Chris Reilly - centre, yellow shoes - of Liquidworx-Fitscience but riding for Louth South in the Rás, got into the main escape on today's final stage into Skerries. And though he got caught, he said it was an experience he will never forget. Pictured here by Sean Rowe on Saturday's stage 7 from Carrick to Baltinglass.
It was a bittersweet end to the week on the An Post Rás for Chris Reilly of the Louth South Cycling Team after he made the breakaway which looked like going all the way to the finish in Skerries today.
However, the Liquidworx-Fitscience rider was left gutted when not only the stage disappeared up the road on the final lap in the form of Davide Ballerini of the Italian Team Idea 2010 ASD, but the county rider prize also eluded him.
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Mark Dowling (DID Dunboyne) whizzed by him in the final two kilometres to claim his third county rider prize in as many days.
Reilly had targeted the podium all week and having gotten stronger as the eight-day progressed, he slipped away today with Robert Partridge (Britain Velosure Giordana), Alistair Slater (Great Britain National Team), David Chopin (France Bretagne Velotec), Ballerini, Alessandro Pettiti (Italy Team Idea 2010 ASD) and Lars Horring (Netherlands Parkhotel Valkenburg).
“It was such a perfect move to get into, just around an hour into the race we managed to get away,” he explained.
“There was a couple of GC lads looking to get up the road, around 10 or so. And then the yellow jersey group went to the front and just nailed it and lined the whole thing out.
“I had it in my head to get up the road today and I just thought ‘if this comes back I don’t think any GC guys will jump again’.
“So five went just as it was brought back and then I jumped and went as hard as we could to get across and we worked straight away. We had 40 seconds at Dunshaughlin and I knew we were gone for the day.”
Reilly, second from left, in the main escape of the eighth and final stage of Rás 2014 today before all but one would be overhauled by the fast finishing yellow jersey group (Photo: Ramsey Cardy - Sportsfile)
The gap would swell to a staggering 3:20 as the co-operation was perfect, with so many men knowing that the stage was there for the taking.
“Definitely, I knew we had a chance,” said Reilly of the escape’s prospects of being the winning move on the day.
“But I also knew An Post would be chasing. I told the An Post lads wanted it badly but at 30k we had 3:20, then 2:20, and held it there for ages.
“The last lap of the circuit in Skerries we had 1:50 and I still thought we could hold on. But the attacks came up the Black Hills on the last lap and I was stuck with the Dutch rider after losing contact.
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“We tried to ride back on, but the pace went up...I just couldn’t stick with the Italian,” he said of Ballerini’s stage-winning attack.
“Four guys went and it was me and the Dutch guy left. But we worked well and at 4k to go he did a savage turn and rode me off the back. He was just off the back of the group himself and I was just off the back of him so we weren’t far away.
“But I got swamped by the bunch with about 2k to go and the group ahead were swamped at around a kilometre, only Ballerini stayed away to the line.”
Reilly, who rode so hard for team mate Paddy Clarke at the Kerry Group Rás Mumhan before his team leader was overhauled by Mark Dowling, was cursing the Dunboyne man again today.
“I just thought the stage win was too much for me, but then I was thinking county rider prize or a top 10,” said the former Bohermeen CC man.
“I wasn’t going to ride around in the bunch today. So when we were caught I looked at all the boys pass me and said not a county rider, not a county rider. Then I saw Dowling...
“I’m gutted, sick as a dog. You want to get something out of your week, I had nothing starting and I have nothing now.”
He said once he had infiltrated the escape, he was determined to play s full part.
“I rode as well as I could. I gave my all today; I couldn’t give anything less. If I started messing about they’d have fucked me out today so I had to ride.
“You might say I did too much but I rode within myself the whole way. There was no time I was thinking ’I’m struggling’; only when they hit me up the Black Hills the last time.”
But despite getting nothing, Reilly said the day will stick in his memory forever.
“The support; I’m telling you... When I got the bell in Skerries, fucking hell, it gave me goose bumps. All my family were there, all of my former club Bohermeen. Everyone was roaring for me, Cian Lynch was telling everyone I was the only Irish guy in the break.
“The roar on the last lap... It was unreal; the best feeling I’ve had on a bike. I could feel the crowd were behind me but that’s the way it goes.
“I was even interviewed by 2FM after the stage. (DJs) Ruth and Paddy were there, they were talking to my sister and were asking her was I professional. She told them I was a carpenter and they were mad to talk to me!”
