Dillon Corkery snatches Rás Tailteann glory with smash and grab win

Ireland's Dillon Corkery has snatched a final day smash and grab overall victory for the ages at Rás Tailteann on Sunday afternoon.

The 24-year-old from Banteer, Co. Cork went into today's final stage in seventh overall, 19 seconds down on overnight leader Conor McGoldrick who had looked unshakeable since he took the race lead on Wednesday.

With just 133 kilometres on the agenda, and only one categorised climb, it looked improbable that Corkery could somehow get the time he needed on McGoldrick as well as the five other riders above him on the general classification.

Indeed, complicating matters somewhat was the fact his team-mate Aaron Wade was one place ahead of him overall, albeit by just one second.

But the Irish duo - under the watch of former world champion and professional rider Martyn Irvine - played it to absolute perfection by getting in the day's decisive breakaway and leaving several well-placed GC riders behind.

However, a further complication for the leaders was the presence of Cormac McGeough (Good Guys Racing) in that early breakaway. He started the day in fourth overall at 14 seconds and when they put minutes into the peloton, he was suddenly the virtual leader as the riders headed out of Monaghan en route to Blackrock, Co. Louth.

In that big move of the day were Luke Smith (Moynalty CC), Simon Ryan (Greenmount Cycling Academy) Paul Kennedy (Cycling Leinster), Cillian Murphy (Galway Bay CC), Wade and Corkery of Team Ireland, Lindsay Watson (Cycling Ulster), Finn Crockett (Derry: Foyle CC), McGeough, double stage winner Matthew Fox (Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli), George Wood (Cycling Sheffield), Jack Crook (Richards Trek DAS), Ben Chilton (Halesowen Academy) and Lee Rosie (Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli).

Wade,