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Team Type 1′s Matt Wilson is recognized on the podium with UCI President Pat McQuad and the mayor of Cork, Ireland (left). Photo courtesy: Tour of Ireland.

Cork, Ireland – For the second consecutive year, Matt Wilson earned the Tour of Ireland’s King of the Mountains title for Team Type 1.

The Australian survived a final stage that featured strong winds, chilly temperatures and blinding sheets of rain that forced officials to shorten the race once it reached the final circuits through the streets of Cork, Ireland.

“The rain was unbelievable coming into town,” Wilson said. “The water coming down St. Patrick’s Hill was like a waterfall.”

Wilson finished 24th on the final stage and 24th overall, 4:39 behind Russell Downing (Candi TV-Marshalls Pasta). The Englishman won the race for the second year-in-a-row and finished second on the final stage, which was won by Petter Nordhaug Lars (Joker Bianchi).

Wilson’s biggest challenge to keeping the red King of the Mountains jersey Sunday came when Jay Thomson (MTN-Energade) – sitting third in the mountains classification – integrated himself into a breakaway. But Team Type 1’s six riders (Ken Hanson did not start the final stage due to illness) worked hard to cut a 90-second gap back to 20 seconds.

“And just when we were about to catch him (Thomson), he dropped his chain,” Wilson said.

Team Type 1 Director Sportif Vassili Davidenko said the entire squad performed admirably in helping earn the eighth King of the Mountains title in the two-year history of the Team Type 1 men’s professional program.

“The guys did a great job defending the jersey today,” Davindenko said. “The rain and wind made the final stage very dramatic.”