Josh Callaly was absolutely delighted with his stage victory at Dornan Rás Mumhan, a huge day for the 19-year-old (Photo: Caroline Kerley)
Dublin club Pinergy Orwell Wheelers has taken big U16 and junior wins in recent years, but it’s been a while since its senior men’s line-up has been as strong as the current crop. They took the opening TTT stage 1A at Dornan Rás Mumhan on Friday before placing two riders in the stage 1B road race; switching the yellow jersey from the shoulders of Evan Keane to Liam Crowley.
But at the end of that all-out stage 1B there was no doubting the star of the show; young Josh Callaly powering to a deserved victory. The 19-year-old took the bull by the horns in the dash for the line in Knockanure from the 15-man winning breakaway, that gained just over one minute on the peloton.
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Callaly caught them early – opening it up with about 400m to go. Yet, the manner of his final effort meant it should have gone wrong, going as he did very early and into the wind. But he simply had far too much power for the others and can now really back himself going forward after that ride.
There was a cross-headwind for the finish, which was also slightly uphill. As the breakaway group was lined out on the left, everyone looking for shelter, Callaly did it the hard way and went into the breeze on the right.
He got a small gap with his initial surge forward and had the legs to somehow keep it going all the way to the line. He took a win he will remember for a long time, and his first for new team Velo Performance.
Lars Rouffaer (Limburg Cycling Selection) was trying to come off Callaly’s wheel, but had to be content with 2nd place, while Sebastian Robles Larsen (West Frisia) was 3rd; the top three all finishing on the same time.
There was then a gap of two seconds back to new yellow jersey Crowley in 4th. It was the mark of the quality of Callaly’s finishing burst that he strung out the group, by 10 seconds from first to last rider, coming over the line.
Callaly was part of a 15-man breakaway that got clear about 60km into this afternoon’s stage – coming after the earlier TTT – that gained 1:11 on the bunch. That’s a big margin in this race which, though held over a very hard course, can be won by a matter of seconds.
The breakaway today was mostly comprised of riders from abroad who have come to Kerry this weekend to take on the best of Irish. The home riders in the move were Callaly and Curtis Neill (both Velo Performance Racing Team), Crowley and Sean O’Kane (both Orwell Wheelers), Hugh Og Mulhearne (Dornan Cycling Munster) and Mitchell McLaughlin, guesting for Burren Cycling Club this weekend.
However, there were plenty of Irish riders on the attack before the breakaway went, including Oisin Ferrity (Caldwell Powerhouse), junior rider Darragh Byrne (Cycling Leinster), Paul Kennedy (Burren CC) and Joseph Mullen (Moynalty CC).
Also animating the race early were Luke Smith (Cycling Leinster), Rory Condon (O’Leary Stone Kanturk), yellow jersey Evan Keane (Orwell TT) and Eoghan Lattimore (Velo Performance), among others.
The final 45km of the 86km stage was comprised of three 15km laps. And it was early on the second of those laps that the winning breakaway move went, with about 25km still to race.
They immediately got a gap of about 20 seconds and by the time they raced through the finish line to start the last lap, their advantage was just above 50 seconds.
Then one of the breakaway men, Danylo Riwnyj of Foran CT, put in a stinging attack and went clear, opening a gap of about 20 seconds before the chasers fully got down to the business of trying to get him back. However, by the 5km to go marker, the lone leader’s advantage had been halved before he was caught a couple of kilometres later.
That paved the way for what looked like a sprint from the breakaway, though Callaly upended those plans going as early as he did with a top quality effort.
Crowley had been part of the Orwell selection that won the TTT opening stage. Along with Evan Keane, Sean O’Kane, Luke Keaney and Padraig Moran, they won the test by 5 seconds from Limburg Cycling Selection.
Dan Morrissey-Pissei was 3rd, a further one second back, with Matteo Cigala Gareth O’Neill, Bruno Rosa and Mark McGarry.
Orwell’s Keane took yellow into the road race stage, with Crowley then taking the leader’s jersey from him, though he is equal on time with stage 1B runner-up, Rouffaer. And then comes the other breakaway men.
Juul Hendrikx (Limburg Cycling Selection) is 3rd overall at seven seconds while Owell’s O’Kane – enjoying a great day today – is now 4th on GC at seven seconds. Bruno Rosa (Dan Morrissey-Pissei) is 5th, also at eight seconds, while stage 1B winner Callaly is 6th at 13 seconds.
With three stages to come, it is still very much all to play for. But he breakaway men today have set themselves up for a good weekend.