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2024 Rás Tailteann Stage 4 – How it unfolded…
Stage four kicked off from Horse and Jockey in County Tipperary with the race taking off at incredible speeds yet again.
Three riders started the day on exactly the same time - Dom Jackson (Foran CT), Conn McDunphy (Skyline - Cadence) and Liam O’Brien (Team Ireland). When this occurs, the race is decided by total sum of placings over the stages. Dom Jackson’s starting sum was 41, Conn McDunphy’s was 85 and Liam O’Brien’s was 87 so it all remained still to race for.
Some early attacks occurred inside the first 10KM with Jason Kenny (UCD), Ciaran Maguire (Dan Morrissey Primor by Pissei), Cian Keogh (Skyline - Cadence), Cormac Daly (Good Guys Racing), Bryce Natter (UCD), Luke Smith (Moynalty) and Max Rushby (Ribble Rebellion) all active but were brought back by the bunch.
The next attack of the day came from Marcus Christie (CC Isle of Man), Dean Harvey (Team Ireland), Paul Kennedy (Skyline - Cadence), Ciaran Maguire (Dan Morrissey Primor by Pissei), Kieran Riley (Spellman Dublin Port CT) and Lindsay Watson (All Human - VeloRevolution). Gareth O’Neill (Challenge CC) and Darnell Moore (All Human - VeloRevolution) tried to bridge the gap but were unsuccessful in their attempt. Defending champion Dillon Corkery did manage to make it to the group, and the seven leaders pushed on and quickly opened a 35-second advantage as the race entered Urlingford with 15KM completed.
As the race left Urlingford, Max Rushby (Ribble Rebellion) and Thomas Springbett (Foran CT) attacked from the bunch in trail of the seven leaders but were unsuccessful in their attempt. Team Ireland was doing a lot of pushing at the front of the leaders to try to get further away. With 20KM completed, the leaders still had a gap of 30 seconds, with lots of groups trying to get away from the bunch on their trail. It looked like a really promising move that could change the course of the race. Next to try to bridge the gap was Eoin Joseph Kelly (Brocar Rali Ale), but the peloton wouldn’t let him out of sight.
As the race entered Freshford with 30KM completed, the seven leaders gap was 37 seconds. As the race entered Ballyragget, the gap remained at approximately forty seconds, meaning defending champion Dillon Corkery of Team Ireland was the virtual race leader on the road. Team Ireland had two riders in the break and seemed to be doing most of the effort up front.
The gap was 50 seconds as the leaders began the first KOH of the day at Byrnesgrove, a category three climb which dragged on for over 5KM. On the KOH, Kieran Riley (Spellman Dublin Port CT) lost contact with the break as the gap extended to 1:20, with Harvey and Corkery (Team Ireland) doing most of the pulling at the front. Approaching the top of the KOH, the gap was maintained at 1:20. Dean Harvey (Team Ireland) led them over the top of the KOH with Dillon Corkery (Team Ireland), Paul Kennedy (Skyline - Cadence) and Marcus Christie (CC Isle of Man) in second, third and fourth respectively.
The leaders whizzed down the descent off the KOH and into Castlecomer where the second KOH began, another category three. As they approached the second KOH, the gap was now 1:25 with 50KM completed. Again, Harvey (Team Ireland) led them over the KOH ahead of Kennedy, Watson (All Human – VeloRevolution) and Christie.
The race then turned right in the direction of Gorteen and onto the narrow roads of the third KOH of the day, a category one that was set to have a big impact on the results. Corkery and Harvey put the pressure on as the leaders tackled the KOH, with the gap extending to 1:40. Again, Harvey led over the KOH with Corkery behind him. Watson was third, with Christie, Kennedy, Maguire and McGoldrick finishing 4th to 7th. However, as the bunch crested the KOH, the gap was now down to just a minute. Logan Maclean, who started the stage second in the KOH competition, tried to break free after the KOH but was unsuccessful in his attempt.
The gap opened to 1:12 as the leaders began the fourth KOH of the day, a CAT 2 at Carn West. Harvey and Corkery led the leaders over the summit ahead of Christie, Watson, Kennedy and Maguire. The bunch started chasing hard on the descent, bringing the gap to just 49 seconds as the race entered Bilboa and began the fifth and final KOH of the day, another category 2. The order remained similar except Corkery was only fifth over the top this time around, with Christie, Watson and Kennedy all improving by one place.
Tom Martin (Wheelbase—Cabtech—Castelli) tried to break free from the bunch on the KOH and bridge the gap to the leaders, but the bunch was quick to react. This burst brought the gap from the leaders to the bunch to just 28 seconds.
Over the next 20KM as the race approached Killeshin, the yellow jersey, Dom Jackson (Foran CT) went to the front of the bunch and started chasing hard. He prevented the leaders from making any gains on their advantage and the gap remained at approximately 25 seconds. Ewan Warren Scanlon (Brocar Rali Ale) tried to bridge the gap on several occasions but wasn’t successful with his efforts.
The speed stayed extremely fast as the race passed through Laois from Ballickmoyler to Arles and onto Stradbally and Vicarstown. The leaders held their advantage at approximately 25 seconds from the end of the final KOH after 70KM for the next 20KM as the bunch couldn’t fully bring them back, and it looked like the gamble may pay off for Team Ireland. However, on the run into Arles, the bunch put the pressure on, and the gap fell rapidly to just ten seconds. Sure enough, the race came back together as the riders left Arles. There was now a bunch of approximately 80 riders, with the remainder of starters mainly losing contact on one of the five early KOH’s.
With 100KM completed and the break caught, many others started attempting to break free of the bunch. Tom Martin (Wheelbase - Cabtech - Castelli) was one such rider who made several attempts to break free and gained half a minute when he was joined by Will Perrett (Spirit TBW Stuart Hall Cycling) and Conal Scully (Dan Morrissey Primor by Pissei). The riders pushed on, but the bunch weren’t letting them out of their sights, and they held their gap at 25 seconds when Ben Pease (Moonglu Race Team) and Gareth O’Neill (Challenge CC) attempted to bridge the gap, but O’Neill was quickly absorbed by the bunch. The three leaders' gap opened up to 40 seconds over the bunch and 25 seconds over Pease as the race passed through Stradbally with 35KM remaining. This meant Will Perrett (Spirit TBW Stuart Hall Cycling) was the virtual leader on the road.
The gap then opened up to 1 minute over the bunch as Perrett, Scully and Martin threw everything they had at trying to stay away with 25KM to go. Ben Pease (Moonglu Race Team) was still trying to bridge the gap but was stuck in an isolated position between the bunch and leaders.
The race whizzed towards Kildangan with just 20KM remaining and the three leaders still had a gap slightly in excess of a minute with Ben Pease (Moonglu Race Team) 40 seconds behind. It looked like his effort would fall just short as Perrett, Martin and Scully were battling to stay away.
The bunch chased hard for the next 5KM as the race began its run in to Kildare Town with Pease being absorbed in the process. Over the next 10KM, the gap between the three leaders and the bunch fluctuated. and was sitting around 35 seconds with 5KM to go. It was becoming clear that it was going to be very tight on the finish line.
As the speed ramped up on the way into Kildare, Scully crashed out of the leading three as Perrett and Martin pushed on to contest the stage with the bunch chasing hard behind them. Martin won the sprint into Kildare finishing two seconds ahead of Perrett. The bunch came in a further sixteen seconds down, led in by Jim Browne (UK Ribble Rebellion) with John Buller (Spellman Dublin Port CT) getting another top five finish.
There is no change to yellow as Dom Jackson (Foran CT) maintains his lead in the Bective Stud Yellow Jersey classification. Liam O’Brien (Team Ireland) holds on to the Spin 11 U23 Jersey. Matteo Cigala (Team Dan Morrissey Primor by Pissei) holds onto the Sport Ireland County Jersey. Odhran Doogan (Team Ireland) takes over the City Break Apartments Green Points Jersey from his teammate and defending champion Dillon Corkery. Dean Harvey (Team Ireland) takes over The Irish Independent KOH Jersey after winning all the categorised climbs in stage four. Tom Martin (Wheelbase – Cabtech – Castelli) will wear the FBD Stage Winner Jersey while local man JB Murphy wins the Festina Daily County Rider Award
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