Leinster Cycling has taken its second stage win in two
days at the Victus Tour of Ulster but Conor Hennebry has claimed the leader’s
jersey.
JB Murphy (Leinster Cycling) pulled clear of the day’s
successful breakaway with Hennebry (Dan Morrissey-MIG-Pactimo) in the closing
stages.
And while Murphy got the better of him on the line to win, and add the stage to his final stage victory in Rás Mumhan, Hennebry took 2nd and the race lead.
The stage covered 95.8 miles and took the riders over
seven categorised climbs in the Mourne Mountains, splitting the field to
pieces.
Hennebry takes the race leader as he was in a five-man
group that sprinted it out for victory at the end of stage 1 yesterday, when
Fintan Ryan (Leinster Cycling) won the day.
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On that occasion, JB Murphy was in a large chase group
just behind, meaning Hennebry gained time on him.
And when that duo of Murphy and Hennebry got away from
everyone else today; Hennebry had done enough to move into the race lead with just
one stage remaining.
Rounding out the podium today was Hennebry’s team mate
Ronan McLaughlin, who finished solo about 25 seconds down on the two leaders.
And just a couple of seconds after him came the last of
the survivors from the day’s breakaway; sprinting it out for 4th on
the stage, a placing that went to James Jobber (Upshift Velo).
Then came Charlie Prendergast (Strata 3-VeloRevolution) and Donal Shearer (Phoenix CC). Matthew Sparrow (Zero Boys) had been in the breakaway but punctured out of it.
About further 10 to 15 seconds after Jobber, Prendergast and Shearer finished came a chasing group of David Montgomery (Banbridge Composite), Darnell Moore (Team Caldwell Cycles) and king of the mountains Lindsay Watson (Powerhouse Sport).
Another 30 to 40 seconds back, the remains of a very large chase group that Montgomery, Moore and Watson had attacked from in pursuit of the leaders came in to finish.
That large group was sprinting for 10th place;
the gallop won by John Buller (BioRacer-DHL-FR Services), with pink jersey
Fintan Ryan in that group and about 25th on the stage.
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We’ll have exact time gaps later when we get a full result.
How Victus Tour of Ulster stage 2 unfolded
The race split repeatedly in the opening section, with
the Leinster team especially active; clearly intent on using attack as the best
form of defence after taking the pink jersey yesterday.
Leinster men Mark Dowling and Dermot Trulock spent a prolonged
period up the road and were joined by Sean Hahessy (Dan Morrissey-MIG-Pactimo).
However, while reinforcements joined them, swelling their
number, the group was caught at Spelga Dam.
And it was not until that climb, and its aftermath, that
what would prove to be the winning move went clear.
In that seven-man group were: Conor Hennebry (Dan Morrissey-MIG.ie-Pactimo), Ronan McLaughlin (Dan Morrissey-MIG.ie-Pactimo), JB Murphy (Cycling Leinster), Donal Shearer (Phoenix CC), Charlie Prendergast (Strata3-VeloRevolution), Matthew Sparrow (Zero Boys) and James Jobber (Upshift Velo).
A large chase group then formed behind them consisting of:
James Curry (Dan Morrissey-MIG.ie-Pactimo), David Montgomery (Banbridge
Composite), Stephen Murphy (Connacht), Mark Dowling (Cycling Leinster) and Cian
May (Cycling Leinster).
Also present in that chase group was Matthew Clarke
(Foran) along with Adam Ward (McConvey Cycles), Lindsay Watson (Powerhouse
Sport), Sean Feeney (South Dublin Cycling Club), Sean Moore (Bioracer-DHL-FR
Services) and Darnell Moore (Team Caldwell Cycles).
The pink jersey and stage 1 winner Fintan Ryan of Cycling
Leinster then joined that chase group as it pursued the leaders.
With a gap of 1½ minutes emerging between the leaders and the chase group; three of the chasers attacked and set off in pursuit of the six men up front, Sparrow having punctured from the break reducing it by one.
That chasing trio was: David Montgomery (Banbridge Composite), Darnell Moore (Team Caldwell Cycles) and Lindsay Watson (Powerhouse Sport).
With 15km to go, the leaders still had 55 seconds over
the large chase group, with the trio in between; dangling off the front of the
large chasing group.
However, as Montgomery, Moore and Watson began to make
inroads into the gap the leaders enjoyed, Hennebry attacked the front group and
was joined by JB Murphy.
And that’s the way it stayed to the finish; Murphy
winning the stage in a two-up sprint but Hennebry moving into the race lead.
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