Philip Deignan showed his huge potential when he finished a fine eighteenth overall in the Tour of Britain today, clearly the best amateur rider in the race despite being just twenty years of age. On current form, the Letterkenny rider will start the under 23 world championships in Verona next month as one of the big favourites, such has been his impressive climbing form over the past five days.
Deignan placed nineteenth on yesterday’s penultimate leg of the Tour of Britain, cresting the uphill finish at Celtic Manor in Wales some 13 seconds behind race leader Mauricio Ardila (Chocolade Jacques), who outsprinted Relax-Bodysol rider Fernandez Moreno to win the stage.
Deignan finished safely in the main bunch today while his Grant Thornton Ireland team-mate David McCann spent much of the 72.4 kilometre London criterium in a four man breakaway, which also included British triple Olympic medallist Bradley Wiggins. Despite a brave effort and the exhortations of the huge crowd, this quartet was reeled in with two laps to go. Fellow Irishman Ciarán Power (Navigators Insurance) galloped home a fine sixth in the stage-concluding sprint finish behind the day’s winner Enrico Degano (Barloworld). Double Tour de France stage winner Tom Boonen (Quick.Step-Davitamon) was just ahead of Power in fourth.
While Deignan fell short of breaking into the top ten overall as he had hopedd, the performance is still a highly encouraging one for him. After five stages and 804 kilometres of racing he finished just 41 seconds behind Ardila, and ahead of many well-known professionals. Fellow 20 year old Tim Cassidy was a solid 34th, one place ahead of Power, showing that he too should be prominent at the Under 23 worlds.
'I'm very happy with how I got on in the race,’ said Deignan afterwards. ‘I felt good, even though I think I was a little bit below form coming into the race as I was sick after the European championships. Hopefully I will ride well in the world championships - if I can keep this form, I should have a chance of getting a medal.'
(See full Shane Stokes Tour of Britain reports on Cyclingnews.com)
Tour of Britain (2.3), Stage 4, Newport - Celtic Manor Resort: 1 Mauricio Ardila (Chocolade Jacques) 160 kilometres in 3 hours 32 mins 37 secs (45.41 km/h); 2, F. Moreno (Relax-Bodysol); 3, M. Bartoli (Team CSC) at 3 secs; 4, J. Luis Rubiera (US Postal-Berry Floor); 5, P. Savoldelli (T-Mobile)
Other : 19, P. Deignan (Grant Thornton Team Ireland); 35, T. Cassidy (Grant Thornton Team Ireland) at 32 secs; 37, D. McCann (Grant Thornton Team Ireland); 38, D. O’Loughlin (Grant Thornton Team Ireland); 39, C. Power (Navigators Insurance) both same time; 69, P. O’Brien (Grant Thornton Team Ireland) at 1 min 32 secs
DNS: Tommy Evans (Grant Thornton Team Ireland)
Points : 1, Ardila, 15 ; 2, Moreno, 14 ; 3, Bartoli, 13
Mountains: KOM Cat 3 at Celtic Manor: 1, Tom Southam (Great Britain) 4 pts; 2, Cassidy, 3; 3, E. Degano (Barloworld) 2; 4, P. Lanfranchi (Ceramiche Panaria) 1
KOM Cat 3 at Celtic Manor, lap 2: 1, Yanto Barker (Wales); 2, J. Hunt (MrBookmaker.com) 3; 3, K. Moerenhout (Lotto-Domo) 2; 4, K. Asle Arvesen (Team CSC) 1
Sprints: Distributor Bridge, lap 1: 1, Julian Dean (Credit Agricole) 5 points; 2, T. Boonen (QuickStep-Davitamon) 3; 3, N. Nuyens (QuickStep-Davitamon) 1
Distributor Bridge, lap 2: 1, Jeremy Hunt, 5; 2, Arvesen, 3; 3, R. Downing (Great Britain) 2; 4, Barker, 1
Distributor Bridge, lap 3: 1, Hunt, 5; 2, Downing, 3; 3, Barker, 2; 4, Arvesen, 1
Teams: 1, T-Mobile, 10 hours 38 mins 13 secs; 2, MrBookmaker.com, at 4 secs; 3, Chocolade Jacques, at 13 secs
Other: 9, Ireland, at 58 secs
Stage 5, London criterium: 1, Enrico Degano (Barloworld) 72.5 kilometres in 1 hour 27 mins 30 secs (49.65 km/h); 2, J. Dean (Credit Agricole); 3, K. Obee (Navigators Insurance); 4, T. Boonen (Quick.Step-Davitamon); 5, J. Hunt (MrBookmaker.com) all same time
Irish: C. Power (Navigators Insurance) same time; 25, T. Cassidy (Grant Thornton Team Ireland); 31, P. O’Brien (Grant Thornton Team Ireland); 60, P. Deignan (Grant Thornton Team Ireland); 66, D. O’Loughlin (Grant Thornton Team Ireland) at 12 secs; 69, D. McCann (Grant Thornton Team Ireland) same time
Points: 1, Degano, 15; 2, Dean, 14; 3, Obee, 13
Other: 6, Power, 10
Sprints: Sprint 1: 1, Charles Wegelius (Great Britain) 5 points; 2, R. Cox (Barloworld) 3; 3, Dean, 2
Sprint 2: 1, Nico Mattan (Relax-Bodysol) 5 points; 2, D. McCann, 3; 3, K. Page (Great Britain) 2
Sprint 3: 1, Kieran Page (Great Britain) 5 points; 2, B. Wiggins (Credit Agricole) 3; 3, McCann, 2
Teams: 1, Mr Bookmaker.com, 4 hours 22 mins 30 secs; 2, Navigators Insurance; 3, Quick.Step-Davitamon, all same time
Other: 12, Ireland, same time
General classification after stage 5: 1, Ardila, 18 hours 58 mins 36 secs; 2, J. Dean, at 12 secs; 3, N. Nuyens (QuickStep-Davitamon) at 17 secs; 4, E. Leblacher (Credit Agricole) at 18 secs; 5, Moreno, at 19 secs
Irish: 18, Deignan, at 41 secs; 34, Cassidy, at 14 mins 17 secs; 35, Power, at 14 mins 20 secs; 40, McCann, at 14 mins 34 secs; 41, O’Loughlin, at 14 mins 37 secs; 72, O’Brien, at 22 mins 15 secs
Points classification : 1, Dean, 54 ; 2, T. Boonen (Quick.Step-Davitamon) 38; 3, R. Hammond (MrBookmaker.com), 38
Other: 14, Power, 20; 32, Cassidy, 2
Mountains classification: 1, Ben Day (MrBookmaker.com) 35; 2, Cox, Barloworld, 26; 3, D. Urquhart (Scotland) 23
Other : 16, Cassidy, 3
Sprints classification: 1, Rodney Green (Barloworld) 20 points; 2, Dean, 11; 3, Leblacher, 10
Other: 13, McCann, 5; 17, Deignan, 3
Teams classification: 1, Mr Bookmaker.com, 56 hours 57 mins 34 secs; 2, Credit Agricole, same; 3, Chocolade Jacques, at 4 secs
Other: 11, Ireland, at 27 mins 39 secs