Conor Verbruggen wins close fight for yellow at Gorey Three Day

Ewan Warren (Unattached Ulster) wins the final stage at Gorey Three Day today but it was the man tucked in behind him – Conor Verbruggen of Bray Wheelers – who gained the time he needed to win the race outright (Photo: Sean Rowe)

Conor Verbruggen of Bray Wheelers has emerged the overall winner of the Gorey Three Day. He lifted the yellow jersey from the shoulders of yesterday’s stage winner, Fergus Keogh (Moynalty CC), on the final day of action today.

Stage victory today went to Ewan Warren (Unattached Munster), who was leading the A3 classification going into the third and final stage. Warren escaped with Verbruggen in a small breakaway move today and they held off the peloton by three seconds, to take 1st and 2nd. That time gap sealed the overall victory for Bray Wheelers rider Verbruggen.

Another challenger for yellow – Loughlin Campion of Team Leinster – was initially with Verbruggen and Warren in the breakaway today along with his Leinster team mate James Delaney.

Those four went clear after Leinster put in a huge effort on the front on the final lap and managed to split the group and drag the escape clear. Campion’s presence in the four-man breakaway was significant as he had started the day equal on time when race leader Keogh and Verbruggen.

In the final kilometre today Campion attacked from the breakaway; putting all he had left into a last ditch effort to gap Verbruggen and win the race overall. However, when his attack came up short he then paid the price for his efforts and was distanced a little from the breakaway in the last 500 metres of the stage.

Coming to the line he and his team mate Delaney were caught by the very front of the bunch, though they still took 5th and 6th, respectively, on the stage.

On yesterday’s stage 2 the race split to pieces and a three-man move fought it out for victory at the head of affairs. Keogh took a really strong stage victory from his breakaway companions, Campion (Team Leinster) and Verbruggen (Bray Wheelers).

Those three riders had all finished on the same time on the opening stage – in the reduced bunch sprinting for victory. And when they all gained 23 seconds on the chasing group on yesterday’s stage 2, it meant the trio went into today’s final stage equal on time.

Keogh was in the yellow jersey on the basis of better stage placings over the first two stages. But Verbruggen and Campion were on the same time as him. That three-way tie at the top meant today’s final stage was always going to be very nervous for the leading trio.

The final destination of the yellow jersey could have been awarded on the basis of stage placings if all three finished on the same time again today. However, Verbruggen made sure that did not happen, by gaining the time he needed. Unfortunately for Campion, he just faltered from the breakaway at the last and drifted back into the bunch but still put it all on the line in a bid to take the yellow jersey.

Though it was Warren who got his two hands in the air at the end of the stage, Verbruggen was right behind him punching the air and shouting in celebration. He knew he had done enough to be crowned Gorey Three Day champion for 2022. In the end Verbruggen topped the final podium by three seconds from Campion, with Keogh 3rd overall on the same time.

In the women’s race, Gabriele Goldenyte (Unattached Leinster) finished in the bunch today and that saw her seal victory overall. She emerged the overall winner by 2:14 from Linda Kelly (Spin the Bean Power by Coffee), with Darcy Harkness (VC Glendale) in 3^rd place on the same time as Kelly.

Lots more to come.