JAMES GULLEN (PEDAL Heaven) took victory on stage three of the An Post Rás in sun-soaked Dingle today on a day Irishman Eddie Dunbar came within a whisker of taking the race leader’s yellow jersey.
The latter started the day sixth overall at 13 seconds and with the category one climb of the Connor Pass just seven kilometres before the finish, it was the perfect launchpad for a race-winning attack.
The 19-year old Corkman was one of the main aggressors during the 133-kilometre stage from Charleville in north Cork and found himself in a 22-man breakaway after 40 kilometres of racing.
The Irish were well represented in that escape as Dunbar’s teammate Ronan McLaughlin, elite national road race champion Damien Shaw (An Post Chain Reaction), top 10 finisher from last year Ian Richardson (UCD-FitzCycles.ie), Conor Dunne (JLT-Condor Cycles) and Daire Feeley (iTap) were also there.
The Cork-based Aquablue team also had former Italian international Matteo Cigala in the move and he did well to take top points at the first King of the Hills of the day at Knocknaboul.
With most of the big teams represented, the cooperation from those up front was absolute and they worked hard to chisel out a one-minute advantage by the 50-kilometre mark.
Two teams who missed the move were the Australian national squad as well as the Louth/Asea-Wheelworx men and they drove a furious pace at the front of the bunch to reel in the leaders.
The latter team were also keen to set up their diminutive climber Mark Dowling who is regarded as one of the best climbers in the country.
However, with most riders contributing to the break they toughed it out for another 50 kilometres before the gap eventually began to tumble.
And when the break came into view of the peloton, the game was up with 25 kilometres to go.
Dowling put his nose in the wind and launched a stinging attack before the start of the category one Connor Pass and Gullen, clearly in terrific shape, soon joined him out front.
Such was Gullen’s searing pace that Dowling became distanced and with the peloton rapidly losing men, a further reshuffling occurred.
This time, it was a move that stuck and in there were just four riders: Clemens Fankhauser (Austria Tirol Cycling), Lucas Hamilton Australia national team), Jai Hindley (Australia national team) and Nikodemus Holler (Germany Bike Aid).
That made it five up front before Dunbar latched on the back, as too did Aaron Gate (An Post Chainreaction) and Ed Laverack (JLT-Condor Cycles).
That eight hurtled down the descent into Dingle and just when it looked like the outcome would be settled in a bunch sprint, Gullen took flight and held off Gate and Holler by a matter of seconds for the win.
Dunbar was eighth of the eight across the line but he moved up to fourth overall at five seconds.
2014 winner Fankhauser claimed the yellow jersey courtesy of a slight split in the bunch coming to the line.
Had that split not occurred, Dunbar would have taken yellow but it matters little with another monstrous day to come tomorrow.
There’s a 160-kilometre journey on the cards with four categorised climbs.
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