Stage two winner Finn Crockett retained his Kerry Group Rás Mumhan race lead on Sunday’s third stage of the race, fending off attacks from his rivals on the race to the summit finish of Kerryman’s Table.
Victory went to British rider Dominic Jackson (Foran CCC), who finished 20 seconds clear of Rás Tailteann champion Daire Feeley (All Human – Velo Revolution).
Jackson, Feeley, Scottish rider Crockett and 16 others were part of the day’s big breakaway group, with Jackson making his move approximately 40 kilometres from the finish line. He rode superbly to fend off those chasing behind, with Feeley making big gains on the uphill climb to the line but coming up 20 seconds short of the Briton. Feeley’s All Human-VeloRevolution team-mate Mark Dowling was a further 20 seconds behind in third, with Crockett a further eight seconds adrift in seventh.
The reshuffled general classification saw Irish cyclocross champion Dean Harvey (Cycling Ulster) remain Crockett’s closest challenger. He is four seconds behind with one stage remaining, while Ewan Warren (Caldwell Cycles Tyrone) is 28 seconds adrift. The four-day race concludes on Monday with a 113 kilometre stage starting and finishing in Killorglin.
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Meanwhile, Peter Kirwan (Lucan Cycling Road Club) took over the race lead of the Gorey Three Day after Sunday morning’s second stage, finishing as part of a four-man breakaway group led in by Daragh Doherty (Flanders Color Defever Team) ahead of Aureliusz Klus (Stamullen RC) and Killian O’Brien (Cycling Leinster).
Stage one victor Conor Prendergast (Galway Bay CC) finished 37 seconds back in 25th place, slipping to third overall. Kirwan went into the evening time-trial two seconds ahead of Matthew Hoare (Cycling Leinster) and Prendergast.
Linda Kelly was best of the female riders on stage two, racing in 48 seconds clear of Emma Jeffers (unattached) and sisters Caoimhe O’Brien (Unattached Leinster) and Aoife O’Brien (Spellman-Dublin Port). Kelly took over at the top from stage one winner Caoimhe O’Brien and had a 42 second buffer heading into the time-trial. The event concludes on Monday with another road stage.
