James Gullen celebrates after winning the third stage of the An Post Rás in Dingle today. The Britain Pedal Heaven crossed the line two seconds clear of An Post Chainreaction man Aaron Gate with Nikodemus Holler (Germany Bike Aid) in third. (Photo: Shane Stokes)
By Brian Canty
James Gullen claimed the biggest win of his career to date with a stunning late attack to win the third stage of the An Post Rás into Dingle today, Wednesday.
The Pedal Heaven rider (26) joined a group of eight on the descent of the Connor Pass into the Kerry town today and after gathering himself at the back of the group he launched an audacious late attack which took the others by surprise.
And rounding the corner before the final 200 metres yawned out before him, Gullen knew he’d done enough to take the stage, though he didn’t slow up on the slight ramp to the line as he knew he could potentially take the yellow jersey as well.
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He started 23 seconds down overall but hunting him all the way to the line were seven chasers – one of whom was the flying Eddie Dunbar who crossed the line in eighth place.
Dunbar will be slightly disappointed with that, however, as a split in that clutch of riders saw 2014 winner Clemens Fankheuser (Austria Tirol Cycling) take the yellow jersey.
The six others who escaped late on were Fankhauser, Lucas Hamilton (Australia national team), Jai Hindley (Australia national team), Nikodemus Holler (Germany Bike Aid), Aaron Gate (An Post Chainreaction) and Ed Laverack (JLT-Condor Cycles).
But it's by no means a bad result for Dunbar who is perfectly poised going into tomorrow's fourth stage.
Tomorrow takes the riders on another gruelling trek from Dingle to Sneem and there are four categorised climbs on the 162-kilometre day.
How it unfolded
Today’s stage took the riders a relatively short 133 kilometres from Charleville in Cork to Dingle but featuring the first major climb of the week, the day was billed as a potential game-changer in terms of shaping the general classification.
The start in Charleville was lively with Sean McKenna of the Cork Aquablue team the first to bare his teeth with a daring ‘from the gun’ attack.
However, though he was joined by man of the moment Eoin Morton (UCD-Fitzcycles) and Nicolai Brochner (Denmark Riwal Platform) they were reeled in before too long.
Eventual stage winner Gullen and Ireland's Eddie Dunbar lead the way as the field splits on stage 3 to Dingle (Photo: Shane Stokes)
The riders were bathed in warm sunshine all day but there were some strong to gusty winds that wreaked havoc with the peloton early on and by the 25-kilometre mark, a good chunk of riders had already lost contact.
But, Woulter Mol (Join S-De Rijke), Joe Fry (Pedal heaven), Chris McGlinchey (Irish national team) Patrick Gamper (Austria Tirol Cycling), Emiel Wastyn (AN Post Chainreaction), James Gullen (Pedal Heaven) and Marc Potts (Neon Velo) were not among those found wanting and went up the road for a brief sally as the riders reached Newmarket after 28 kilometres.
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Gullen was clearly in good form and he went solo once that group was brough back and joining him out front was Aquablue’s Italian import Matteo Cigala.
Craig Evers from Australia made it three out front and they pressed on.
And they received a huge boost when a group of around 19 broke off the front of the bunch and ripped across to make it 22 up front and they had a minute on the bunch before the 50k mark.
In the break were Gullen (Britain Pedal Heaven), Cigala (Cork Aquablue), Ronan McLaughlin (Ireland national team), Damien Shaw (An Post Chainreaction), Eddie Dunbar (Ireland national team), Ed Laverack (Britain JLT-Condor Cycles), Joe Fry (Britain Pedal Heaven), Nicolai Brochner (Denmark Riwal Platform), Ike Groen (Join S-De Rijke), Ian Richardson (UCD-FitzCycles.ie), Patrick Gamper (Austria Tirol Cycling), George Fowler (NFTO), Matthier Converset (Aix en Provence), Erik Rowsell (Madison Genesis), Josh Edmondson (NFTO), Rob Partridge (NFTO), Conor Dunne (JLT-Condor Cycles), Daire Feeley (iTap), Hayden Roulston (New Zealand national team), Elliott Porter (Neon VELO cycling team) and Jordi Sloof (Join S-De Rijke).
That group worked well but a hungry bunch never let them get too far up the road and the gap hovered around the minute mark for the next 20 kilometres.
Cigala was first over the category three KOH at Knocknaboul followed by Fowler, Porter and Dunbar while Shaw won the first Post Office sprint prime at Ballydesmond.
One team conspicuous by their absence in the break were ASEA-Wheelworx and they were one of a number of teams to really impose themselves in the chase, clearly in a bid to try and set up Mark Dowling for an assault on the stage.
Roulstown took the prime at Scartaglin after 60 kilometres and things began to look slightly better for the escapees when they extended their lead to 1’30” by the midway point of the stage.
But it began to tumble thereafter as riders became fatigued from the exertion of the opening two hours.
That saw the gap chopped to around 30 seconds and the inevitable catch was made with some 25 kilometres to go.
At that point it was down to 18 men after two had mechanicals and two more dropped off the back.
That gave way to a frantic last 40 minutes of racing with many riders trying to go clear before the Connor Pass.
It was then that Dowling launched his expected attack and he immediately got a gap, with the aforementioned Gullen of Pedal Heaven joining him soon after.
But Dowling faded, leaving Gullen out front alone with Australia driving a savage pace at the front of the rapidly reducing bunch.
Gullen paid the price for earlier aggression and was caught and after that came the key selection when 2014 winner Clemens Fankhauser (Austria Tirol Cycling), Lucas Hamilton Australia national team), Jai Hindley (Australia national team) and Nikodemus Holler (Germany Bike Aid) went clear with less than five kilometres to go.
The flying Dunbar joined them to make it five and it swelled to eight when Aaron Gate (An Post Chainreaction), Ed Laverack (JLT-Condor Cycles) and that man Gullen joined.
And after some ferocious attacking on that warp-speed descent into Dingle Gullen attacked and got a gap which he held all the way to the line.
Fankheuser leads the race by three seconds from Hindley with Gate a further two seconds back.
Dunbar is well-poised at five seconds also.
Hindley also leads the U23 classification while Nikodemus Holler (Germany Bike Aid) leads the mountains classification as overnight leader Eoin Morton (UCD-Fitzcycles.ie) dropped to third in that.
Ian Richardson (UCD-Fitzcycles.ie) has taken the blue county rider jersey prize while Gate leads the points classification.
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