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Last Updated: Jan 31st, 2008 - 16:25:03 |
Brian Kenneally won a thrilling final stage of the FBD Insurance Rás in Skerries today, while the overall race win went to German Tony Martin.
Kenneally (Meath MyHome.ie/BDBC) made an important move with approximately 54 kilometres remaining, going clear from the main bunch with Dermot Nally (Ireland Subway Eat Fresh) and joining up to a long-established breakaway group which contained Irish road race champion David McCann and Mart Ojavee (Estonia Kalev Chocolate). Alain Van der Velde (Netherlands) and triple stage winner Dominque Rollin (US Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada) were also part of the break.
McCann and Kenneally gradually whittled down this group and by the time they hit the finishing circuit in and around Skerries, there were just two of them left. They rode very strong to hold off a hard-chasing main bunch and reached the bottom of the final climb of the Black Hills with 45 seconds advantage.
Kenneally dropped McCann on the ascent and time trialled from there towards the finish. The bunch ramped up the speed and closed the gap to eighteen seconds with one kilometre remaining. Kenneally faced a strong headwind from there until the line but just about managed to hold off the fast-closed peloton, hitting the finish line fractionally ahead of Andrei Mustonen (Estonia Kalev Chocolate) and Glenn Bak (Ireland Murphy and Gunn/Newlyn Group/M. Donnelly Sean Kelly). It was his second stage win of the race, and also the second by an Irish rider.
"The last kilometre was unbelievably hard," he said. "I was doing 50 to 60 kilometres an hour after the climb but when I hit the headwind it was really tough. I was dying all the way to the line but had just enough to hold on."
Race leader Tony Martin (Germany Thuringer Energie) had a very nervous day in the saddle, given that several big threats to his yellow jersey were in the break, but finally crossed the line as part of this 41 man front group in tenth place.
"I am very happy to win the race, it is a very big success for me," he said. "I knew my rivals would attack me but my team-mates did a great job to bring it back together."
He ended the eight-day world ranked event 17 seconds ahead of Paidi O'Brien (Ireland Murphy and Gunn/Newlyn Group/M. Donnelly Sean Kelly), with Peter McDonald (Australia FRF Couriers NSWIS) 24 seconds back in third.
O’Brien’s second place ensured he was best Irishman. Of the others, Stephen Gallagher (Ireland Murphy and Gunn/Newlyn Group/M. Donnelly Sean Kelly) was sixth, Kenneally was seventh and McCann ninth.
Rollin won the green points jersey and Ricardo Van der Velde (Netherlands) took the mountains classification. Martin was also best young rider, Kenneally was best Irish county team entrant and Brian Ahern (Dublin Dundrum Town Centre Orwell Wheelers) was top second category competitor.
Kenneally’s Meath MyHome.ie/BDBC topped the county team classification and the young Netherlands squad won out in the international teams award.
How it unfolded:
126 riders lined out for the start of the final stage of the FBD Insurance Rás, with Simon Kelly (Ireland Murphy and Gunn/Newlyn Group/M. Donnelly Sean Kelly) deciding not to continue after he was injured in a crash yesterday.
Miceál Concannon (Kerry Earl of Desmond) attacked immediately after the drop of the flag and after his recapture, went again with Dermot Nally (Ireland Subway Eat Fresh). The duo got twelve seconds and were then joined by 16 others, namely Paul Griffin (Ireland Subway Eat Fresh), Yvo Kusters and KOM leader Ricardo Van de Velde (Netherlands), Paídi O’Brien and Stephen Gallagher (Ireland Murphy and Gunn/Newlyn Group Sean Kelly), Peter McDonald (Australia FRF Couriers NSWIS), Chris Newton and Graham Briggs (Britain Stena Line/Recycling.co.uk), Zdenek Krizek and Josef Soukup (Czech Republic Sparta Praha), Mart Ojavee (Estonia Kalev Chocolate), race leader Tony Martin and Marcel Barth (Germany Thuringer Energie), Jesse Anthony (US Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada), Peter Hey (North England West Pennine) and Rory Wyley (Tipperary Dan Morrissey).
Four others then bridged across: David McCann (Ireland Subway Eat Fresh), Mark Cassidy (Ireland Murphy and Gunn/Newlyn Group/M. Donnelly Sean Kelly), Chris Jory (Australia FRF Couriers NSWIS) and yesterday’s winner, Dominique Rollin (US Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada).
Paídi O’Brien (Ireland Murphy and Gunn) and Ryan Roth (US Kelly Benefit Strategies) then set off in pursuit but the main field closed it all down.
McCann had started the day 10th overall, 1 minute 35 seconds back, and was determined to give it a big shot on the final day of the race. Approximately 15 minutes after the start in Newcastle he and Nick Waite (US Kelly Benefit Strategies) went away, and were joined soon afterwards by Peter Herzig (Australia FRF Couriers NSWIS). Ray Clarke (Tipperary Dan Morrissey) tried to get across but was unable to do so, and it was a similar story for Concannon.
McCann had decided to fit a 55 tooth chainring for the stage due to the strong tailwind and he made the most of the gearing, driving the pace as the trio headed south. Behind, race leader Tony Martin’s Germany Thuringer Energie team were being helped by the Germany Stevens von Hacht squad but were unable to make an impression. By the time he led Waite and Herzig over the first King of the Mountains at Lynch’s Hill (category 3, 21.5 km), they were 1 minute and 30 seconds ahead. Then by Newry (34 kilometres) they were 2 minutes 20 seconds up
The category three Cloghoge Mountain took the riders out of Newry and towards the border re-entry to the Republic of Ireland. Waite went over the top of the climb ahead of Herzig and McCann, while behind Jason Hegert (Australia FRF Couriers NSWIS) took fourth.
The peloton were 2 minutes 21 seconds back at this point. Brothers Ricardo and Alain Van der Velde (Netherlands) attacked to try to get clear of the yellow jersey, the latter having started the day 1’44 off the race lead.
They were caught, as was a subsequent move by team-mate Yvo Kusters, Stephen Gallagher (Ireland Murphy and Gunn/Newlyn Group/M. Donnelly Sean Kelly) and Andrei Mustonen (Estonia Kalev Chocolate).
Up front, the break was continuing to ride well but their progress was disrupted when Herzig punctured. He got a quick wheel change and after several minutes of chasing in the cavalcade, got back up to McCann and Waite. This did however result in a decrease in their advantage over the others. Triple stage winner Dominique Rollin (US Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada) and Mart Ojavee (Estonia Kalev Chocolate) had attacked the bunch after approximately 50 kilometres and, around the time that Herzig got back to the break, were 1 minute 16 seconds back. The peloton were a further sixteen seconds in arrears.
Rollin had started the day 5th overall, 40 seconds back, and so he was an even bigger threat to Tony Martin than McCann.
He and Ojavee continued to chase and, after approximately 80 kilometres of racing, they closed the gap and made it five leaders a minute ahead of the rest. Meanwhile Murphy and Gunn/Newlyn Group/M. Donnelly Sean Kelly rider Mark Cassidy was forced to pull out of the race. He had started the day sixth overall, 44 seconds down, but had been sick during the night with a stomach problem and was unable to finish the stage. It was a big disappointment for the rider, who had been going very well.
After the two chasers joined those at the front, the cooperation in the group appeared to suffer. Just after Slane (98 kilometres after the start) McCann decided that the group needed to be whittled down and attacked hard. Rollin and Ojavee got back up to him but Herzig and Waite were dropped and rapidly lost time, eventually being gobbled up by the German-lead peloton.
The injection of pace and the thinning out of the group helped boost the gap, which jumped up to 1 minute 44 seconds before gradually ebbing once more. Rollin got into difficulty on the climb of Pluckhimin (category 3, 118.7 km) and got dropped by McCann and Ojavee. He was caught by lone chaser Alain Van der Velde (Netherlands) before the top, and this duo were soon joined by Dermot Nally (Ireland Subway Eat Fresh) and Brian Kenneally (Meath MyHome.ie/BDBC). They were 24 seconds down at that point, but soon managed to get across. Another chaser, Ryan Roth (Kelly Benefit Strategies), was unable to make the junction.
The gap dropped to 22 seconds but the fresh impetus provided by the additions to the break dragged this back up to 45 seconds after 130 kilometres of racing.
Eight kilometres later McCann led Kenneally, Van der Velde and Nally over the top of the Cross of the Cage climb. The gap was a minute at the top but this soon dropped to 40 seconds after the Australia FRF Couriers team of Peter McDonald (third overall) joined in the chase.
Nally was doing a lot of driving for McCann and paid the price just before the first ascent of the Black Hills, which topped out 23 kilometres from the finish line. Kenneally and McCann were together at the summit but their pace was too much for Van der Velde and Rollin, with the latter being caught and passed by Chris Newton (Britain Stena Line/Recycling.co.uk) before the top.
The injection of pace behind saw the gap drop to 20 seconds but while McCann’s impressive riding for many kilometres at the front of the race was starting to take its toll, Kenneally still had more left in the tank. He dug a bit deeper and between the two of them, managed to build the lead back up to 40 seconds by the time they crossed the finish line for the start of the final lap.
The duo were cheered on by massive crowds in Skerries, these spectators being fired up by the thoughts of an Irish stage win. Kenneally was determined to do what he could to bring that about and, realising that McCann was running out of energy, dropped the Belfast rider on the final climb of the Black Hills.
Nine kilometres remaining between the summit and the finish, and Kenneally floored it to maintain as much of his lead as was possible. After the stage he revealed that he had been riding between fifty and sixty kilometres per hour for much of the final portion, but his speed dropped considerably when he turned into a strong headwind.
He had 18 seconds lead with one kilometre remaining but the winds were making things very tough. Tucked as low as possible on his bike, he was just a couple of seconds ahead of a fast-closing main bunch with 200 metres left. As the sprint opened up, his chances of staying clear looked very much to be touch and go. However he had just enough in hand, hitting the line marginally ahead of Andrei Mustonen (Estonia Kalev Chocolate), with Glenn Bak (Ireland Murphy and Gunn/Newlyn Group/M. Donnelly Sean Kelly) netting third.
Race leader Tony Martin (Germany Thuringer Energie) sprinted home tenth, defending his lead over Paídi O’Brien, McDonald, Anthony, Newton, Gallagher and the other contenders and winning the race.
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FBD Insurance Rás (2.2)
Stage 8, Newcastle to Skerries:
1, Brian Kenneally (Meath MyHome.ie/BDBC) 174 kilometres in 3 hours 58 mins 22 secs
2, Andrei Mustonen (Estonia Kalev Chocolate)
3, Glenn Bak (Ireland Murphy and Gunn/Newlyn Group/M. Donnelly Sean Kelly)
4, Josef Soukup (Czech Republic Sparta Praha)
5, Mark Walters (US Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada)
6, Jesse Anthony (US Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada)
7, Thomas Kruby (Czech Republic Sparta Praha)
8, Zdenek Krizek (Czech Republic Sparta Praha)
9, Jason Hegert (Australia FRF Couriers NSWIS)
10, Tony Martin (Germany Thuringer Energie)
11, Simon Jensen (Denmark Vision Bikes)
12, Ben Raby (US Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada)
13, Yvo Kusters (Netherlands)
14, Alain Van der Velde (Netherlands)
15, Dan Bowman (USA Kelly Benefit Strategies) all same time
Mountain primes:
Lynch’s Hill (category 3, 21.5 km)
1, David McCann (Ireland Subway Eat Fresh) 5 pts
2, Nick Waite (US Kelly Benefit Strategies) 4
3, Peter Herzig (Australia FRF Couriers NSWIS) 3
4, Yannick Tiedt (Germany Stevens Von Hacht) 2
Cloghoge Mountain (category 3, 38.5 km)
1, Nick Waite (US Kelly Benefit Strategies) 5
2, Peter Herzig (Australia FRF Couriers NSWIS) 4
3, David McCann (Ireland Subway Eat Fresh) 3
4, Jason Hegert (Australia FRF Couriers NSWIS) 2
Pluckhimin (category 3, 118.7 km)
1, David McCann (Ireland Subway Eat Fresh) 5
2, Mart Ojavee (Estonia Kalev Chocolate) 4
3, Alain Van der Velde (Netherlands) 3
4, Dominique Rollin (US Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada) 2
Cross of the Cage (category 3, 138 km):
1, David McCann (Ireland Subway Eat Fresh) 5 pts
2, Brian Kenneally (Meath MyHome.ie/BDBC) 4
3, Alain Van der Velde (Netherlands) 3
4, Dermot Nally (Ireland Subway Eat Fresh) 2
Black Hills (category 3, 151,2 km)
1, Brian Kenneally (Meath MyHome.ie/BDBC) 5
2, David McCann (Ireland Subway Eat Fresh) 4
3, Alain Van der Velde (Netherlands) 3
4, Chris Newton (Britain Stena Line/Recycling.co.uk) 2
Black Hills (category 3, 165 km)
1, Brian Kenneally (Meath MyHome.ie/BDBC) 5
2, David McCann (Ireland Subway Eat Fresh) 4
3, Dan Bowman (US Kelly Benefit Strategies) 3
4, Mark Walters (US Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada) 2
County rider:
1, Brian Kenneally (Meath MyHome.ie/BDBC) 3 hours 58 mins 22 secs
2, Derek Burke (Dublin Murphy and Gunn/Newlyn Group)
3, Adam Armstrong (Dublin Usher Insulations) both same time
International team:
1, Czech Republic Sparta Praha, 11 hours 55 mins 6 secs
2, US Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada
3, Ireland Murphy and Gunn/Newlyn Group/M. Donnelly Sean Kelly, both same time
County team:
1, Dublin Usher Insulations, 11 hours 55 mins 55 secs
2, Dublin Murphy and Gunn/Newlyn Group, at 1 sec
3, Meath MyHome.ie/BDBC, at 51 secs
Final general classification:
1, Tony Martin (Germany Thuringer Energie) 27 hours 27 mins 13 secs
2, Paidi O'Brien (Ireland Murphy and Gunn/Newlyn Group/M. Donnelly Sean Kelly) at 17 secs
3, Peter McDonald (Australia FRF Couriers NSWIS) at 24 secs
4, Jesse Anthony (US Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada) at 36 secs
5, Chris Newton (Britain Stena Line Recyling.co.uk) at 1 min 2 secs
6, Stephen Gallagher (Ireland Murphy and Gunn/Newlyn Group/M. Donnelly Sean Kelly) at 1 min 15 secs
7, Brian Kenneally (Meath MyHome.ie/BDBC) at 1min 22 secs
8, Dominique Rollin (US Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada) at 1 min 30 secs
9, David McCann (Ireland Subway Eat Fresh) at 1 min 35 secs
10, Patrick Gretsch (Germany Thuringer Energie) at 1 min 43 secs
11, Alain Van der Velde (Netherlands) at 1 min 44 secs
12, Jason Hegert (Australia FRF Couriers NSWIS)
13, Yvo Kusters (Netherlands) at 1min 52 secs
14, Paul Griffin (Ireland Subway Eat Fresh)
15, Ryan Roth (USA Kelly Benefit Strategies) both same time
Under 23 rider:
1, Tony Martin (Germany Thuringer Energie) 27 hours 27 mins 13 secs
2, Jesse Anthony (US Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada) at 36 secs
3, Patrick Gretsch (Germany Thuringer Energie) at 1 min 43 secs
County rider:
1, Brian Kenneally, 27 hours 28 mins 35 secs
2, Rory Wyley (Tipperary Dan Morrissey) at 1 min 22 secs
3, Roger Aiken (Armagh Big Picture Developments) at 2 mins 9 secs
Cycling Ireland category 2:
1, Brian Ahern (Dublin Dundrum Town Cente/Orwell) 27 hours 50 mins 32 sec
2, Alan Carey (Dublin Usher Insulations) at 20mins 53 secs
3, Daire McCaughley (Armagh Big Picture Developments) at 34 mins 6 secs
Points competition:
1, Dominique Rollin (US Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada) 83 pts
2, Mart Ojavee (Estonia Kalev Chocolate) 44
3, Paidi O’Brien (Ireland Murphy and Gunn/Newlyn Group/M. Donnelly Sean Kelly) 43
Mountains competition:
1, Ricardo Van der Velde (Netherlands) 83 pts
2, Jesse Anthony (US Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada) 45
3, David McCann (Ireland Subway Eat Fresh) 26
International team:
1, Netherlands, 82 hours 23 mins 22 secs
2, Ireland Murphyand Gunn/Newlyn Group/M. Donnnelly Sean Kelly, at 13 secs
3, US Kodak Gallery Siera Nevada, at 2 mins 33 secs
County team:
1, Meath MyHome.ie/BDBC, 83 hours 7 mins 59 secs
2, Tipperary Dan Morrissey, at 27 mins 34 secs
3, Dublin Usher Insulations, at 32 mins 53 secs
(Full results available on our homepage)
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