Tour of the North Stage 3

Stage 3 of the Tour of the North was a 130km road race with 9 catergoised climbs held in Limavady in County Derry. On a wet, rainy day the field of 90 riders rolled out of Limavady to tackle the daunting terrain. Dublin based Eurocycles set a steady pace on the front all day as they defended the yellow jersey of Adam Armstrong.

Disaster struck early for Cuchulainn when on the oil slick descent of the second climb of the day Peter Tomany came down. Despite bad road rash on his elbows and knees Peter show serious grit to dust himself off and finish the stage despite the main bunch being well up the road.

As the miles wore on the main bunch got whittled down as the climbs and high pace gradually took their toll on the riders. As the riders approached the last  climb of the day the main bunch of less than 60 riders tackled a steep 1km wall! All Dundalk men, bar Peter who surely would have been there if not for his accident, were in this select group. Owen Martin and Gerry McCabe put in outstanding performances as this was their first time racing at this level. The both coped without difficulty with the higher pace and longer miles.

The race concludes on Easter Monday with a 120km route from Ballymena to Carrickfergus.