Tom Martin won stage 3 of Rás Mumhan with a decisive solo attack on the final climb to Kerryman’s Table, while Jamie Whitcher finished fifth to successfully defend his yellow jersey ahead of the final day.

Featured image: Caroline Kerley

Report

Easter Sunday’s stage from Millstreet to Kerryman’s Table delivered thrilling racing, fierce attacks, and key changes in the overall standings. The 119.6-kilometre route, featuring the brutal Mushera climb and a demanding summit finish on the historic Old Butter Road, lived up to its reputation as decisive terrain for the climbers.

The key strong move of the day featured George Kimber (Spirit Racing Team), Tom Armstrong (Spellman Dublin Port Cycling Team), Daire Feeley (Burren CC), Tom Robin Mould (Foran CT), Joe Adlam Cook (Ride Revolution) and Sam Kettlewell (TAAP Kalas).

Cook and Kettlebell lost contact with under 10km to go, leaving a powerful foursome at the front, around half a minute ahead of a chasing group that included yellow jersey Jamie Whitcher (Composite Black) and Tom Martin (Spellman Dublin Port Cycling Team). Armstrong and Kimber then surged clear, with Feeley and Mould dropping back into the chasing group.

Whitcher drove the chasing group which eventually caught Kimber and Armstrong. Martin, last year’s second-place finisher, a 2024 Rás Tailteann stage winner, launched a decisive solo attack 3 kilometres from the finish. 

Despite a headwind on the climb up to Kerryman’s Table, Martin kept the chasers at bay, finishing seven seconds clear of second-placed Willem O’Connor and Kimber, in third. Whitcher impressively defended his yellow jersey, finishing fifth just eight seconds behind Martin.

Whitcher now holds a 25-second advantage over stage winner Martin, with O’Connor moving into third, 30 seconds behind. The fierce climbs caused shifts elsewhere in the overall standings, notably Casper Rode (West Frisia) dropping slightly to fourth.

Looking ahead, the final stage on Easter Monday features a dynamic circuit race around Killorglin, renowned for its festive atmosphere. Riders will tackle multiple laps of a short, challenging course, promising an exciting and decisive conclusion to Rás Mumhan.

Results

Stage 3

Results powered by FirstCycling.com

General classification, top 20

Pos	Rider	Team	Cat	Time
1	Jamie Whitcher	Composite Black	U23	7h10’08”
2	Tom Martin	Spellman Dublin	SNR	+25”
3	Willem O Connor	Velo Performance	U23	+30”
4	Casper Rode	West Frisia	U23	+32”
5	Lindsay Watson	Caldwell Cycles	SNR	+1’08”
6	Daire Feeley	Burren CC	SNR	+1’09”
7	Ryan Christensen	Foran CC	SNR	+1’14”
8	Ollie Hucks	Taap Kalas	SNR	+1’44”
9	Tom Armstrong	Spellman Dublin	SNR	+2’08”
10	Odhran Doogan	Caldwell Cycles	U23	+2’10”
11	Liam Crowley	Munster Dornan	SNR	+2’49”
12	Curtis Neill	Caldwell Cycles	U23	+3’40”
13	Alexandre Mayer	Foran CC	SNR	+3’42”
14	Lau De Zee	Roadman Cycling	U23	+3’45”
15	Joe-Nathan Matar	Orwell Wheelers	U23	+3’54”
16	Conal Scully	Dan Morrissey-Pissei	U23	+3’54”
17	Ruairi Byrne	UCD Cycling Club	U23	+4’44”
18	Tobias Dahlhaus	Foran CC	SNR	+5’06”
19	Piers Mahn	Halesowen Academy	U23	+5’26”
20	Joe Adlam-Cook	Ride Revolution	SNR	+5’35”