled by the men from the chase group which was joined by riders from the splintering peloton just behind.
In 4th place was another rider who has busied himself this season making a case for U23 international selection; Dermot Trulock (Team Leinster).
The young Dubliner was 55 seconds down on Dowling, with Matteo Cigala (Aqua Blue Academy) showing his climbing legs with 5th on the stage, some 1:07 down.
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The stage 4 result saw Mark Dowling take the Suir Valley Three Day final yellow jersey. He won by 34 seconds from McAuley, with Cigala 3rd overall at 1:03.
Bustard slipped out of yellow and into 4th place on the final standings.
How the race was won
Saturday’s opening stage from Clonmel to Cahir was won by Thomas Bustard (Spirit Bike-Tifosi) by eight seconds from the main field.
It was led home by Tom Mazzone (Isle of Man) and Matteo Cigala (Aqua Blue Sport).
Leon Mazzone leads the group towards the end of Sunday's crit from Richard Maes and Mark O'Callaghan and Tom Mazzone. Above, the Mazzones take 1-2 at the end of the race (Photo: ConorColeman)
Sunday morning’s stage 2 was won by another of the British visitors; this time Ed Clemens taking another win from Spirit Bike-Tifosi.
He finished on the same time as runner-up Leon Mazzone (Illy Bike Belgium), with Jake Kelly (Isle of Man) in 3rd just two seconds back.
And then one second later came a group of 12 riders who put 1:19 into the peloton.
It meant with Sunday evening’s criterium and Monday’s final road stage to come, only those who made the top 14 on stage 2 remained in genuine contention overall.
Sunday evening’s criterium stage in Clonmel turned into the Mazzone show.
Brothers Tom and Leon from the Isle of Man took 1st and 2nd. They were clearly in the same flying form they had shown at Kerry Group Rás Mumhan back at Easter.
Richard Maes, the Killarney man who has ridden so well in the Rás for the past two years, was 3rd on the stage.
With all of the riders given the same time there was no change in the general classification.
Stage 1 winner Bustard was in yellow from team mate Clemens; a not insignificant 17 seconds between the two riders.
Cigala was on the same time as Clemens in 3rd place overall. Leon Mazzone was 4th at 18 seconds and Kelly was in 5th at 20 seconds.
After that 10 of the 12 men from the stage 2 chase group were all on the same time, placed 6th to 15th overall.
All of those bar one – Lawrence Carpenter of Surrey League – were Irish riders.
They were Simon Ryan (Strata 3-VeloRevolution), Paul Kennedy (Newcastle West CC), Ronan McLaughlin (Aqua Blue Academy) and then the aforementioned Carpenter.
Mark Dowling (Strata 3-VeloRevolution) was next. He was in 10th place and in that group 21 seconds down. Ronan Tuomey (Mercedes Benz MSL) was 11th; the junior rider really holding his own.
In 12th, at that same 21 second gap to yellow, came Craig McAuley (Caldwell Cycles Omagh).
Conor Kissane (Killarney CC), one of the revelations of this season, was next. Then followed Jamie Blanchfield (Panduit Carrick Wheelers) and James Davenport (Strata 3-VeloRevolution).
The next man, in 16th place overall heading into the final stage, was Douglas Coleman (Spirit Bike-Tifosi). He was 1:33 off the yellow jersey.
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