Cal Tutty takes first European podium result of his career

Cal Tutty, an Irish international rider in his second season as a junior, has taken the first European podium result of his fledgling career.

And while Tutty was at the front of the race in Portugal, clocking up stage results and his general classification podium, team mate Willem O’Connor also flew the Irish flag, riding in the intermediate points jersey in Portugal.

Both riders are competing with Dutch junior team JEGG-DJR Academy this season but were guesting with Academia Ciclismo Jopelor this weekend at the three-stage Grande Prémio do Minho, a national-level race in Portugal.

Both Irish riders laid the foundations of a very good weekend during stage 1 on Friday, when the racing took the riders some 98.2km, starting and finishing in Paredes De Coura in northern Portugal.

The field split to pieces, with Tutty finishing a fine 2nd place, some 27 seconds down on solo winner Diégo Valerio, a French junior competing for Racing U19 PTC. Spanish rider Diego López (Picusa Academy) was 3rd at 44 seconds.

O’Connor, who took enough climbers’ points to wear the jersey the following day, was 23rd on the stage at 1:33. Yesterday’s stage 2 was 83.5km, starting and finishing in Azurém, and was won solo by Rafael Durães (Paredes-Fortunna).

Tutty and O’Connor were in a large group when they got tangled up in a crash with about 5km to go, though they quickly got back into the action. Tutty finished 16th, in a large group some 52 seconds down on the winner, with O’Connor in 26th at 1:22.

On today’s final stage – some 96km from Famalicão to Santa Maria de Oliveira- saw Israel’s Omer Ramon take a solo win by just over 20 seconds from the chasers. Tutty was in the first chasing group, numbering 16 riders, that was 23 seconds down on the winner; the Irish rider placing 8th on the stage. O’Connor was 49th at 2:27.

Given the very large time gaps that emerged on the opening stage, the time lost and gained there set the general classification for the rest of the event. Stage 1 winner, Valerio, claimed overall victory by 17 seconds from stage 2 winner, Durães, with Tutty 3rd overall at 27 seconds. O’Connor was 24th overall at 4:07.