The Junior Tour of Ireland may be a race where the international riders have tended to dominate in recent years, but nobody told Michael Collins that. Today, in the third stage of the Quanta Capital-backed stage race, the Munster rider took off solo coming in the road and had the legs to make it all the way to the line.
By the time he reached the finish in Kilfenora, after 123km of racing, the E Tarrant & Sons Skoda Munster man had enough in hand over the chasing pack to sit up, get both hands in the air and really savour the moment.
It was the biggest moment of his fledgling career, and no matter what he goes on to do on a bike in the years ahead, stage 3 of the Junior Tour of Ireland, across the Burren, a day he will never forget.
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Collins timed his effort beautifully today and took him a deserved reward for himself and his Munster team, which has been full of racing over the last three days; firing riders up the road and generally getting into the thick of the action when the chips have been down.
HE’S DONE IT!
MICHAEL COLLINS (MUNSTER) WINS STAGE 3! #QuantaCapital #JTI24 pic.twitter.com/1sJ9LN9qPN
— Junior Tour Ireland (@JTIreland1) July 11, 2024
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Teenager Collins was still in the reduced peloton - of about 40 riders - after the US Hot Tubes team had done considerable damage over Castle Hill, just inside the last 30km. At that point, the main field had split to pieces, with groups scattered back the road.
But out of the front of the small peloton, with about 3km to go, Collins made his move. Getting clear solo, he eked out a small advantage and put in a huge effort all the way to the line; flat out until just before the chequered flag, when he realised he had the win of his life in the bag.
Behind him, a small chasing group had also given the bunch the slip and set off after Collins, but they couldn't get him back. From that group, US rider Alexander Scopinich Burgel (Kelly Benefits Cycling) took the sprint for 2nd place.
He was five seconds down on the victorious Collins and just one second up on 3rd place finisher, Patrick O'Sullivan of south Dublin club Orwell Wheelers, putting in a powerful finish to get into the mix today. Then came Julian Wang of Verge Sport and Reece Pittman of Lee Valley; that duo taking 4th and 5th on the same time as O'Sullivan.
It was a mark of just how strong Collins final attack had been that the bunch finished some 17 seconds behind him, led in by Gabriel Tilli of Ignite Canada. And with all the general classification men having finished in that reduced bunch, there was no change in the overall.
Brendan Luongo continues to lead the race by four seconds from his Hot Tubes team mate Caden Budd, with Caden Freyre (Kelly Benefits Cycling) in 3rd at six seconds.
Team Ireland rider Max Fitzgerald targeted points in the climbers' classification today and though he did well in that regard, he remains 2nd in that competition behind Antoine Bergeron (Ignite Canada).
Lots more to come.
Stage 3 | Ennis - Kilfenora 122.8km
- COLLINS Michael Tarrants Skoda Cycling Munster 02:58:55
- SCOPINICH-BURGEL Alexander Kelly Benefit Strategies U19 + 05
- O'SULLIVAN Patrick Orwell Wheelers + 06
- WANG Julian Verge Sport + 06
- PITTMAN Reece Lee Valley Youth CC + 06
- TILLI Gabriel Ignite Junior Cycling + 17
- EDMONDS Enzo Hot Tubes Cycling + 17
- ABRAHAM Charlie Lee Valley Youth CC + 17
- OPIE Paul Lee Valley Youth CC + 17
- ROHDE Jade Team Velosport CT + 17
- MEAD Tom Lee Valley Youth CC + 17
- MURPHY Conor Cycling Ireland + 17
- LUONGO Brendan Leader jersey Hot Tubes Cycling + 17
- LAPIERRE David Hot Tubes Cycling + 17
- MULLEN Joseph Cycling Leinster + 17
- NOORI James DDP Elite Cycling Team + 17
- FREYRE Caden Kelly Benefit Strategies U19 + 17
- ENGEL Otis Kelly Benefit Strategies U19 + 17
- HENDRY Hudson HACC Academy-Mapei + 17
- TUTTY Cal Cycling Ireland + 17
- LATTIMORE Eoghan Tarrants Skoda Cycling Munster + 17
- THOMPSON Matt Lee Valley Youth Team 3 + 17
- BURRELL Rhys South Africa On Track + 17
- COLLINS Owen Team Utmost IOM + 17
- HENRY Cameron Cycling Ulster + 17
