WALSH TAKES OVERALL TITLE AT JUNIOR TOUR OF IRELAND

The biggest event of the Junior Cycling Calendar, The Junior Tour of Ireland, a six day International Stage Race with several teams from USA, South Africa, Great Britain, Netherlands and all over Ireland.  3 of NRPT were representing Ireland (Ben Walsh, Aaron Doherty and Dillon Corkery), Conor Halvey was representing Ulster and, Eoghan McGee, Eoghan Ruane, Liam Curley, Sean Kennedy and Shane Ryall were all riding as NRPT-Titan.

Ben Walsh was listed on the race programme of the Scott Cycles Junior Tour as Number One, therefore first rider off on the 6.2km time trial on Tuesday evening.  Wearing number 1 was very fitting as Walsh not only triumphed on the stage but also set a new course record.  Going into stage 2, he had a six second advantage over Gaelen Kilburn of the USA’s team Hot Tubes, and 13 seconds over his team mate Aaron Doherty and 16 seconds over Dillon Corkery who was lying in 4th position overall.

A great start for the team, but 5 gruelling stages lay ahead and a mammoth task for Walsh to try and retain the yellow jersey.
Stage 2 took the riders on a 109km loop starting in Ennis, incorporating five King of the Hills with the last being the famous Castle Hill Cat 1 climb out of Doolin and finally finishing on the outskirts of Ennis.  As race leader, the Westport, Co. Mayo native had to dig into his reserves to retain the distinguished yellow jersey as race leader and that he did, with a bunch sprint for the finish, Walsh finished 5th on the stage with no time gaps leaving the top riders in same positions going into Stage 3 on Thursday.

Walsh looks good on paper that he would land overall victory of the Junior Tour.  The third stage was another action packed stage, passing one of the most scenic landmarks in Ireland, The Cliffs of Moher.  Fast paced racing and many aggressive attacks unfolded throughout, but Walsh stayed strong and with a strong team around him,retained yellow going into Stage 4 on Friday.

Stage 4 started and finished in Ballyvaughan with 97 kms in total.  Another gruelling day in the saddle with many attacks and clear changes in categories.  One rider got away from a breakaway group of 22  which Walsh was part of, and managed to take the win.  But, still bragging rights belong to Ben Walsh who finished in sixth place and retained his advantage as race leader.

Stage 5 being the Queen Stage on the infamous Gallows Hill on the borders of Clare and Limerick can be the deciding factor on who will claim overall victory in the 40th edition of the Tour. 
Walsh having led from the front from the start of the ‘tour’ on Tuesday. has retained his race lead with a spirituous display on the penultimate day when he came a cropper and ended on the deck with thirty four kilometres to the finish at the summit of one of the steepest climbs. But, the young man from Westport dusted himself down and similar to threading a needle was back in the action, none the worse!  With a battle to the top, Lane Maher of the American based Hot Tubes Team, claimed victory, but Walsh only a split second behind finished in 3rd and is only one stage away from taking overall victory of the very coveted JJ McCormack Perpetual Trophy

An aggressive sixth and final stage on a rolling 10 kilometre circuit made it difficult for any breakaway to achieve greater than 30 seconds before being reeled in.  Ben Walsh was the first rider to depart in the stage 1 Time Trial some 490 kilometres ago where he took the lead by 6 seconds and has never looked back since as he claimed the JJ McCormack Trophy and adds his name to the record books along with others such as Nicholas Roche, Sam Bennett, Ian Stannard, Luke Rowe, Ben Swift and Eddie Dunbar.  Walsh not only set a new course record on stage one, but he now also has the distinction of leading the event from pillar to post (which puts him in the history books as the first person ever).  There are some unique names on that trophy and none ever achieved that distinction.

Quoting Ben “I am happy that my form stayed strong.  I took each day as it came.  I had great support in my team and also those in the background and also from our sponsors, to which I’m extremely grateful”.