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Last Updated: 2 Apr 2018 - 8:45:17 PM |
M DONNELLY JUNIOR TOUR: Bestebreurje wins again, Armstrong takes Yellow
By Tommy Campbell, Pictures Peter Purfield
15 Jul 2005,
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John Bingham, ancestor of the Earls of Lucan, founded the town of Castlebar at the beginning of the 17th century. On the 27th of August 1798 a defining moment in the history of the town was played out! General Humbert advanced on Castlebar with 700 troops and 1,000 untrained peasants. The British who held the town, broke at the fourth assault, leaving their stores, guns and 1,200 prisoners in Humber's hands. From the precipitate flight of the British cavalry to Hollymount and Tuam, the event has ever since been known as the 'Castlebar Races,'
Adam Armstrong of the Irish team certainly threw caution to the wind on two fronts when he came across the finishing line after stage four of the M. Donnelly Junior Tour in Castlebar yesterday afternoon. He displaced his colleague on the Irish team, Martin Munroe who has led from the front for the last three days as the race leader who is distinguished in the bunch by his yellow tunic. Adam moved ahead in an inconspicuous break after coming out of Achill Sound with approximately 28 miles of racing ahead of them to the finish in Castlebar.
Included in the group were the Dutch duo of Joey Bestebreurje and Willem Schwaner, Urban Monks of the Down team, Tom Diggle from the British Cycling NW and Ciaran Cassidy of the Meath Avonmore team. The entire sextet made their presence known by contributing to the break and in no time they had built up a commanding lead, which held firm to the finishing line. In the heel of the hunt this put Armstrong leader on the road and into yellow. This was not the first occasion that Armstrong had thrown down the gauntlet to Munroe who had held the lead since day one.
For the last two days, he has demonstrated that he was willing to make the running, but previously it was the power and the determination of Munroe who was well capable of nipping things in the bud, which seen him retain the race lead. On this time out Armstrong succeeded in achieving his goal as the race leader in the JT.
In true spirit of the yellow jersey, Munroe made a valiant attempt to bridge the gap to the break. At one time he was adrift of the break by over a minute, but he somehow summoned up some reserves to cut his losses and finished 40 seconds adrift of Joey Bestebreurtje who was winning back too back stages. Armstrong sits on top of the general classification listing by nine seconds ahead of Willem Schwaner, with Tim Cassidy back in third spot.
Today being the penultimate day of the JT, we can expect to see some fireworks. As far as Munroe is concerned he is not a spent force and equally Armstrong is up to the defence of the jersey. It could be a case of the Irish team misjudging the plot and allowing either Ciaran Cassidy or the Dutch to roll over the top to overall victory.
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| Joey Bestebreurje (BMV Veldhoven) wins his second stage |
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| The Podium after Stage 4 |
M. Donnelly Junior Tour
Stage Four/70 miles-Castlebar/Achill Island/Castlebar.
Sponsored by Usher Insulations.
1 Joey Bestebeurtje (BMV Tempo Veldhoven), 2hrs.57mins.39secs;
2 Ciaran Cassidy (Navan/Avonmore CC), same time;
3 Urban Monks (Down), st;
4 Tom Diggle British Cycling NW), st;
5 Willem Schwaner (BMV Tempo Veldhoven), st;
6 Adam Armstrong (Ireland), st;
7 Jonathan Bellis (British Cycling NW), @ 40secs;
8 Martin Munroe (Ireland), st;
9 Neal Corbett (South Africa), @1.03;
10 Michael Robinson (BMV Veldhoven), st.
OVERALL after 4 stages
1 Armstrong, 8.00.10;
Schwaner, @9secs;
3 Cassidy, @12;
4 Bestebeurite, @15;
5 Diggle, @27;
6 Munroe, @30;
7 Michael Murray (Ulster), @1.02;
8 Maurice O'Brein (Kanturk Credit Union CC), @1.05;
9 Bellis, @1.06;
10 Monks, @1.17.
Points- Bestebeurite.
Mountains: Dana Minne (South Africa).
1st Year Junior: Diggle.
Team: BMV Veldhoven..
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