Tipperary cyclist wins three-day cycling event in Newry
Martin O'Loughlin won the Newry 3-Day
Panduit Carrick Wheelers C.C had Martin O’Loughlin in action at the Newry 3-Day last weekend delivering a gutsy and consistent performance over the weekend to claim the C3 category victory at the prestigious stage race. Martin (who was a guest rider with Midlands Racing Team) finished just 20 seconds ahead of his nearest rival after three intense days of racing through County Down.
Stage 1 – Friday:
The race kicked off on Friday evening with a fast-paced 60km opener from Newry to Newry.
The peloton stayed largely together until the final climb, where a sharp split saw Martin caught on the wrong side, losing 29 seconds to the front group.
The stage was won by Birmingham’s Luke Mannings, who timed his move perfectly to take the win and early control of the general classification.
Stage 2 – Saturday:
Saturday’s 112km stage around Rathfriland proved decisive for the C3 standings.
Martin rode aggressively, making it into a strong four-man breakaway.
The group was later joined by both the yellow jersey (Luke Mannings) and the green jersey (Luca Holmes), creating a formidable lead group.
Despite the high calibre of riders, it was Tom Lane of team Dan Morrisey Piessei who launched a daring solo attack to win the stage by two minutes, seizing the yellow jersey in the process.
Martin rode smartly to stay with the front group, strengthening his grip on the C3 classification.
Stage 3 – Sunday:
Sunday’s finale from Hilltown to the summit finish at Spelga Dam was a 106km mountain battle.
An early break went clear, but with no C3 threats in the move, Martin conserved his energy for the key climbs.
The final segment featured two Category 2 climbs and a punishing Category 1 ascent to the finish.
Martin climbed strongly, marking his rivals closely and riding defensively to preserve his advantage.
His efforts paid off as he crossed the line with enough margin to secure the C3 jersey by 20 seconds over Josh Francis of Orwell Wheelers CC.