Willem O’Connor came within metres of a famous home victory on stage two of the Rás Tailteann after a sensational attacking ride on the roads into Banteer saw the O’Leary Stone Kanturk rider finish second following almost 200 kilometres of racing.
The North Cork rider animated the closing stages of the 192.7km stage from Rathmore, forcing the decisive split that ultimately shaped the outcome of the race before being narrowly beaten in the final sprint by Britain’s Tim Shoreman of Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli.
Footage: Ras Tailteann
Having already impressed on stage one with an aggressive opening-day performance and a third-place finish in the King of the Hills sprint at Dolla, O’Connor carried that form into Thursday’s stage, where he emerged as the central figure in one of the most dramatic days of this year’s Rás.
Alongside team-mates Arnaud Dumoulin, Ben Murphy, Rory Condon and Darragh McGee, the Kanturk-based team had already placed themselves among the leading county teams after stage one, but it was O’Connor’s fearless ride through familiar North Cork roads that captured attention on stage two.
As the race entered its final phase approaching Banteer, O’Connor launched a decisive move from the lead group, initially splitting the breakaway before driving a dangerous six-man selection clear of the peloton.
With crowds lining the roads and local support building at every turn, the Kanturk rider repeatedly attacked and drove the pace, clearly determined to seize a memorable victory on home roads.
Among the select front group were Britain’s Tim Shoreman and his Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli team-mate Tom Martin, giving the British squad a tactical advantage heading into the finish.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, O’Connor continued to force the pace deep into the closing kilometres as the breakaway maintained its advantage over the chasing bunch.
After nearly 200 demanding kilometres in the saddle, the stage came down to a sprint finish into Banteer, where Shoreman timed his effort perfectly to take the stage victory.
Just behind him, O’Connor crossed the line in second place after a huge day at the front of the race, with Conn McDunphy taking third for APS Pro Cycling.
The aggressive racing on stage two significantly reshaped the general classification standings, wiping out the gains made by the four-man breakaway from stage one.
American rider Adam Lewis now leads the race overall, 36 seconds ahead of Shoreman.
Earlier in the stage, last year’s yellow jersey winner Odhran Doogan claimed the Category 3 King of the Hills sprint at Morleys Bridge, while attacks continued throughout the day on the approach to the Caha Pass.
For O’Connor and O’Leary Stone Kanturk CC, however, stage two will long be remembered for a ride that transformed the local rider from hopeful outsider into one of the standout performers of this year’s race.
