As was the case a year earlier, a British visitor began the Rás Tailteann with a victory – this time it was Alex Pritchard from the Richardsons Trek DAS team, following in the footsteps of his teammate Conor McGoldrick.
Outpacing Irish cyclist Paul Kennedy (USA: Skyline-Cadence), and fellow British rider, Dom Jackson (UK: Foran CC) in Kilmallock, Pritchard’s trio managed to keep ahead of a rapidly approaching peloton in the final stretches of the race.
Approximately 25km into the predominantly flat 147.6km stage from Tullamore, the breakaway managed to gain over four minutes on the main group. Despite a late surge from the peloton, they finished 23 seconds in arrears of Pritchard, the first recipient of the yellow jersey.
Dillon Corkery, the previous Rás victor, and his Team Ireland colleague Odhrán Doogan, were the leading finishers from the remaining pack. But, adjusting for time bonuses, they now trail Pritchard by 36 seconds in the run-up to the second stage on Thursday.
“For me, it’s a bit of a surprise,” admitted Pritchard, who is a Rás novice. “I did not anticipate being in the breakaway, let alone maintaining the distance. Winning the stage is simply fantastic.
“The moment I saw ‘four minutes’ on the monitor, it took me aback. My initial thought was that it was all over, but we managed to push incredibly hard in the final 10 kilometres.”
Although Kennedy claimed the lion’s share of the bonus sprints, he remains a second behind Pritchard in terms of the yellow jersey, while Jackson trails by four seconds in the general classification.
Corkery, who undertook an intensive racing schedule this spring with the St Michel-Mavic-Auber93 squad in France, has admitted to feeling worn out in recent days. He hoped rest before the Rás would rejuvenate him, however, he’s yet to hit his stride.
“I’ve not been performing as well as I’d like,” he confessed at the finish line. “In actual fact, I’m feeling pretty low. However, my hope is to replicate my performance from last year by gaining momentum as the race progresses. In terms of that, my fourth position gives me some optimism.”
“He clearly stated that tomorrow is a significant day, outlining the strategy. He was attempting to alleviate the pressure on the Team Ireland lads. He didn’t want them to overwork on the road, but it appeared they ended up cycling a significant amount, given they are one of the stronger contingents competing.
The team did not exert themselves excessively. It’s unfortunate they permitted the other teams to gain substantial distance, he reasoned. Perhaps they could have reeled them back at the finishing line if they started their momentum earlier since Team Ireland is known for their rapid sprinters.
However, he rationalised that it simply is as it is. He stated they have more opportunities since Rás spans five days, not just one.
The second stage poses a great challenge for the riders. In terms of difficulty, it can be considered the toughest stage of the race. The starting point is Kanturk, which is near Corkery’s hometown of Banteer, and it stretches up to 183.8km to Sneem, encompassing six categorised ascents.
The gruelling category one Ballaghasheen Pass and the harsh category two climb of Coomakista are part of the stage. A final category three climb will follow on a 16km finishing loop, which could result in stage triumph and possession of the coveted yellow jersey.
Pritchard expressed uncertainty about his performance. He stated that he primarily focuses on time trials, referring particularly to the ascents. Though it will be arduous, the outcome is yet to be seen.
Stage one of Rás Tailteann took the riders from Tullamore to Kilmallock with the following standings: A Pritchard grabbed the top spot followed by P Kennedy, D Jackson, D Corkery, O Doogan, K Wang, M Cigala , T Shoreman, J Brown, and finally W Perrett.”
Following the completion of stage one, the general classification is as follows: A Pritchard leads with a time of 3:09.12, followed closely by P Kennedy with a 1 second delay, then comes D Jackson @4, D Corkery @36 . O Doogan, K Wang, M Cigala, T Shoreman, J Brown, and W Perrett rounded out the top ten, all finishing at the same time.
In the points competition, A Pritchard also leads with 15 points. P Kennedy is just a point behind with 14, and D Jackson trails with 13. In the mountains competition, D Jackson of Foran CT in the UK, leads with 10 points, A Pritchard has 8 points and P Kennedy has accrued 6.
Amongst young riders, O Doogan clocked in at 3:09.48, followed by P O’Loughlin from Killarney CC in Kerry, and D Harvey from Team Ireland, all finishing simultaneously.