Daire Feeley wins Ras Taillteann to bridge 14-year gap since last Irish winner 

Oversall winner Daire Feeley of the Cork All Human/Velo Revolution team celebrates after the finish

Daire Feeley was the toast of Ras Tailteann yesterday as he became the first Irishman to win the race since Stephen Gallagher in 2008.

The 25-year-old Roscommon man may not have won any of the five stages, but that mattered little as swashbuckling breakaway rides on Thursday and Friday allied to accomplished displays over the weekend assured him of overall victory.

His winning margin was 51 seconds from Thursday´s stage winner Louis Sutton (Brocar Ale) while Adam Ward (Irish National Team) rounded out the podium in third, 15 seconds further back.

The race might have lacked the strength in depth of yesteryear because it lost its UCI status since it was last held in 2018, and the decision was also taken to shorten the race from eight days to five.

But that shouldn't discredit or belittle Feeley´s achievement in any way as he was comfortably the strongest rider in the race, and arguably the most tactically astute also.

Before yesterday's final day showdown from Kinnegad, Co. Westmeath to Blackrock, Co. Louth there were 135 kilometres to negotiate and with 13 riders within two minutes of him on General Classification, it was no ´fait accompli´.

Along the course were two category three climbs in quick succession to be crested, so along with hoping for good legs and strong teammates to neutralise any attacks, Feeley was only a mechanical or momentary lapse in concentration away from potential danger.

As it happened, he was once again to the fore, shutting down a number of stinging attacks by Sutton´s Brocar Ale teammates as well as the Irish national team of the aforementioned Ward and Saturday´s stage winner Rory Townsend.

Credit too must go to Feeley´s teammates; Richard Maes, Vladislav Evseev, Timmy O´Regan and Mark Dowling who sacrificed their own individual ambitions this week to help Feeley´s.

It speaks volumes of the respect for Feeley on the domestic scene that he had more than a few willing helpers from outside teams yesterday too, all offering to give him a turn in pulling back any dangerous attacks.

Buoyed by the prospect of overall yellow, however, he hardly needed it and even found new strength to escape in a group of five riders that also contained Archie Ryan (Irish National Team), Aaron Watson (Down Powerhouse Sport/Bicycle Coffee), William Perrett (Dublin Spellman Dublin Port) and Dean Watson (UK/Embark- Bikestrong).

That move was eventually pegged back and in a brief and momentary lull, 20-year old Kevin McCambridge clipped off the front and soon established daylight on the peloton.

It looked like a suicide mission against a screaming peloton hungry for a bunch sprint, but the Irish U23 time-trial champion had other ideas as he worked hard to maintain an advantage of around 30 seconds for the closing 10 kilometres.

It was touch and go coming under the kilometre-to-go banner but incredibly, the Trinity Racing rider held on for a remarkable win, with a frustrated Matt Teggart (Cycling Ulster) and Matteo Cigala (Carlow Dan Morrissey) jostling for second and third respectively.

“It is an amazing feeling to finally win,” said an elated McCambridge.

“I was feeling better and better as the days went on, and today was my day. I left it all on the road and gave it everything I had.

“I tried a similar solo move on Saturday but with the tailwind the peloton had, I had no chance. Today makes up for that, and all the hardship I´ve had the last few months.” McCambridge´s win was all the more impressive as he was forced off the bike in April following a very nasty crash in Belgium where he sustained two broken wrists and a concussion.

He was one of several young Irish riders who really shone this week.

Dean Harvey was another who impressed, the Irish U23 rider snatching the King of the Mountains jersey from Feeley courtesy of mopping up maximum points on both climbs yesterday. Feeley took the blue County Rider jersey home, while GC runner-up Louis Sutton had some consolation by winning the U23 classification.

Saturday´s stage winner Rory Townsend capped a fine week too with a stage win, fourth overall, the green points jersey and winning the team classification with the national squad.