Newry 3-day 2026 Race Preview, 3-5 July

This is one of the club’s favourite races of the year, and one where the team has shone pretty much every time they’ve ridden since taking two riders there in 2015, the year the Academy was founded, so there is a lot of history here. Newry is an absolute mainstay of the Irish calendar, run by the McKinley family since 1987 with great dedication and professionalism, the more so as organising lead Drew McKinley is also racing and showing great form this season.

This year the Academy is taking Dan Ascroft, Harry Howlett and Luke Mannings; Dan returns for the 3^rd time, having placed 10^th in 2024 at his first attempt at the race, while Luke won stage 1 and wore the yellow jersey last year before finally finishing 5^th overall and taking the points classification.

The race is based in Newry, just north of the border, and this year includes some familiar stages: the Friday night is a brisk run up and down the dual carriageway between Newry and Warrenpoint, with a diversion over the steep Greenan Road climb on the final lap. Luke Mannings’ win here was the beginning of a fine team race, with Kaleb and Isaak Herbert finishing close behind and laying the foundation for victory in the team prize.

Stage two is also familiar, taking in the roads around the little hilltop town of Rathfriland, home to the best ice cream shop in the area, climbing the steep ascent into the town four times, with the finish on the fourth. It’s a spectacular test and this is where Piers Mahn staged a dramatic escape with the help of Dan to overturn a two-and-a-half-minute deficit and seal the overall title in 2024.

Sunday’s grand finale features three long climbs in the final 25km, starting with the exposed main road ascent between Hilltown and the coast at Rostrevor, then swinging inland and up again on a five kilometre climb which leads into the sting in the tail, the three kilometre drag up to the Spelga Dam, notorious locally. This stage in 2022 was where Patrick Fotheringham and Joe Homer held a dangerous break in check enabling Charlie Genner to defend his overnight lead up to the Dam – a defining stage for Charlie who went on to many better things after this.

The Academy has landed four stage wins here, the first in 2016 on the final stage by the late Nick Clayton, a truly impressive solo effort which almost nailed the overall as well. 2019’s was a sumptuous sprint win on the opening night for Patrick Fotheringham, although serious issues with his bike the next day wrecked his defence of the yellow jersey. 2022 saw Charlie Genner land a nice one on stage two at Rathfriland after a two-up break to gain the yellow jersey, while in 2025 Luke Mannings nailed a spectacular sprint on the dual carriageway in stage one.

Newry race record:

Overall wins: 2022 Charlie Genner, 2024 Piers Mahn.

Stage wins: 2016 Nick Clayton, 2019 Patrick Fotheringham, 2022 Charlie Genner, 2025 Luke Mannings.