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Prologue - March 29: Killorglin ITT, 2.6 miles
Stage 1 - March 30: Fexco-Ras Mumhan, 104 miles
Stage 2 - March 31: Fexco-Ras Mumhan, 94 miles
Stage 3 - April 1: Killorglin, 95 miles
By Tommy Campbell, Irish Independent/Evening Herald/Sunday Independent
What a start for his co-sponsors, Lee Strand who joined up with Cycleways this week, than to record a win in the county that Lee Strand the Co-Operative creamery are based in.
Yes, it was team captain, Philip Cassidy whom William Byrne the general manager of Lee Strand spoke so highly at the launch a few days ago who delivered the goods when he won the Prologue Time Trial here in Killorglin.
It was a 2.6 mile time trial with 115 starters and the evergreen Cassidy led the way. Held on an out and back course which was testing to say the least, Philip had a 7 second winning margin over Brian Kenneally from the Cidona Carrick team. Kenneally last Sunday won the Des Hanlon in Carlow, but against the clock he could not match the ability of Cassidy to eke out a win.
Philip was repeating his success of last year when he won the opener, but in the end he sacrificed his chances when he and the team got solidily behind Eugene Moriarty also of Cycleways-Lee Strand to win the event outright.
This year the organisers have a number of classy teams from abroad, but they failed to ignite the roads around the town of Killorglin. In the end Cassidy ran out a comfortable winner of the test against the clock.
Tomorrow's stage in the Kerry mountains could see the visitors exerting pressure, but obviously with Cassidy and his team plus the Cidona lads who are second and third in the standings, the pendulum could still swing in favour of the home brigade.
1 Philip Cassidy (Cycleways-Lee Strand) 5.20 2 Brian Kenneally (Cidona Carrick) 0.07 3 Eddie O'Donoghue (Cidona Carrick) 0.08 4 Paul healion (Usher IRC), 0.11 5 Andrew Roche (Isle of Man) 0.13 6 Eugene Moriarty (Cycleways-Lee Strand) 0.15
1 M. Lovatt (Team Compensation) 4.00.34 2 K. Dawson (Team Compensation) 3 M. Forde (Lincolnshire) 3.52 4 J. Tanner (Team Compensation) 5 B. Kenneally (Cidona Carrick) 6 T. Hogan (Earl of Desmond/Tralee Bicycle Club)
By Tommy Campbell, Irish Independent/Evening Herald/Sunday Independent
After three stages of the Fexco/Credit Union Ras Mumhan, there can be no doubt that the team of the race is the newly formed Compensation Group Team from England who have dominated the two road stages held over very tough terrain in Co. Kerry.
In Friday’s opening time trial stage won by Philip Cassidy of the Cycleways-Lee Strand they played a low-key role but on the road stages they have certainly came out with all guns blazing.
Today, Kevin Dawson took the honours on a circuit, which included the Dingle Peninsula over an extremely tough course, which also included a number of KOH passages. Conditions were difficult because of the incessant rain but this not deter Dawson from getting the verdict over Brian Kenneally who is certainly keeping Irish interest very much to the fore.
Tomorrow's final stage in Killorglin on the Donal McKenna circuit should see Dawson and his formidable team keep up the pressure and take the silverware back to England.
1 K. Dawson (Team Compensation) 3.58.22 2 B. Kenneally (Cidona Carrick) 3 M. Lovatt (Team Compensation) 0.19 4 J. Tanner (Team Compensation) 5 R. Holden (Isle of Man) 6 T. Barry (Cidona Carrick) General classification after stage 2 1 K. Dawson (Team Compensation) 8.04.28 2 M. Lovatt (Team Compensation) 0.26 3 B. Kenneally (Cidona Carrick) 4.30 4 J. Tanner (Team Compensation) 4.34
by Shane Stokes
With just one stage remaining in the Fexco/Credit Union Ras Mumhan race in Kerry, the UK visitors Kevin Dawson and Mark Lovatt seem assured of taking the top two postitions overall. Both Team Compensation riders had finished outside the placings in Friday's prologue time trial, but they left their Irish competitors in little doubt as to their strength on Saturday when they powered clear towards the end of the 103 mile second stage around the Ring of Kerry.
Race leader Phil Cassidy had put up a brave defence of his yellow jersey on Stage 2, but had no answer to the effort of Dawson and Lovatt, who stormed ahead with 40 miles remaining and finished a massive four minutes clear of the rest of the field.
At the finish in Killorglin, Lovatt narrowly outsprinted Dawson, who took yellow, but the latter had his turn for stage honours at the end of Sunday's tough 95 mile third leg of the race.
The action was started by Cassidy when he went clear alone in the early miles, but he was joined by four others before the ascent of the Conor Pass, with a general regrouping taking place later in the stage. On the final climb of the day, Brian Kenneally forged ahead, was matched by Dawson, and then out-sprinted at the finish.
1 K. Dawson (Team Compensation) 2 B. Kenneally (Cidona Carrick) 3 M. Lovatt (Team Compensation) 4 J. Tanner (Team Compensation) 5 R. Holden (Isle of Man) 6 T. Barry (Cidona Carrick Wheelers) General classification after stage 3 1 K. Dawson (Team Compensation) 8.04.28 2 M. Lovatt (Team Compensation) 26 3 B. Kenneally (Cidona Carrick Wheelers) 4.03 4 J. Tanner (Team Compensation) 4.34 5 T. Barry (Cidona Carrick Wheelers) 4.35 6 P. Moriarty (Dublin Skip) 6.28