11.05: Good morning and welcome to live coverage of day three of this year’s FBD Insurance Rás. All 137 riders who finished yesterday have started today. We are driving out of Claremorris, heading south today towards Lisdoonvarna. There appears to be a strong headwind today, so that should serve to keep things together for at least a while.
11.07: Here’s some details of today’s stage:
Stage three from Claremorris to Lisdoonvarna is the second-shortest of the 2008 FBD Insurance Rás but in featuring the first category one climb of the race, it should prove crucial. The route take the riders through Tuam (24km), over the level crossing on Oranmore, then on to Clarinbridge, Kinvara (73.2km), Fanore and on to the category three ascent of Ballinalacken, 118.9 kilometres after the start and fractionally under 20 from the finish.
Soon afterwards the riders will race onto the slopes of the first category Doonagore climb and with the summit only 7.5 kilometres from the line in Lisdoonvarna, flat-out attacking is guaranteed. The climb will show who the true favourites are for the race.
11.14: There is a lot of attacking going on but nobody has been able to get away as yet.
11.17: Patrick Kos (Netherlands) is the first rider today to break the elastic. He’s got a few seconds’ lead and has been joined by Ireland riders Miceal Concannon and Robin Seymour.
11.18: They have a gap of 16 seconds.
11.19: This goes up to 20 seconds...
11.23: Jean Marc Maurin (France Provence Alpes Cote d’Azur) is chasing, 15 seconds back. The peloton is a further five seconds in arrears.
11.24: Maurin is now 20 seconds back and the main field is now 30 seconds down. Maurin sits up and waits for the bunch.
11.30: Philip Finegan (Meath MyHome.ie/BDBC) attacks the bunch, but has a long, lonely gap to close.
11.32: He is 46 seconds back with the peloton 57 seconds down.
Finegan has been caught.
11.34: The gap is now one minute and seven seconds.
11.39: There is no one team who are driving the chase…it’s more a collection of individuals riding through.
The three leaders plug onwards, but they are using a lot of energy fighting the headwind on this wide-open road. The peloton are in the right-hand gutter.
11.42: The An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly team have put the hammer down, creating an echelon and splitting the main field! There’s perhaps 30 riders in the front section, with gaps opening up behind. Race leader Stephen Gallagher was one of those riding hard.
11.50: Having passed through Tuam, things have settled down in the bunch again. However the gap to the three leaders is down to 35 seconds.
11.53: The gap is now down to ten seconds. Kos, Concannon and Seymour are about to be caught.
They have been; the field is all together.
12.09: The bunch remains together for now. This headwind is dissuading any further attacks.
12.20: It’s been quiet for a while; certain riders have been putting pressure on but nothing has gone clear.
Barry Sutton (Cycleways@53degreesnorth) attacks and pulls away.
12.25: He is joined by three others: Roger Aiken (Ireland), Levi Heimans (Netherlands) and Stephen O’Sullivan (Meath MyHome.ie/BDBC).
12.27: They have been reeled in. The riders have covered approximately 55 kilometres.
12.35: The bunch remains together. Daniel Lloyd (Ireland An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly) has a front wheel puncture and stops; he’ll get back on handily enough.
It’s slightly overcast today but nevertheless bright enough. It’s also dry, which is important.
12.40: There are two riders clear. They are Derek Burke (Pezula Racing) and Neill Delahaye (Dublin IRC Usher Insulations).
They had eleven seconds at the last check. Tim van der Zanden (Netherlands) and Craig Sweetman (Meath Martin Donnelly).
Van der Zanden gets across while Sweetman does not. The leaders have a gap of 38 seconds.
12.49: Benny de Schrooder (An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly) and Ciarán Power (Pezula Racing) have attacked. They are 25 seconds back with the bunch at 45 seconds.
The have covered approximately 72 kilometres.
12.55: Power and de Schrooder are now 14 seconds back. The bunch is at 43 seconds.
12.58: The two chasers have joined the three others heading into Kinvarra, 67.5 kilometres after the start. The peloton are 40 seconds back.
13.03: Given that Power is a double winner in the race, it’s perhaps unsurprising that they are not letting him go. The bunch is 35 seconds back, although there’s plenty of attacking going on which suggests that other strong riders want to get across.
We are passing through the Burren, a very striking area of exposed limestone rock and stone walls.
13.06: Burke has been dropped. Roger Aiken (Ireland), Chris Newton (Britain Team Stena Line Rapha Condor Recycilng.co.uk) and Morten Hegreberg (Norway Sparebanken Vest) have attacked the bunch and catch him. He has been dropped.
They have been joined by David McCann (Ireland) and Paídi O’Brien (Ireland An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly). So five strong riders are chasing the four leaders.
Given the quality of the riders off the front of the peloton, this looks like a very serious move. In fact, it’s the most dangerous of the race thus far.
13.12: The five chasers are 24 seconds back.
Another group of chasers including Paul Griffin (Ireland) tried to get across to these but have been caught.
13.14: The McCann/Newton group is getting close…
13.17: The peloton is 1 minute and 10 seconds behind the leading group, which is soon going to be joined by the chasing five. This move looks promising…
13.21: The two groups have merged, approximately 88 kilometres into the stage. That means there are nine leaders. They are heading towards Ballyvaughan , and will be there in approximately five kilometres.
13.24: Plowman Craven is leading the bunch behind. The gap is over a minute.
13.31: The leaders are riding well together on the narrow, undulating roads of the Burren. There are tall hedges on each side but a strong wind is also blowing; the break is getting partial cover from this breeze but there are also exposed sections along the shoreline.
The bunch is 1 minute, 3 seconds back. So it’s staying constant for now.
13.34: The gap increases slightly to 1 minute 6 seconds.
13.40: The coastline here heading towards Fanore is stunning… The riders have no time to look around, though; they are being pushed along by a tailwind and the speed is very much on.
The peloton is coming back on them slightly; the gap is 55 seconds….
13.45: The gap is now 41 seconds. There’s also reports of horses in the bunch…we presume race radio is not simply referring to strong riders.. Hopefully everyone stays out of trouble.
We are now in Fanore, 105 kilometres after the start and just 28 from the finish.
13.47: The peloton has stalled. Up front, Power and McCann are trying to put a bit more oooomph into the break by clipping away.
We have passed the 25 km to go sign. There are four chasers at 45 seconds, with the peloton now 58 seconds back.
13.48: The four chasers are 41 seconds back; they are Amir Zargari (Iran Islamic Azad University), Mark Cassidy (Ireland An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly), Kieran Page (Pezula) and Andrew Bye (Britain Surrey Racing League).
Further back, Wojciech Dybel, Mateusz Komar (both Poland), Rob Partridge (Britain Stena Line Rapha Condor Recycling.co.uk), Ole Quast (Germany Stevens Von Hacht) and Chris McNamara (Britain Surrey Racing League) are also chasing.
13.50: The two chasing groups have merged, so there are nine chasing nine. They are 41 seconds back, with three others 50 seconds back and the peloton 1 minute down.
The three chasers are S. Mostafa Razaei Khormizi (Iran Islamic Azad University), Dale Appleby (Britain Stena Line Rapha Condor Recycling.co.uk) and Alex Higham (Britain Plowman Craven).
13.56: With 20 kilometres to go, the second chasing group is 27 seconds back. The three chasers are 38 seconds behind and the peloton is 57 seconds down.
13.59: The three chasers have caught the second group, making it twelve chasing the nine-man lead group.
McCann, Newton and De Schrooder have attacked, just before the other six leaders were caught by the twelve chasers!
14.00: So now we have three clear, chased by eighteen riders.
14.01: De Schrooder has been dropped, so it’s just McCann and Newton clear of the other chasers. They are on the third category climb of Ballinalacken, which tops out approximately 15 seconds from the line.
Mark Cassidy is race leader on the road.
14.04: McCann and Newton are 29 seconds ahead of the others!
S. Mostafa Razaei Khormizi (Iran Islamic Azad University) is chasing alone. The rest of the chasing group has split, with some fading.
14.09: We’ve received the following interesting email from Eddy O’Donoghue:
Regarding any talk of the Rás being a feeder race for the Grand Tours, the current Giro TT status has 3 ras riders in the top five. These are soon to be overtaken by last year’s Rás winner Tony Martin who was 44 seconds up at the last of the intermediate time checks:
Provisional giro tt standings:
1 Mikhail Ignatiev (Rus) Tinkoff Credit Systems 1.00.09
2 Laurent Mangel (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0.29
3 Danny Pate (USA) Slipstream Chipotle Presented By H30 0.59
4 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Barloworld 1.14
5 Steven Cummings (GBr) Barloworld 1.47
The re-formed chasing group caught Khormizi a few minutes ago. So we have two leaders, McCann and Newton, with race leader on the road Mark Cassidy in the 18 man group 50 seconds back.
Cassidy started the day fourth overall, five seconds off the race lead of his team-mate Stephen Gallagher. McCann and Newton were one minute 30 seconds back, thus one minute 25 behind Cassidy. If the gaps keep growing, either Newton or McCann could take over the yellow jersey.
14.17: The first category climb is going to decimate the chasing group and the bunch. McCann and Newton are now 55 seconds clear.
14.20: After the top of the climb, the two leaders are one minute and five ahead of Razaei Khormizi and one minute ten seconds ahead of the other chasers…
We suggest that this stage will be hugely influential in determining the final overall winner of the race..
The leaders have five kilometres to go..
The chasers are back together and are at 1 minute and 13 seconds with five kilometres to go...
14.27: The leaders are two kilometres to go...Newton would be expected to be faster in the sprint, if they stay together.. .
They are inside the final kilometre...
Newton gets it! He jumped McCann inside the final kilometre and hits the line about two seconds clear...
A Polish rider gets third, with Ciaran Power fourth. Mark Cassidy comes in as part of a group just behind those, so it looks like he will be in the yellow jersey this evening..
Cassidy's group was going for fifth place, but were just a handful of seconds behind third and fourth. They were approximately one minute and five seocnds back, so that should put him into yellow by about 20 seocnds.
Riders continue to come in, in dribs and drabs...the rough roads, strong winds and final climb have really split this Ras up today..
We asked Mark Cassidy if he has the jersey. 'I think so, yeah,' he replied. Again, that's a successful day for the An Post team....
That completes our Live coverage for today...we'll leave it there and go get some quotes. Come back later for a report and full results. Thanks for reading!
Please send us your feedback on Live Reports Click
Here Live Reports were last updated:Aug 26th, 2008 - 13:50:32
