Fraser Duncan has had a fantastic season so far. Can he cap it off with overall victory at the Tour of the North tomorrow?
By Gerard Cromwell
With two stage wins out of three at the Tour of the North, Fraser Duncan admits he is delighted with the race so far, even if he lost his overall lead and 11 seconds in this morning’s stage two time trial.
The weekend got off to a great start for the in-form Dave Kane Cycles rider when he slipped clear of a seven-strong breakaway group in the closing kilometres yesterday and outsprinted British pro James Gullen (Velosure Giordana) for the opening stage victory.
“I missed the break initially,” he says of his yellow jersey winning ride.
“I went across to it in between the first and second king of the hills and got onto the back of it just as we hit the coast. I sort of had an inkling, once I got over the last climb that I could be on for the stage.
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"It’s sort of draggy after that but then it was a downhill finish into a left hand corner with about a kilometre to go and was quite open and wide.”
With three of the British Velosure Giordana professional team in the break however, the win wasn’t going to come easy to the Belfast man.
“The Giordana boys went to the front, the three of them; and two of them just stalled and let the boy (Gullen) go with about five miles to go. It was just a case of clipping over to his wheel and the two of us working together to the finish."
Having easily taken victory in the two-up sprint to the line and collected the first yellow jersey of this year’s Tour of the North, Duncan’s reputation as a fast man was enhanced further today when he romped home to claim his second stage win in a mass bunch gallop to the line
“I seem to have some sort of reputation as a sprinter but I think it’s maybe the first bunch sprint I’ve ever won if the truth be told,” he laughed.
“I definitely don’t have any memories of winning a bunch sprint. It was a bit hectic but I managed to keep near the front in the last mile or so. It was a bit harder, riding into the wind a bit more, but at least I was in the front when it mattered.”
With James Gullen in yellow and teammates Richard Hepworth (3rd) and Brad Morgan (4th) within 40 seconds of the race lead, the Velosure Giordana gang kept a watchful brief at the head of the peloton for most of today’s third stage.
“The first hour was very, very fast and then it started to settle,” says Duncan of today's stage, which was held on an undulating 18km circuit, to be covered six times.
“There were a few digs off the front but it was more that Giordana had three guys near the top of the GC, including the yellow jersey, so it was the three of them attacking and myself and Eddie Dunbar pretty much trying to follow the moves they were making.”
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Duncan was impressed by teenager Dunbar’s aggressive nature and, like most of the race, was amazed at the little Cork junior’s attacking style over the last two days.
“I have to say the wee man’s an absolute machine. He’s incredible. He’s a pleasure to watch, unbelievable. We just sort of covered the moves and then Conor Murphy managed to get away in a group for us and that forced the Giordana boys to work.
"They brought the gap down and brought them back with about five miles to go. I had one dig at the yellow jersey but there were too many Giordana boys around at that time. They were all over me.
"That’s when Adam Armstrong hit the front. He just rolled along on the front. A few boys sort of attacked but they never got anywhere.
"‘Bal’ just kept the pace fairly high and rolled in to about two kilometres to go. Then it was just a case of fighting for position and going for the sprint.”
With two stage wins under his belt already, Duncan is now 11 seconds off the yellow jersey of Gullen and despite losing the experienced Mark Kane to sickness overnight, his Dave Kane Cycles team is ready for one final battle with the British squad tomorrow.
“I'm delighted with the way things are going. It’s a pity I lost a bit time in the time trial this morning but without that maybe I wouldn’t have won this afternoon’s stage so you’ve got to take it as every cloud has a silver lining.
"Mark got sick on Friday night and wasn’t in great shape but battled through yesterday. He just woke up this morning and it wasn’t happening for him which is a pity.
"But, in Irish cycling, you couldn’t have two better men than Conor Murphy and Adam Armstrong on your side. You certainly wouldn’t want them against you.
"Tomorrow is another day and we’ll try and get the jersey back. We’ll see what we can do. Hopefully we can pull something out of the bag.”
Conor Murphy and Adam Armstrong have done sterling work for Duncan so far and aren't willing to give up just yet (Photo: Marian Lamb - Cycling Ulster)
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