Darragh O'Mahoney has sprung from the winning breakaway at the Gorey Three Day to take the stage win, yellow jersey and climbers' jersey (Photo: Sean Rowe)
By Jessica Lamb
Having taken victory in the CycleSport GP in Dungarvan, Co Waterford, last weekend Darragh O’Mahoney appears to have timed his form to perfection, also taking the opening stage of the Gorey Three Day this afternoon.
The O’Leary Stone Kanturk rider did it the hard way, beating arguably the best junior in the country Michael O’Loughlin in a two-up sprint to the line.
Both riders – O’Loughlin riding for Ireland and O’Mahoney on a Munster selection for the weekend – were among an early breakaway that raced clear of the bunch.
In that escape with the eventual stage winner and runner-up were Adam Stenson and Jake Gray – both of whom are riding for the Irish team this weekend – as well as a team mate of O’Mahoney’s, two Lucan riders and one of the visiting Frenchmen.
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Unusually for the Gorey where a breakaway, especially an early long-range one, rarely pulls out a big gap, the leaders stole three minutes at one point.
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The fact Lucan and Munster both had two men apiece in the move, with Ireland having three; meant three of the strongest line-ups in the race had no reason to chase.
And so it succeeded, with O’Loughlin and O’Mahoney pulling clear of the rest of the breakaway in the last 5kms and sharing the workload well.
It was not until the last couple of hundred metres that that changed as they both jockeyed for position in a bid to outdo each other and take the stage win.
And while O’Loughlin has won three races already this year, O’Mahoney bested him to the line to take victory and reverse the finising order from Carrick-on-Suir on St Patrick's Day.
He not only takes the yellow jersey into tomorrow’s split stage – a morning time trial followed by an afternoon road race – but also bagged the climbers’ jersey on today’s 130km run from Blessington into the south east.
More later.
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