Sean McKenna enjoys greatest moment

Sean McKenna of the Irish National team is the new race leader of the Kerry Group Rás Mumhan after a thrilling stage around south Kerry yesterday afternoon.

Though he didn’t win the stage — that honour went to Bryan McCrystal of Team ASEA — the Dubliner took the yellow jersey, while he also leads the mountains and U23 classification after a truly phenomenal performance.

It was the biggest day of McKenna’s career and he’ll start today’s stage 11 seconds clear of McCrystal.

The eventual stage winner and runner-up were part of a five-man group that broke clear after about 35km of the 142km stage.

That five were: McKenna, McCrystal, Seb Baylis (Champion System) and a duo of WestFrisia riders from Holland in the shape of Sjors Dekker and Folkert Oostra.

On the climb of Coomanaspic outside Portmagee, McKenna and Baylis pushed ahead of the other three in the escape. They went over the top in that order, just 15 seconds ahead of McCrystal and Oostra.

And behind them were defending champion Mark Dowling (DID Dunboyne) and Grant Ferguson of the Scottish National Team; both of whom had pulled clear of the yellow jersey group on the climb.

Down the other side of the climb, the four men still out front from the original breakaway all regrouped and were hunted down by the fancied Ferguson and Dowling.

But with 20km remaining, the two chasers had caught the four leaders, making it six up front. Before long, Ferguson attacked the escape and eked out a lead of between five to 10 seconds, with what remained of the bunch now just over one minute behind the leading men on the road.

Ferguson then pulled the gap to the four chasers closer to 20 seconds, before McKenna and McCrystal pounced from the chase group.

They caught the lone leader, making it three up front with 10km remaining.

Sensing the race was going to come back together, the depleted peloton — containing yellow jersey O’Brien and green jersey Harry Tanfield, with his JLT Condor team mates — pushed on and swept up Dowling, Baylis and Oostra.

The yellow jersey group had closed to within 35 seconds of the three leaders when Ferguson lost touch with McKenna and McCrystal.

Just behind them, Ryan Sherlock (Top Team) and Ali Macaulay (Team ASEA) broke free of the depleted peloton to catch Ferguson.

But it was the two leaders who survived to the finish, where McCrystal got the stage and McKenna the leader’s yellow jersey.