Dublin Skip - Gorey 3 Day 

HARDWICK IN CONTROL, LYNCH IMPRESSES

Report by Shane Stokes

Killorglin Credit Union rider Theo Hardwick today took over at the top at the Gorey 3 day, seizing the lead from stage one winner Andrew McQuaid (Emerald) when he placed fourth in this morning’s 4 mile, headwind-buffeted time trial. Fastest in the test was Kanturk rider Daniel Lynch, who covered the course in a time of 9 minutes and 50.12 seconds, with Cycleways Lee Strand rider Brian Behan, Usher IRC’s Hughie Davis and Hardwick finishing less than ten seconds adrift. McQuaid was tenth on the stage, 22 seconds off Lynch’s winning time.

The action continued with a 60 mile afternoon stage, and with a number of riders less than a minute behind Hardwick, an aggressive race looked to be in store. This proved to be the case, with visiting rider Neil Martin opening the hostilities within minutes of the drop of the flag and Mark Nestor (Shannonside), Fergus Whelan (Staggs Lucan) and Hardwick’s team-mate Barry Woods then accelerating clear to bridge the gap. Riding well together to carve their way through the gusting winds, the quartet opened up a lead of 50 seconds over the main field, which began to split once the riders turned onto the main road back towards Gorey.

With about eight miles covered on this first of four laps, a large group of riders forged clear in pursuit of the four up front, mopping up the women – who had set off five minutes before the rest of the field – and then overhauling the leaders. This made a group of approximately 20 up front but by the 24 mile point, the bunch was back on terms and a short-lived ceasefire began. Three miles later Martin was at it again, going clear with the Usher IRC duo of Sean Bracken and David Duke and building a good lead. John Mason (Cycleways), Woods, McQuaid and Paul Reid (Finglas Ravens) then set about closing the gap, reducing it to 30 seconds by the 36 mile point and shortly afterwards receiving reinforcements in the form of Navan’s Derek Finnegan, Emmet Hogan (Galway Bay) and Denis O’Shea (Killarney). The latter slipped back shortly afterwards, leading to a nine-man front group once the chasers succeeded in closing the remainder of the gap.

Bracken has finished second and third overall in recent years, and with a number of other strong riders such as Woods and McQuaid present in the move, there was a degree of panic behind. A number of groups tried to bridge the gap, with Wayne Maguire (North Bucks) and David Martin (CC Giro) eventually succeeding. A little further back, a quartet comprising Sean Lally (McNally Swords), Andy Lakes (St. Tiernan’s), Brian Harris (Bray) and a notably-strong John Heraty (Staggs Lucan) dug deep in the face of the strong headwind and rode clear of the bunch. However, the group were clearly outnumbered by those up front and by the third passage of the finish line, the gap had grown to one minute and 45 seconds, with the bunch closing up fast on the four trapped in no-mans land. A stubborn Heraty tried to press on, taking Harris and Brett Nelson (St. Tiernan’s) with him, but the bunch reeled them in with eleven miles remaining.

From that point onwards the gap began to fall, with the strong winds sapping the strength and conviction of the leading group. With six miles remaining the gap was down to 23 seconds, enabling a small group to leap across from the bunch and inject some welcome strength into the tiring break. Lynch, Nestor, Eddie McMahon (Cycleways), Colm Crawley (Stamullen), Dylan Rafter (St. Tiernan’s) and the yellow jersey of Hardwick made it a total of 17 up front, and with Hardwick and team-mate Woods working hard to keep things together, they kept clear of the main bunch all the way to the finish line.

Here Lynch kicked hard to take what was an impressive second win of the day, with Crawley, Rafter and McQuaid next home and Harwick finishing safely in the group. Keith Bannan led the main bunch home some ten seconds later, while further back the remnants of the field were scattered over several miles as the strong winds took their toll.

With just one stage remaining Hardwick has a slender five second lead, but given Lynch’s form today he will be closely marking the Kanturk rider. A total of sixteen others lie within a minute of the jersey, and so the scene is set for what should be a gripping finale to the three day tomorrow. Sixty miles lie between Hardwick and the overall honours; it promises to be a fine showdown.

Dublin Skip Gorey 3 day, stage 3: 1, Daniel Lynch (Kanturk Credit Union); 2, C. Crawley (Stamullen M. Donnelly); 3, D. Rafter (St. Tiernan’s); 4, A. McQuaid (Emerald); 5, E. McMahon (Cidona Carrick Wheelers); 6, D. Finnegan (Navan Road Club) all same time

Overall: 1, Theo Hardwick (Killorglin Credit Union); 2, D. Lynch (Kanturk Credit Union) at 5 secs; 3, A. McQuaid (Emerald) at 13 secs; 4, S. Bracken (Usher IRC) at 19 secs; 5, B. Woods (Killorglin Credit Union) at 20 secs; 6, B. Behan (Cycleways Lee Strand) at 21 secs

Junior: Hardwick; senior 3: Bill Millar (Carlow RC); woman: Louise Moriarty (Leinster); Veteran: Bracken