FBD Milk Rás Feature |
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HOME MORE SHANE STOKES Other Rás Pages RACE DIRECTOR’S RUN-DOWN THE GREEN CHARGE THE BATTLEGROUND POWERING ON THE FOREIGN CONTENDERS PRIMED FOR SUCCESS BACK IN THE CHAIN GANG ROUTE DETAILS Other Stages Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3,Stage 4, Stages 5 to 8 Stage 4
In the end Evans held onto his yellow jersey, while team-mates Ciarán Power and David O’Loughlin remained 30 seconds down and ready to take over, should the Belfastman falter. Yet both riders ended the stage with cuts and bruises - O’Loughlin went down early on, while Power hit the deck while building up for the sprint. Fortunately, the accident happened inside the final kilometre and so he will not lose any time to the other riders in the main bunch. Today’s stage was won by English rider Kevin Dawson, who made an impressive solo break from a five man group with ten of the 107 miles remaining. Dawson, a multiple BBAR winner in the UK, used his time trial skills to fend off all attempts to haul him back and eventually crossed the line with 49 seconds to spare over the next rider, Patrick Kohler of the Germany RG Gutersloh/Neheim team. Irish riders Eugene Moriarty and Brian Ahern had also been in this quintet and finished exhausted, but satisfied, with their fine fourth and fifth places on what was a very difficult day. As always, the action began from the gun. This time it was yesterday’s winner Ciarán Power who lit the fuse, jumping clear right after the stage start in Ballina. The Waterford professional was quickly hauled back, but shortly afterwards four other riders broke away and were given greater leeway. Undeterred by the by now-customary wet weather, Kevin Dawson (Lancaster Life Repair) plus the Irish trio of Eddie O’Donoghue (Dublin Usher Insulations), Brian Kenneally (Tipperary Dan Morrissey) and former Irish road race champion Ray Clarke (Meath Lee Strand) opened a solid lead over the bunch. Power and Wales Stena Line rider Yanto Barker tried to bridge but the peloton was quick to close down the defending champion and his breakaway companion.
As soon as Power and Barker were recaptured, nine others seized the opportunity to counter. These were John Tanner (Lancaster Life Repair), Paul Manning, Steve Cummings (both Great Britain), Ari Hojgaard (Denmark Jylland-Fyn), Thomas Lovkvist (Sweden), Assan Bazayev (Kasakhstan) and Ian McLeod (HSBC South Africa), plus the Team Ireland – Irish Sports Council rider David O’Loughlin. With Hojgaard four seconds behind Evans and all the remaining chasers – bar McLeod – within 30 seconds of his yellow jersey, the Irish team were suddenly in a precarious position. The danger of the move was compounded yet further by the absence of Power; while his team-mate O’Loughlin was not obliged to contribute and so was guaranteed a comfortable ride, team manager Frankie Campbell was concerned. ‘This is not ideal for us,’ he admitted at the time. ‘We have David up there but he is a bit isolated with so many other contenders in the group. That is a risk….Ciarán was unlucky to miss the move – he tried to get across to the leaders and had just been brought back by the bunch when the counterattack went.’ With the two front groups merging twelve miles into the stage, and Power and Evans now well over a minute behind the thirteen man breakaway, Campbell was forced to make a difficult decision. O’Loughlin is undoubtedly a potential winner, but one against many presented what seemed to Campbell like difficult odds. The command was given to bring the group back. Andrew Donnellan and Vincent Gleeson drove the bunch along for a while, but a tough day yesterday meant that there was little zest left in their legs. And so Power and the yellow jersey of Evans moved to the front and joined their team-mates in the chase. Assisted by the Sportsbook.com pro team, the gap started to come back down. Dawson punctured at the village of Ballysadare, 30 miles into the stage, but was strong enough to quickly rejoin the break. The gap was then at one minute twenty seconds; by Sligo, four miles later, it was down to a minute. Thereafter it fell quickly. By 39 miles the field had the leaders in their sights, but any thoughts that O’Loughlin might try to launch a solo move were dashed when he went down. At almost the same moment as his fall, the Irish team were dealt another blow when Evans punctured. The impetus went out of the chase, and Moriarty, Dawson, and Kenneally seized the opportunity to jump out of the failing breakaway and surge ahead. Joined by Great Britain’s Chris Newton, they knuckled down and drew clear once more. Second last year, Newton is marked as one of the big dangermen in the race, yet the Irish team were unable to resume chasing until Evans got back on. He managed to regain contact 47 miles into the stage and, four miles later, the field was all together again. Moriarty’s confidence was on a high after his second place on yesterday’s stage and it wasn’t long before he tried again. Forging clear with Kazakh rider Andrey Medyannikov and Kildare HirEquip’s Brian Ahern, the trio were soon bolstered by the support of Kevin Dawson (Lancaster Life Repair) and the Germany Rg Gutersloh/Neheim rider Patrick Kohler. Eight riders tried to get across to this move, including Power and Newton, but the field recognised the threat and closed down this octet. With Medyannikov best placed overall, 9 minutes and 17 seconds back, the group was no danger to Evans’ lead. The Irish team were content to ride tempo; Donnellan and Gleeson sat at the front and kept things moving along, while further ahead the committed quintet brought their advantage to well over two minutes. Medyannikov led Dawson, Ahern and Moriarty over the day’s sole climb, the third category Barnesmore Gap, and the five continued to ride together until the Kazakh attacked ten miles from the finish. The move was countered immediately by Dawson, who used his time trial ability to draw steadily clear. This gap increased all the way to Letterkenny, where he clawed his way up the steep finishing climb to take his first ever stage win. Next home were Kohler and Medyannikov, with Moriarty and Ahern fourth and fifth and the frontrunners of the bunch snapping right at the latter’s heels. A split at the front of the bunch hinted at a mishap, and when Power trailed in towards the rear of the field with a cut on his knee, it was clear that a few riders had gone down. However as the spill occurred inside the final kilometre, the fragmented bunch was given a uniform finishing time; the defending champion’s GC hopes remain alive. ‘I seemed to be up the road for the whole stage,’ said Moriarty afterwards. ‘As tomorrow and Friday are tough mountain stages I knew that my chances would be best today, so I decided to give it a try. I just put my head down and went for it. I was in the first big break and just as they were being brought back by the bunch I went away again. Brian Ahern went with me – he did a superb ride today – as did the Kazak rider, and we got a good gap. Dawson and the German rider then got across to us.’ ‘I knew Dawson was going to go but I just didn’t have any answer when he made his move.’ Ireland manager Frankie Campbell was happy that things worked out well at the end of a difficult stage for the team. ‘It was a hard day out there. We had to do a lot of riding and then two of the guys crashed. Ciarán went down in the last kilometre and ended up with a cut on his knee. David went down earlier on…he needed a bike change but luckily he was okay.’ ‘We had to do a lot today,’ agreed race leader Tommy Evans. ‘It was a bit nasty having to do it for so long – we were probably fifty or sixty kilometres on the front chasing that first big break. That was tough. We were just a bit unfortunate to miss the shuffle – myself and Ciarán were probably the only contenders to miss the move, and so it took a bit of work to get things back together.’ Evans is happy with the atmosphere on the team. ‘Myself, Ciarán and David are riding well together and Vincent and Andrew are doing everything they can to help us out. We have three up there for tomorrow’s hilly stage, so that is a big plus. Hopefully things will work out well.’ The team will be hoping to recover in time for tomorrow’s stage, which sees the FBD Milk Rás head into the mountains for the first time in the race. The riders face five categorised climbs, including the cat. one ascents of Ballagh Hill and the gruellingly steep Gap of Mamore, which comes just 8 miles from the end of the stage. A total of sixteen riders lie within thirty seconds of Evans’ lead; tomorrow will be a crucial thinning out process, and will tell us much about the likely outcome of the race. FBD Milk Rás stage 4, Ballina – Letterkenny: 1, Kevin Dawson (Lancaster Life Repair Group) 107 miles in 4 hours 9 minutes 12 seconds; 2, P. Kohler (Germany RG Gutersloh/Neheim) at 49 secs; 3, A. Medyannikov (Kazakhstan) at 50 secs; 4, E. Moriarty (Meath Lee Strand Cycleways) at 59 secs; 5, B. Ahern (Kildare HirEquip) at 2 mins 21 secs; 6, J. Holmkvist (Bianchi Scandinavia – Sweden) at 2 mins 30 secs; 7, M. Iglinskiv (Kazakhstan); 8, A. Bazayev (Kazakhstan); 9, D. Finnegan (Meath Donnelly Avonmore); 10, S. Biermann (Germany RG Gutersloh/Neheim) all same time Primes: KOM Cat 3, Barnesmore Gap: 1, Andrey Medyannikov (Kazakhstan), 5; 2, Dawson, 4; 3, Ahern, 3; 4, Moriarty, 2 International team: Lancaster Life Repair Group County team: Meath Lee Strand Cycleways Cuchulann Crystal best county rider: Moriarty General Classification: 1, Thomas Evans (Ireland-Irish Sports Council) 12 hours 7 mins 5 secs; 2, A. Hojgaard (Denmark Jylland-Fyn) at 4 secs; 3, Holmkvist, at 27 secs; 4, T. Lovkvist (Bianchi Scandinavia-Sweden) at 29 secs; 5, Bazayev, at 30 secs: 6, P. Griffin (Dublin Iarnród Eireann); 7, D. O’Loughlin (Team Ireland – Irish Sports Council); 8, P. Manning (Great Britain); 9, J. Tanner (Lancaster Life Repair Group); 10, T. Lergard (Bianchi Scandinavia – Sweden) all same time Points: 1, Holmkvist, 45 points; 2, Bazayev, 40; 3, C. Power (Team Ireland – Irish Sports Council) 26 Mountains: 1, David Harrigan (Team Down Under – Australia) 8 points; 2, Medyannikov, 7; 3, Lovkvist, 6 Under 23: Holmkvist Cycleways best county rider: Griffin Cycling Ireland category 2 rider: Tom Greene (Kildare Newbridge) International team: Ireland – Irish Sports Council County team: Tipperary Dan Morrissey Stage 3
The victory is Power's first ever stage win in his five participations in the event. He has won the race itself twice, in 1998 and again last year, but a stage victory always eluded him. Last year he was second on three occasions, beaten each time by Great Britain rider Chris Newton, but today finally added such a win to his palmarès. In doing so, he also took his second professional win. The day was a good one for Power’s Team Ireland squad. Evans retained his yellow jersey, David O’Loughlin finished eighth in the bunch gallop and the quintet continue to lead the International team classification. The three riders are all amongst the 16 left in contention, with Power and O’Loughlin 30 seconds behind Evans. All in all, team manager Frankie Campbell has a lot to smile about. The opposite was true in the early stages of today’s 90.3 mile race from Clifden to Ballina. A big crash at the start caused disarray and then, sixteen miles into the stage, Mark Lovatt (Lancaster Life Repair Group), Chris Newton (Great Britain), Jonas Holmkvist (Bianchi Scandinavia-Sweden) and Tipperary Dan Morrissey’s Richie Cahill broke clear. Aided by a thundering tailwind which helped their speeds rise to forty miles an hour, the dangerous breakaway gained time and forced the Ireland riders to mount a hectic chase.
After twelve miles of frantic pursuit, the front group was finally hauled back but an energized Lovatt forged clear again, this time with Swede Thomas Lovkvist and 2001 winner Paul Manning. The Team Ireland squad were ready, though; David O’Loughlin slipped into the move and Power later managed to jump across, in turn sparking off a reaction from behind and forming an eventual fifty man front group. Present were most of the main contenders, including Evans, but behind the remainder of the field were splintered into small, suffering packs. Once through Westport Lovatt tried again, and opened up a substantial gap. The surge was one too many and the field chose not to react, enabling the former yellow jersey wearer to build a one and a half minute solo lead. For the next 46 miles he bravely plugged away, trying to maintain his advantage in the hope of landing a first-ever stage win. Team Ireland’s Andrew Donnellan and Vincent Gleeson were sent to the front of the chasing group and rode tempo in order to keep Lovatt somewhat in check. He did manage to maintain his ninety second lead to the top of the day’s sole categorised climb, twenty-seven miles from the finish, but on the flat, exposed plain after Keenagh the conditions changed. Racing along past bogs of heather and gorse, with long legs pumping and head bobbing, Lovatt’s speed slowed as the road turned towards the wind. With 25 miles to go he had less than a minute’s advantage; ten miles later, an Irish/Danish alliance at the head of the bunch cut this in half. And, despite a brave, defiant bid to stay clear, the disappointed rider was overhauled with just one mile remaining. Power was ready for his chance. Assisted by Evans and Gleeson, he scythed his way through the bunch and manoeuvred his way towards the front. Newton went early, trying to line Manning up for the win, but Power was in close attendance. When he finally kicked for home, his velocity carried him clear to what appeared an easy victory. Second place went to the impressive Meath Lee Strand Cycleways rider Eugene Moriarty, who sprinted in ahead of former top professional Malcolm Elliott, Paul Manning, and the rest of the front group. ‘This feels great…just great,’ Power said afterwards. ‘I am so happy now. I have ridden the race five times and this is my first stage. The team were absolutely fantastic today, Andrew (Donnellan) and Vincent (Gleeson) rode very strongly to bring back Lovatt. Tommy Evans helped me get position, and once I got onto Manning’s wheel, I knew I had it.’ If Power was the happiest man in the race, Evans was probably next in the smiling stakes. On Sunday he won the opening stage, but insisted that it was too early in the race for the Irish team to consider defending the yellow jersey. Two days later, he is still wearing that golden fleece. There may be a long way to go yet in this race, but two stages, the overall lead and their position as best international team is a huge boost for the Ireland squad, who are up against perhaps the toughest foreign opposition yet assembled. Next up for the riders is tomorrow’s mainly-flat 107 mile stage to Letterkenny, the final day’s racing before the field heads into the mountains on Thursday and Friday. Sixteen riders lie within thirty seconds of Evans’ lead, and so the next few days will be crucial.
FBD Milk Rás stage three, Clifden – Ballina: 1, Ciarán Power (Team Ireland – Irish Sports Council) 90.3 miles in 3 hours 27 mins 24 secs; 2, E. Moriarty (Meath Lee Strand Cycleways); 3, M. Elliott (London Irish); 4, P. Manning (Great Britain); 5, J. Holmkvist (Bianchi Scandinavia – Sweden); 6, C. Stevenson (Team Down Under – Australia); 7, Y. Barker (Wales Stena Line); 8, D. O’Loughlin (Team Ireland – Irish Sports Council); 9, A. Bazayev (Kazakhstan); 10, J. Ljungblad (Bianchi Scandinavia – Sweden) all same time County rider: Moriarty International team: Ireland-Irish Sports Council County team: Tipperary Dan Morrissey Primes: KOM Cat 3, Keenagh: 1, Mark Lovatt (Lancaster Life Repair), 5 points; 2, D. Harrigan (Team Down Under), 4; 3, T. Lovkvist (Bianchi Scandinavia-Sweden), 3 General Classification: 1, Thomas Evans (Ireland-Irish Sports Council) 12 hours 7 mins 5 secs; 2, Hojgaard, at 4 secs; 3, Holmkvist, at 27 secs; 4, T. Lovkvist (Bianchi Scandinavia-Sweden) at 29 secs; 5, Bazayev, at 30 secs: 6, Manning; 7, C. Newton (Great Britain); 8, Power; 9, P. Griffin (Dublin Iarnród Eireann); 10, O’Loughlin Points competition: 1, Jonas Holmkvist, 35 points; 2, Bazayev, 32 points; 3, Power, 26 Mountains: 1, David Harrigan, 8 points; 2, Lovkvist, 6; 3, Lovatt, 5 Under 23: Holmkvist Second category: Dara McCaughley (Meath Donnelly Avonmore) County rider: Paul Griffin (Iarnród Eireann) International team: Ireland – Irish Sports Council County team: Tipperary Dan Morrissey Stage 2
Second in the 24 man gallop was the Kazakh Assan Bazayev, who pipped the South African HSBC professional Ian McLeod and Irishman Keith Gallagher in the headwind-affected slog to the line. Ciarán Power (Team Ireland), Simon Kelly (Mayo Galway Bay) and Paul Griffin (Dublin Iarnród Eireann) were next across the finish, with Dublin Skip’s Paddy Moriarty, Team Ireland’s David O’Loughlin and Evans himself also coming home in the same time, and so ensuring a strong home presence in what was a very cosmopolitan breakaway. Of course, that also left many overseas competitors up front and any one of this group could theoretically go on to win the race. Amongst the dangermen are 2001 winner Paul Manning, his GB team-mate Chris Newton (who won three stages and finished second overall last year), the impressive Danish rider Ari Hojgaard and the Lancaster Life Repair duo John Tanner and Mark Lovatt. All of these were particularly active yesterday and, due to their previous rides in the race, will know what to expect on the next few stages of the FBD Milk Rás. Of course, Evans will also have to keep an eye on the newcomers; the professionals from the Bianchi Scandinavia, HSBC South Africa and Sportsbook.com squads plus the promising Kasakh team. The day’s action started from the drop of the flag, with Evans’ Ireland team-mates Power and O’Loughlin, plus Moriarty amongst those trying to go clear. Brought back by the main field, their aggression sparked off a constant stream of attacks and set the scene for a most difficult day. Twenty four miles into the stage, a four man group forged clear and opened up the first significant advantage, with the Great Britain team’s Steve Cummings and previous yellow jersey wearer Lovatt the biggest threats. O’Loughlin and Australian professional David Harrigan succeeded in bridging across, but despite the later reinforcements of nine riders the group was eventually hauled back. The strongmen continued to apply the pressure on the wide, windswept roads towards Galway, lining out the bunch and causing constant splits along the way. With a strong crosswind putting the riders in the right hand gutter, it became a race of attack and counter-attack, constant change and fluctuation at the head of the field. Big dangers such as Manning and Newton tried continuously to get clear but sooner or later the other contenders got back on terms and a regrouping took place. Finally, the elastic snapped when an attack containing John Tanner (Lancaster Life Repair) and the impressive Mayo-Galway Bay rider Simon Kelly acted as the catalyst for a 29 rider breakaway. All the main contenders were there, but those behind would never get back on terms; the first real shake-up of the race was taking place. A split in this front group briefly left the yellow jersey of Evans in arrears, but a gusty ride into a block headwind – and the freezing deluges of hail and rain – brought him towards the frontrunners once more. As Evans closed, Power dropped back to help his Ireland team-mate make the final junction. But a lack of co-operation amongst the leaders enabled the others to get back up once more, leaving twenty-six at the head of affairs. The weather was become more and more atrocious at this point. Stiff winds foiled the chances of Tanner, Power and Newton, who each went clear in solo attacks at various stages in the closing miles. Reeled back in, their recapture paved the way for a big sprint finish, where the 20 year old Swede Holmkvist held off Kazakh Assan Bazayev and the rest of the group. Keith Gallagher was best of the home riders, with Power, Kelly and Paul Griffin next home. Moriarty (12th), O’Loughlin (13th) and Evans (18th) also finished in the same time, leaving Irish hopes intact and Evans in yellow once more. ‘The plan today was not to defend the jersey as such, but to keep as many of the Ireland team at the front as was possible,’ said the frozen rider after the stage. ‘There was a bit of a danger when the front group split towards the end, but I closed a big gap with one of the riders from Kazakhstan. Ciarán (Power) came back for me when I got close, so that was a help.’ ‘It was frustrating up there – if we had all ridden, we could have eliminated the chances of some of the other riders, but there was a lot of messing about. They were able to get back up. Towards the end Ciarán had a go but with that wind, it was too hard on your own.’ Ireland manager Frankie Campbell was happy with the team’s effort. ‘It was a good day for us,’ he said. ‘It is too early to think about defending the jersey as there is a lot of racing yet to come, but things worked out well. The idea was to keep as many of our men as possible up front and that is the way it worked out. Vincent (Gleeson) and Andrew (Donnellan) did a lot of work early on into the crosswinds, and then Ciarán, David and Tommy were able to go clear. Later on Ciarán went back to help Tommy – he would have got back up anyway but it shows that the team morale and co-operation is very strong.’ Power and O’Loughlin were regarded as the team’s principal challengers, but Campbell feels that Evans is also a potential winner. ‘Tommy knows the roads and the Rás itself very well. He is in very good form this year – he got some very good racing at the start of the season in the Tour of Langkawi, and since then has been riding hard in France. A lot of people were pinpointing Ciarán and David but Tommy is one to watch too.’ In total, twenty three riders finished in the same time as Holmkvist, with London Irish rider Rory Wyley four and a half minutes back and the rest of the field much further in arrears. Yesterday’s torrid day has considerably narrowed the list of potential winners; today’s 90 mile leg to Ballina may thin things out even more. FBD Milk Rás stage two, Roscrea-Clifden: 1, Jonas Holmkvist (Bianchi Scandinavia – Sweden) 117 miles in 5 hours 13 mins 14 secs; 2, A. Bazayev (Kasakhstan); 3, I. McLeod (HSBC – South Africa); 4, K. Gallagher (Kildare North): 5, C. Power (Ireland – Irish Sports Council); 6, S. Kelly (Mayo Galway Bay); 7, P. Griffin (Dublin Iarnród Eireann); 8, H. Haynes (England North West Division); 9, A. Hojgaard (Denmark Jylland-Fyn): 10, J. Tanner (Lancaster Life Repair) International team: Ireland-Irish Sports Council County team: Kildare North County rider: Keith Gallagher General Classification: 1, Thomas Evans (Ireland-Irish Sports Council) 8 hours 39 mins 41 secs; 2, Hojgaard, at 4 secs; 3, Holmkvist, at 27 secs; 4, T. Lovkvist (Bianchi Scandinavia-Sweden) at 29 secs; 5, Bazayev, at 30 secs: 6, Griffin; 7, Gallagher; 8, C. Newton (Great Britain); 9, P. Manning (Great Britain); 10, Kelly, all same time Points competition: 1, Assan Bazayev, 25 points; 2, Holmkvist, 24; 3, Hojgaard, 21 Mountains: 1, Marek Iglinskiv, 5; 2, D. Harrigan (Team Down Under – Australia), 4; 3, Lovkvist, 3 Under 23: Holmkvist Second category: Dara McCaughley International team: Ireland – Irish Sports Council County team: Dublin Iarnród Eireann Stage 1
Manning, the 2001 winner, cramped in the closing kilometre, leaving 1996 Ras champion Evans to outsprint Hojgaard and take both the stage and the first yellow jersey of the race. The bunch came home 20 seconds later with all the other contenders present. 'I've got the stage win I came for, so that's my race completed,' Evans joked afterwards, thoughts of an early exit the furthest thing from his mind. 'It's two years since I won a stage and that was my big goal coming into the Rás. It would have perhaps been better not to take yellow on the first day as it will put a lot of pressure on the team, but then again you don't pass over a chance like this.' With the yellow jersey up for grabs, it was expected that today's opening stage would see the riders head out with guns blazing, attacking all the way in the hope of landing early glory. This certainly would have been the pattern of racing in years past, but then again since the FBD Milk Rás became part of the international calendar in 2001, the style of racing has changed somewhat. Instead, the first half of the 84 mile stage was a controlled affair, with small breakaway groups succeeding in going clear but thereafter being unable to build upon their lead. Two, three miles out front, and then the main field dragged the escapees back again. The tight control ensured that the first hot spot sprint of the day was contested by the entire bunch, and on the streets of Newbridge David Harrigan (Team Down Under) got the best of Meath Lee Strand-Cycleways' Aidan Crowley and Adam Hodges Myerson, of the American Sportsbook.com pro squad. A number of small attacks followed before a group finally succeeded in opening up a somewhat decent lead. The attack in question came just before the second hot spot sprint in Montmellick, when four professionals put their heads down and the speed right up. Adam Hodges Myerson (Team Sportsbook.com), Matthew Yates (Team Down Under) and the Bianchi-Scandinavia pairing of Jonas Holmkvist and Thomas Lovkvist opened up a 30 second gap. And yet, despite the later collaboration of Ari Hojgaard (Denmark Jylland Fyn), this group was unable to break the elastic and was finally recaptured after 13 miles out front. The Kazakh Maxim Iglinskiv made his own bid for victory on the day's only categorised climb, opening up an impressive 30 second lead on third category climb of The Cut, but after several lonely miles at the head of the race he too was overhauled. That paved the way for Evans' successful move, the 1996 FBD Milk Rás winner going clear with 2001 champion Paul Manning and a persistent Hojgaard with fifteen miles remaining. Their attack set the alarm bells ringing and chaos ensued for several miles as the other big guns tried desperately to get back on terms. Riders forged clear and got close to the three up front but were then reabsorbed by the bunch, causing the speed to drop slightly. This staccato pattern of surge and stall worked to the advantage of Evans, Manning and Hojgaard, and when the bunch finally lost the impetus of their chase, the gap quickly opened. Maintaining their lead into the streets of Roscrea, the trio sped towards the finishing line. The expected three-up gallop failed to materialise when Manning cramped and abruptly dropped off the pace, leaving Evans with little to do in winning the sprint and taking his fourth-ever FBD Milk Ras stage. Twenty seconds later, Team Down Under pro Cody Stevenson headed the bunch's charge across the line, taking third on the stage by a narrow margin ahead of world track points champion Chris Newton.
The result left Evans five seconds clear at the top of the general classification, at the head of the race he won seven years ago. 'The plan today was for the team to mark everything that went clear towards the end of the stage,' he explained. ' I jumped across to Manning and one of the other English riders, and then bridged across to Hojgaard...Manning came across and we just went for it then.' 'We worked well together and got a good gap. I thought Manning was going to be a threat in the sprint but his legs went just before the end.' Delighted to be in yellow again, he is nevertheless aware that protecting his lead would be a tall order for the Team Ireland-Irish Sports Council squad. 'I don't expect the team to defend the lead,' he admitted. 'It is too early in the week, there is too much racing yet to come.' But he is remaining optimistic about the team's prospects in the race. 'Ciaran and David are both going well, and hopefully my legs will be good on the hills later in the week. The Gap of Mamore is very steep, but the good thing is that it is not too long.' Before then, the riders have to contend with the heavy, wind-exposed roads of the West of Ireland. Many in the race are looking to Thursday and Friday as being the crucial days, but much could happen before then. Tomorrow the field tackles the longest stage of the 2003 FBD Milk Ras, a 117 mile marathon from Roscrea to Cliffden. FBD Milk Rás stage one, Dublin - Roscrea: 1, Tommy Evans (Team Ireland/Irish Sports Council) 84 miles in 3 hours 26 mins 37 secs (24.4 mph); 2, A. Hojgaard (Denmark Jylland-Fyn) same time; 3, C. Stevenson (Team Down Under - Australia) at 20 secs; 4, C. Newton (Great Britain); 5, A. Bazayev (Kazakhstan); 6, M. Yates (Team Down Under - Australia); 7, J. Holmkvist (Bianchi Scaninavia - Sweden); 8, M. Iglinskiv (Kazakhstan); 9, A. Hodges Myerson (Team Sportsbook.com - USA); 10, P. Manning (Great Britain) all same time Hot Spot Prime (with Bonuses): Newbridge: 1, David Harrigan (Team Down Under - Australia) 3 secs; 2, A. Crowley (Meath Lee Strand Cycleways) 2; 3, Hodges Myerson, 1 sec. Mountmellick: 1, Jonas Holmkvist (Team Bianchi-Scandinavia - Sweden) 3 secs; 2, Hodges Myers, at 2 secs; 3, M. Yates (Team Down Under - Australia); The Cut: 1, Maxim Iglinskiv (Kazakhstan) 3 secs; 2, Harrigan, 2; 3, T. Lovkvist (Bianchi-Scandinavia - Sweden) 1 King of the Mountains, at The Cut: 1, Iglinskiv, 5; 2, Harrigan, 4; 3, Lovkvist, 3; 4, Andrey Medyannikov (Kazakhstan) 2 County rider: Eddie O'Donoghue (Dublin Usher Insulations) 3 hours 26 mins 57 secs International team: 1, Ireland/Irish Sports Council, 10 hours 20 mins 31 secs County team: Meath Lee Strand Cycleways 10 hours 20 mins 51 secs Overall classification: 1, Evans, 3 hours 26 mins 27 secs; 2, Hojgaard, at 4 secs; 3, Harrigan, at 25 secs; 4, Stevenson, at 26 secs; 5, Holmkvist, at 27 secs; 6, Iglinskiv; 7, Hodges Myerson; 8, Crowley, at 28 secs; 9, Yates, at 29 secs; 10, Lovkvist, at 29 sscs Points Competition: 1, Evans, 15; 2, Hojgaard, 14; 3, Stevenson, 13 Mountains Competition: 1, Iglinskiv, 5; 2, Harrigan, 4; 3, Lovkvist, 3 Under 23: Holmkvist International team: Ireland/Irish Sports Council County team: Meath Lee Strand Cycleways Full Results Here... - Startline Pictures Here...
Other Stages Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3,Stage 4, Stages 5 to 8 |
EVANS
HOLDS YELLOW, DAWSON TAKES STAGE: (By Shane Stokes May
21)
Today’s fourth stage of the FBD Milk Rás brought yet more rain and wind, and
also carried with it a lot of drama and effort for the Team Ireland – Irish
Sports Council squad of race leader Tommy Evans. In the course of a 107 mile leg
from Ballina, the team had to work hard to haul back an dangerous early
breakaway, ride tempo to limit the gains of another and also survive punctures
and crashes before the finish line in Letterkenny.
POWER
SPRINTS TO FIRST EVER STAGE WIN: (By Shane Stokes May
20)
There was further success for the Team Ireland squad on today's third stage of
the FBD Milk Ras, when Ciaran Power was first across the line in Ballina. The
Irish professional benefited from fine work by his team to haul in lone
breakaway Mark Lovatt before the finish, and then took the uphill sprint with
some ease ahead of Kerryman Eugene Moriarty (Meath Lee Strand Cycleways) and the
former top professional Malcolm Elliott (London Irish).
Hurtling
along roads which passed through some of the most striking countryside in
Ireland, the race had mist-shrouded lakes and stony mountains as its backdrop.
The film The Field was made here, and parallels could be drawn between its story
and what was happening on the road, vis-à-vis Irishmen clashing with foreign
visitors. Thankfully things didn’t go quite as far as in the film.
SHAKING,
BUT NOT STIRRED: (By Shane Stokes May 19)
Frozen at the stage end in Clifden, arms quivering after five hours in rail,
hail and wind, Team Ireland’s Tommy Evans was a tired but satisfied man
yesterday evening. The Belfast rider had undergone 117 miles of tough racing,
facing constant threats to his yellow jersey, but despite a team decision not to
commit to defending his lead at this early point he ended the stage at the helm
of the general classification. Evans finished as part of a 24 man front group,
with the day’s honours going to the impressive Swede Jonas Holmkvist, who
clearly retains the sort of form which recently won him the 2.5 ranked Ringerike
GP in Norway.
