Shane Coll has taken the first yellow jersey at the Gorey Three Day after a blistering finish in the Co Wexford town this afternoon. The 19-year-old, riding for Jons Drogheda Wheelers, played the waiting game in the drag up to the finish line before demolishing the opposition.
He had time to get his two hands in the air in celebration and still pulled out a gap of two seconds over his nearest challenger, international junior rider Oisin Ferrity (Island Wheelers).
Ewan Warren (Unattached Munster) rounded out the podium today, with Hugh Maguire (Team Leinster) 4th, Luke Cullen (Spin the Bean Power by Coffee) in 5th and Aureliusz Klus (Stamullen Road Club) rounding out the top six.
There is a large female contingent riding the three-day this weekend, with Linda Kelly (Spin the Bean Power by Coffee) surviving in the thinned down peloton to take the women’s stage today, from Darcey Harkness (VC Glendale).
Kelly, who took bronze in the elite road race at the National Road Championships last year, and Harkness, who rode the European Cyclocross Championships on the Irish team last November, were the only two women to finish in the 45-rider group all credited with the same time; two seconds down on winner Coll.
While the stage came down to bunch sprint today, it was marked by aggression from the gun. However, while countless breakaway groups managed to get clear and build small leads, the bunch proved very attentive and all of the attacks were neutralised.
Eventual stage winner Coll timed his effort to protection; holding position close to the front of the bunch on the descent just before the last left hander. And as the road kicked up towards the line after that last corner, he waited for the latest possible moment before pulling the trigger.
When he kicked, the handful of riders ahead of him had sprinted much earlier and were fading as Coll went forward. That enabled him to win the day and also pull out that valuable two-second gap with two stages remaining.
Mote to come.
