The wise money said yesterday's two-man breakaway - Josh Callaly and Bryan McCrystal - had wrapped up the top two placings overall at the Newry Three Day after gaining so much time. But plenty of riders had other ideas on the final stage today.
And when a very large group, of almost 20 riders, scarpered off up the road, gaining well over two minutes, all bets were off regarding the destination of the final yellow jersey. Piers Mahn, from British team Halesowen, had started the day 4th overall and he was in that lead group and virtual yellow as the lead reached 2:30.
The strongest men in the breakaway made it all the way to finish today, on the Rathfriland stage, it was Toby Sweetman who took a very strong win for VC Glendale; not the first time the teenager has gotten his hands in the air this season.
Advertisement
However, though there was no doubt about the winner, race leader Callaly (Lucan CRC) faced an anxious wait to see if he had lost the general classification win. As it became clear the breakaway was not coming back, Callaly had taken off in a three-man chase group - including his breakaway companion of yesterday, Bryan McCrystal of Team Bear, in the green jersey today.
In the end, Mahn was one of the breakaway survivors today, taking 3rd on the stage and wrapping up overall victory.
Sweetman powered up the uphill finish, after 112.57km of racing, to take the stage win by 15 seconds from Cameron Henry (Inspired Cycling), another junior rider, who had won the opening stage and also took the climbers' classification.
Then came Piers Mahn (Halesowen) - with one of the rides of the day out front - who was 3rd at 24 seconds with Kevin McKinney (Cycleology) in 4th at 24 seconds. Aimhirghin O Brannagain (Orwell Wheelers) was 5th at 32 seconds, with Peter Quigley (Foyle CC) in 6th, at 2:39, and the rest of the breakaway - some 3:27 back, filling the rest of the top 16 places on the day.
And in 17th came the yellow jersey Callaly, who set off in pursuit of the breakaway when the gap was just below three minutes but finished 3:30 down on the winner. Crucially, Callaly was 3:13 down on Mahan, 3rd on the stage.
Related News
And that meant overall victory went to Mahn by 45 seconds from Callaly, with McCrystal 3rd overall at 52 seconds and today's stage winner, Sweetman, moving up to 4th, at 3:34.7
How it unfolded
In the breakaway today were: Jack Kennedy (Velo Cafe Magasin), Cameron McIntyre, Aaron Parks (Banbridge CC), Aimhirghin O Brannigan (Orwell Wheelers), Geoff Alderdice, Paul Wilkinson, Brandon Douglas (Dromore CC), Jonathan Taylor (Carn Wheelers), Toby Sweetman (VC Glendale), Dan Ascroft, Piers Mahn (Haleowen), Kevin McKinney (Cycleology), Martin Colgan (Armagh-Down), Duncan Halliday (Four Masters), Cameron Henry (Inspired Cycling), Christopher Reilly (Bohermeen CC), Carl Lowry (Phoenix CC), Pierce O'Leary (Bear Group) and Stephen Irvine (Crossgar).
The pace up front, not to mention the drags and Rathfriland climb, soon whittled that group right back, though general classification dangerman Mahn remained in the breakaway as it was reduced to about half a dozen.
Mahn had finished 4th on yesterday's stage, alongside Paul Kennedy (AHC Racing) after that duo had set off in pursuit of leaders McCrystal and Callaly but couldn't get any closer to them than 2:28 on the line. However, when the breakaway gained so much time today, it was clear
Mahn had a very strong chance of taking the yellow jersey off the shoulders of yesterday's stage winner, junior rider Callaly, and so it came to pass; the British rider's 3rd place finish on the stage, and his time gained, enough to move him into final yellow.
More to come.
Results Stage 3 | Top 25
- Sweetman, Toby VC Glendale 2h48m57s
- Henry, Cameron Inspired Cycling 2h49m12s @15s
- Mahn, Piers Halesowen 2h49m14s @17s
- Mc Kinney, Kevin Cycleology Racing Team 2h49m21s @24s
- O Brannagain, Aimhirghin Orwell Wheelers Cycling Club 2h49m29s @32s
- Quigley, Peter Foyle CC 2h51m36s @2m39s
- Douglas, Brandon Dromore CC 2h52m00s @3m03s
- Alderdice, Geoff Dromore CC 2h52m00s @ s/t
- Wilkinson, Paul Dromore CC 2h52m00s @ s/t
- Mc Intyre, Cameron Banbridge CC 2h52m04s @3m07s
- Parks, Aaron Banbridge CC 2h52m07s @3m10s
- Taylor, Jonathan Carn Wheelers 2h52m11s @3m14s
- Halliday, Duncan Four Masters CC 2h52m14s @3m17s
- O Leary, Pierce Bear group 2h52m15s @3m18s
- Lowry, Carl Phoenix CC 2h52m24s @3m27s
- Ascroft, Dan Halesowen 2h52m24s @ s/t
- Callaly, Josh Lucan Cycling Road Club 2h52m27s @3m30s
- Irvine, Stephen Crossgar Cycling Club 2h52m30s @3m33s
- Colgan, Martin Armagh Down CC 2h52m30s @ s/t
- Mc Cullough, Gareth Armagh Down CC 2h52m33s @3m36s
- Mc Crystal, Bryan Bear group 2h52m33s @ s/t
- Reilly, Christopher Bohermeen CC 2h52m33s @ s/t
- Kennedy, Jack Velo Cafe Magasin 2h52m46s @3m49s
- Kennedy, Paul AHC Racing 2h53m28s @4m31s
- Bingham, Alan Inspired Cycling 2h53m30s @4m33s
Final General Classification
- Mahn, Piers Halesowen 7h09m41s
- Callaly, Josh Lucan Cycling Road Club 7h10m26s @45s
- Mc Crystal, Bryan Bear group 7h10m33s @52s
- Sweetman, Toby VC Glendale 7h13m15s @3m34s
- Henry, Cameron Inspired Cycling 7h13m30s @3m49s
- Mc Kinney, Kevin Cycleology Racing Team 7h13m54s @4m13s
- Kennedy, Paul AHC Racing 7h13m55s @4m14s
- O Brannagain, Aimhirghin Orwell Wheelers Cycling Club 7h14m02s @4m21s
- Parks, Aaron Banbridge CC 7h14m41s @5m00s
- Ascroft, Dan Halesowen 7h14m58s @5m17s
- Reilly, Christopher Bohermeen CC 7h15m10s @5m29s
- Killeen, Ronan Lucan Cycling Road Club 7h15m25s @5m44s
- O Sullivan, Patrick Orwell Wheelers Cycling Club 7h15m29s @5m48s
- Quigley, Peter Foyle CC 7h16m09s @6m28s
- Walls, Matthew Lucan Cycling Road Club 7h16m09s @s/t
- Mc Cullough, Gareth Armagh Down CC 7h16m10s @6m29s
- Mc Caughey, Stuart Phoenix CC 7h16m18s @6m37s
- Butler, Hugh UCD Cycling Club 7h16m29s @6m48s
- Alderdice, Geoff Dromore CC 7h16m33s @6m52s
- Douglas, Brandon Dromore CC 7h16m33s @s/t
- Mc Intyre, Cameron Banbridge CC 7h16m37s @6m56s
- Taylor, Jonathan Carn Wheelers 7h16m37s @s/t
- Jennings, Rob Bear group 7h16m39s @6m58s
- Halliday, Duncan Four Masters CC 7h16m47s @7m06s
- O Leary, Pierce Bear group 7h16m48s @7m07s
