American rider Liam Flanagan continued this week's strong showing by the USA: APS Pro Cycling on Friday, winning stage 3 of the Rás Tailteann into Enniscorthy.
The 25-year-old from North Carolina was part of a 17-rider group which formed towards the end of the fast 155.6km stage.
Flanagan jumped clear just before the final one kilometre climb up to the finish. He held off stage 2 winner Tim Shoreman, who closed to within three seconds but who ran out of road to haul him back.
Flanagan’s Irish teammate Conn McDunphy finished a further two seconds behind in third.
The Dubliner jumped from fifth to second overall behind new race leader Shoreman, who took over at the top from Flanagan and McDunphy’s teammate Adam Lewis.
Despite his name, Flanagan isn’t clear on the exact nature of his Irish heritage.
"The team that is here is primarily Irish plus me with an Irish name, so it's all Irish!"
"It’s a few generations back. Probably a few more generations than I can count," he smiled. "But the Flanagan name fits in well to the race. The team that is here is primarily Irish plus me with an Irish name, so it’s all Irish!"
The 1975 Rás was won by Paddy Flanagan of Kildare, something he has been made well aware of.
"Everybody on the team has told me about it," he said. "We are still figuring out if we have any connection there. We still haven’t found it, but maybe!"
McDunphy said that he helped form the gap which decided his teammate’s stage win.
"Me and Liam were not really riding because obviously [race leader] Adam was back the road," he said.
"We were following, I did a few attacks but I was very careful not to force it.
"Coming into the final 2km to go we were coming down a hill and the Wheelbase team were riding for Tim Shoreman. Tim was behind me and I knew he didn’t want to commit too early into the wind. I just let the wheel go.
"They got five seconds. No one is catching Liam if he gets to a kilometre to go with a little gap. It was phenomenal, I’m really happy with that."
Flanagan first competed in the race two years ago with a best stage placing of fifth on the final day. He said he had to dig deep to pull off a very important result.
"It hurt. The legs were stinging," he said. "I had been covering a lot of moves all day. So I wasn’t the freshest. Tim is an amazing sprinter, so I knew I had to go pretty long. But once I crossed the line it felt very, very good.
"I have been chasing that win for a while so it feels very good."
The stage was marked by a number of big moves, with 11 riders eventually joining forces out front. Ireland national team rider Hugh Og Mulhearne was there, a fine showing by a rider who is still just a junior, with other Irish also involved.
One of those, Lindsay Watson (Tyrone Caldwell Powerhouse Racing) made a determined solo attack from that group and held an advantage going into the final 15km, but was mopped up by the 16 man chase group.
Flanagan attacked from this to seize the win, with Shoreman netting second and taking over at the top of the general classification.
He is 14 seconds clear of McDunphy and 23 ahead of Danylo Riwnjy (Foran CT). Deposed overall leader Adam Lewis (APS Pro Cycling) is 49 seconds back in fourth, and will join forces with McDunphy on Saturday’s gruelling penultimate leg to try to wrest yellow from Shoreman.
The race from Carlow to Baltinglass is the most difficult day of this year’s Rás, covering no less than eight climbs on the saw-toothed 141.6 kilometre route.
Stage 3, Mitchelstown to Enniscorthy (155.6km)
1 Liam Flanagan (USA: APS Pro Cycling) - 3hrs 18’ 58"
2 Tim Shoreman (UK: Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli) at 3"
3 Conn McDunphy (USA: APS Pro Cycling) 5"
4 George Peden (UK: Team PB Performance) 8"
5 Niek Hoornsman (Netherlands: West Frisia) same
6 Joshua Dike (Spain: Natural Greatness Rali Ale) 10"
7 Lindsay Watson (Tyrone: Caldwell Powerhouse Sport)
8 Dean Harvey (Derry: Foyle CC)
9 Gabriel Dellar (UK: Ride Revolution Coaching)
10 Moritz Czasa (Germany: Hucare Factory)
11 Conal Scully (Carlow: Dan Morrissey)
12 Ewan Mackie (Connaught: Cycling Connaught) all same time
General Classification
1 Tim Shoreman (UK: Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli) - 11hrs 9 mins 6 secs
2 Conn McDunphy (USA: APS Pro Cycling) at 14"
3 Danylo Riwnjy (UK: Foran CT) 23"
4 Adam Lewis (USA: APS Pro Cycling) 49"
5 Niek Hoornsman (Netherlands: West Frisia) 1'10
6 Willem O'Connor (Cork: O'Leary Stone Kanturk) 1’31
7 Tom Martin (UK: Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli) 1’43
8 Ewan Mackie (Connaught: Connacht Cycling) 1’49
9 Rowen Baker (IOM: Cycling Club Isle of Man CC) 2’07
10 Matteo Cigala (Carlow: Dan Morrissey) 2’17
11 Liam Flanagan (USA: APS Pro Cycling) 2’21
12 Zachary Walker (IOM: Cycling Club Isle of Man) at 2’23
