One day after British riders took the first four places plus the yellow jersey at the Rás Tailteann, Irish riders bounced back by taking a stage win plus the overall lead in the race.
Ireland National Team rider Adam Ward powered home into Lisdoonvarna two seconds ahead of Daire Feeley (Cork All Human/VeloRevolution), with the latter seizing the yellow jersey from the shoulders of stage two winner Louis Sutton (Spain Brocar-Ale).
“I’m just very happy. Very happy,” he said. “I am actually lost for words, I don’t know what to say.”
Feeley had indicated after Thursday’s second stage that he would try to sniff out a good breakaway and to try to gain time before Friday’s potentially decisive Corkscrew Hill, which topped out exactly 10 kilometres from the finish.
Predictions in a sport as complex as cycling seldom work out but he was spot on; soon after the start of stage three in Newcastlewest he got clear with eight others near Adare and, together with Ward, James McKay (Cycling Sheffield), Josh Housley (Spirit BSS), Joseph Rees (Britain Embark-Bikestrong), Darnell Moore (Cycling Ulster), Conor Hennebry and Devin Shortt (both Carlow Dan Morrissey) plus Luke Smith (Meath Moynalty Cycling Club) they built a lead of four minutes en route to Ennis.
Behind, wet and windy conditions appeared to discourage the bunch, which was further affected by a number of crashes including one which ended the race of white jersey holder Matthew Devins (Trinity Racing).
The break continued to ride hard and fend off the chase, with Ward and Feeley then pushing forward from the others through the Burren with more than 25 kilometres remaining.
They had a gap of 22 seconds over the rest of the break beginning the category three Burren climb and, crucially, increased this to 40 seconds by the time they got to the start of Corkscrew Hill with 13 kilometres remaining.
More importantly the bunch was still a long way back and while a big acceleration in pace saw Sutton, green jersey Matthew Teggart (Cycling Ulster), King of the Mountains leader Dean Harvey (Ireland National Team) and several other riders go clear of the peloton in pursuit, they were still two minutes 20 seconds adrift with five kilometres remaining.
Feeley had started the day just one minute and one second behind Sutton in eighth overall and was racing towards the yellow jersey. And while Ward outsprinted him to take the win, Feeley was delighted with the day’s outcome, saying afterwards he knew he was capable before the Rás of challenging for the overall victory.
“To be honest, I am not actually surprised,” he said.
“I went into this race with the goal of actually winning it. As I said yesterday, it is never as easy as it looks from the outside. But we are in the yellow jersey on stage three, with two more stages to go. All the severe climbing is out of the way. I have a very, very strong team around me. We will give it everything to defend this jersey.”
The Irish county rider is now 51 seconds clear of Sutton in the overall standings with two days remaining. Ward and fellow Ireland National Team competitor Rory Townsend are third and fourth, one minute six seconds and one minute 29 seconds back overall respectively.
“I knew very early that I was on a good day,” Ward said.
“I was able to get clear with Daire Feeley with around 25 or 30 kilometres to go. Thankfully, I got the better of him in the sprint there. It means a lot, especially to win wearing the Ireland jersey. It’s always a privilege to represent the country and especially whenever you’re able to perform in a race like this.”
Saturday’s penultimate stage begins in Lisdoonvarna and traces a mainly flat 154.1 kilometre through the Burren, on to Gort, Loughrea and Athlone before a first-ever Rás stage finish in Kilbeggan.
