|
|
|
Last Updated: Aug 29th, 2008 - 08:43:21 |
Mark Cavendish (Team Columbia) defended his race lead in fine style today, sprinting to a second successive stage victory in the Tour of Ireland. The 23 year old Manxman proved too quick for his competitors, hitting the line in Loughrea comfortably clear of Michael Van Staeyen (Rabobank Continental), Maximiliano Richeze (CSF Group Navigare) plus the other 70 riders in the main bunch.
Ciarán Power was best of the Irish riders in eighth place, the Pezula Racing rider also finishing in the same time as the winner.
The time bonuses saw Cavendish further strengthen his overall lead. He ended the day 13 seconds clear of yesterday’s runner-up Julian Dean (Garmin Chipotle) and a further second ahead of Alexander Kristoff (Joker Bianchi), and also took over the lead in the points classification. He remains best young rider, while Matt Wilson (Team Type 1) stays in the King of the Mountains jersey.
Cavendish was asked what he thought when he heard a crash behind him inside the final 300 metres. “I was thinking only of being first across that line,” he said, before going on to praise the other Columbia riders. “The team rode all day again, and they still had the kick to lead it out full-gas from five kilometres to go, despite riding on the front for so long. They were able to keep the pace fast and that is how strong my team is. I think that without them, my form is not good enough to do anything here.
“Basically, they keep my protected all day and then give me such a perfect lead out at the end that I really had to finish it off with a win.”
Kristoff finished third yesterday and sixth this afternoon, ending the day second in the points ranking behind Cavendish. Things didn’t really go to plan. “I was a little bit far behind in the last sprint,” he said. “It was crazy when you were not in the top ten for the downhill, so I couldn’t get up to the front just before the final kilometre. Then I was really tired, so I didn’t have enough left to go well in the sprint. I tried today, it was hard, but I will try again tomorrow.”
Solo attempt at stage success:
One who certainly gave his all was Swedish national time trial champion Fredrik Ericsson, who attacked alone approximately ten kilometres after the start in Thurles and stayed clear for almost all of the 158 kilometre leg. He built a maximum lead of six minutes 40 seconds yet was finally hauled back with eleven kilometres remaining.
Ericsson is guesting with the Irish-registered Pezula team and said that they had decided beforehand to be aggressive. “For us, we are here to try to get a stage win. We were attacking from the start, like a lot of other riders. I slipped away in a group and when that got caught, the peloton slowed a little bit and I went.
“Once I got a gap, I was just eating, pushing the pedals and trying to keep the speed up a much as possible. It was pretty much like a long time trial. I am a time trail specialist so I just looked at it from that perspective the whole way.
Although he rode strongly, the odds were stacked against him due to the distance and the winds. “The conditions in the end were not ideal for staying away solo because there was a really strong headwind in the last thirty or forty kilometres.
“I suspected that something extraordinary had to happen if I was going to stay away. I’d either have to have fantastic legs in the end, or there would have to be a major crash in the peloton. That said, at one point I was thinking that if I had the legs, I could actually win it. But I ran out of gas at the end.”
The Pezula team have experienced financial difficulties this year, and so team manager Brian O’Loughlin was delighted at the effort made and the TV time gained. “It was phenomenal, it is fantastic exposure,” he said. “Fredrik is a real good guy. He is a national time trail champion, beating Gustav Larson recently. It is debatable whether he should have gone to the Olympics or not, considering Larson finished second. He is a great guy.
“This was fantastic for the team, given our financial difficulties with the sponsor. It is tremendously important for us to showcase what we can do, especially with all the big guns here.”
One of those big guns is certainly Cavendish, and his team drove the pace all the way to the finish. This kept their man away from two crashes and set him up for another sprint victory. It’s his fifteenth win of the season and follows on from other results such as a superb four stage victories in the Tour de France and two in the Giro d’Italia.
From an Irish perspective, Power’s eighth place was the highlight of the day. National road race champion Daniel Martin was forced to withdraw from the event during the stage; he had been suffering from a virus and had both stomach problems and respiratory congestion as a result. The Garmin Chipotle rider was very disappointed as he had pinpointed the race as one of his big targets.
The 2.1-ranked Tour of Ireland continues tomorrow with an undulating 201 kilometre stage from Ballinrobe to Galway. Cavendish has a relatively good chance of holding on, but is likely to find the weekend stages more difficult. When asked, Ericsson sounded unsure about the odds of the Manxman remaining at the top.
“I don’t know,” he said. “The last two days are really hilly so I think he is going to have it tough. He [Cavendish] is world class in one thing and I would be very impressed if he managed to be world class in the climbing as well.”
How it unfolded:
A total of 108 riders lined out for the start of the second stage of the Tour of Ireland, a 158 kilometre undulating route from Thurles to Loughrea. Two category three climbs featured, namely Mauherslieve and Tountinna, as well as An Post hot spot sprints in Slivermines, Portuman and Loughrea.
The weather was overcast and the roads were wet, but things started to dry out soon after the flag dropped. There was a steady stream of attacks, with various early moves including riders such as Sean Lacey (Irish national team), Simon Holt (Rapha Condor Recycling.co.uk), Kieran Page (Pezula Racing), Lars Petter Nordhaug (Joker Bianchi), Gonzalo Rabunal Rios (Karpin Galicia) and Daniel Lloyd (An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly).
At the same time, Chris Sutton (Garmin Chipotle), Waylon Woolcock (MTN Energade) and then Irish road race champion Daniel Martin (Garmin Chipotle) went back to speak to the doctor. He advised each of them to stop the race, and this they each did during the stage.
Martin was particularly disappointed as he had targeted the race. He had shown excellent form in the recent Tour of Portugal, finishing tenth overall and second in the best young rider competition, but luck was not on his side in Ireland due to a virus.
After eleven kilometres of racing, six riders were marginally ahead. They were caught but one of them - Fredrik Ericsson (Pezula Racing) – went again and quickly opened up a decent lead. By the time he reached the category three summit of Mauherslieve (km 28.5) he was already three minutes 40 seconds clear. He crested the top well ahead of the next riders, namely mountains leader Matthew Wilson (Team Type 1), fellow Australian Simon Clarke (Southaustralia.com – AIS) and Moises Aldape Chavez (Team Type 1).
Ericsson took the An Post bonus sprint at Silvermines (km 46.1) where Mark Cavendish (Team Columbia), Juan Van Heerden (Team MTN) and Julian Dean (Team Garmin-Chipotle p/b H30) took the remaining points on offer. The leader still had a lead of over three minutes there, despite suffering a puncture.
The day’s second climb, Tountinna, came 53.5 kilometres after the start. Wilson bolstered his lead in the king of the mountains classification when he finished second there, crossing the line ahead of team-mate Moises Aldape Chavez and David George (Team MTN). Up front, Ericsson safely made it down the badly-surfaced descent and by the time he entered the feedzone, 62 kilometres after the start, he was over six minutes clear. This went up to the maximum of six minutes 40 seconds soon afterwards.
The sun was shining almost constantly at this point and this plus the encouragement of the spectators was a morale boost to the leader. He needed that; tough, rolling roads and a gradual winding-up of the pace behind saw his advantage start to fall. One hundred kilometres after the start, he was five minutes 24 seconds ahead, and this lead had dropped to three minutes by the time he took the An Post intermediate sprint in Portumna, approximately 50 kilometres from the end. Dean, Alexander Kristoff (Joker Bianchi) and Cavendish were next across the line.
The Columbia-led peloton was determined to get him back and kept the pressure on. Once past the finish line to begin the sixteen kilometre finishing circuit, his lead was just 42 seconds. The final An Post sprint took place here and he scooped the points ahead of Dean, Kristoff and Cavendish.
Ericsson kept pushing but despite a crash in the peloton, there was no avoiding the inevitable. He was caught with eleven kilometres to go, after which Kristian House (Rapha Condor Recycling.co.uk) attacked and pulled six seconds ahead. He too was recaptured with four kilometres to go.
There was another crash in the final kilometre but Cavendish stayed out of trouble and jetted to win number two, defending his jersey with panache. Michael van Staeyen (Rabobank) and Max Richeze (CSF Group Navigare) were second and third, but never looked like troubling the Columbia rider.
He ended the day thirteen seconds clear in the general classification. Tomorrow’s undulating 201kilometre stage to Galway could also go down to a bunch gallop, but his yellow jersey is likely to be under greater threat on the tougher two final stages.
---------
Some pictures of Stage 2 courtesy of Sportsfile
 |
| 28 August 2008; Mark Cavendish, Team Columbia, signs an autograph for a fan after winning the second stage of the Tour of Ireland into Loughrea, Co. Galway. 2008 Tour of Ireland - Stage 2, Thurles - Loughrea. Picture credit: Stephen McCarthy / SPORTSFILE |
 |
| 28 August 2008; A general view of the peloton crossing the the River Shannon, in Portumna, Co. Galway. 2008 Tour of Ireland - Stage 2, Thurles - Loughrea. Picture credit: Stephen McCarthy / SPORTSFILE |
 |
| 28 August 2008; Sean Kelly in conversation with Daniel Lloyd, An Post sponsored Sean Kelly team, ahead of the start of the race in Thurles, Co. Tipperary. 2008 Tour of Ireland - Stage 2, Thurles - Loughrea. Picture credit: Stephen McCarthy / SPORTSFILE |
 |
| 28 August 2008; A general view of the riders, including Stephen Gallagher, of the An Post sponsored Sean Kelly team, passing through the An Post sponsored sprint at Silvermines, Co. Tipperary. 2008 Tour of Ireland - Stage 2, Thurles - Loughrea. Picture credit: Stephen McCarthy / SPORTSFILE |
 |
| 28 August 2008; Stephen Gallagher, of the An Post sponsored Sean Kelly team, rides alongside fellow Irish riders Ciaran Power, left, and David O'Loughlin, Pezula, during the second stage of the Tour of Ireland. 2008 Tour of Ireland - Stage 2, Thurles - Loughrea. Picture credit: Stephen McCarthy / SPORTSFILE |
 |
| 28 August 2008; A general view of the peloton crossing a bridge in Ballinderry, Co. Tipperary. 2008 Tour of Ireland - Stage 2, Thurles - Loughrea. Picture credit: Stephen McCarthy / SPORTSFILE |
Tour of Ireland (2.1), Ireland, August 27-31:
Stage 2 - August 28: Thurles – Loughrea:
1, Mark Cavendish (Team Columbia) 158 kilometres in 3 hours 57 mins 55 secs
2, Michael Van Staeyen (Rabobank Continental)
3, Maximiliano Richeze Ariel (CSF Group Navigare)
4, Kenny De Haes (Topsport Vlaanderen)
5, Russel Downing (Pinarello Racing Team)
6, Alexander Kristoff (Joker - Bianchi)
7, Zakkari Dempster (Southaustralia.com - AIS)
8, Ciarán Power (Pezula Racing)
9, Boy Van Poppel (Rabobank Continental)
10, Nikolas Maes (Topsport Vlaanderen) all same time
Other Irish:
34, David McCann (Irish National Team)
35, Mark Cassidy (An Post - M. Donnelly - Grant Thornton - Sean Kelly Team)
40, Stephen Gallagher (An Post - M. Donnelly - Grant Thornton - Sean Kelly Team)
54, Roger Aiken (Irish National Team)
65, Stephen O'Sullivan (Irish National Team)
67, David O'Loughlin (Pezula Racing)
69, Paidi O'Brien (An Post - M. Donnelly - Grant Thornton - Sean Kelly Team) all same time
80, Paul Healion (Irish National Team) at 1 min 36 secs
84, Martyn Irvine (Pezula Racing) at 3 mins 4 secs
85, Miceal Concannon (Irish National Team)
88, Sean Lacey (Irish National Team)
91, Andrew Roche (Pinarello Racing Team) all same time
98, Paul Griffin (Irish National Team 5.19
DNF: Daniel Martin (Team Garmin-Chipotle p/b H30)
Sprints:
Silvermines:
1, Fredrik Ericsson (Pezula Racing) 5 pts
2, Mark Cavendish (Team Columbia) 3
3, Juan Van Heerden (Team MTN) 2
4, Julian Dean (Team Garmin-Chipotle p/b H30) 1
Portumna:
1, Fredrik Ericsson (Pezula Racing) 5 pts
2, Julian Dean (Team Garmin-Chipotle p/b H30) 3
3, Alexander Kristoff (Joker – Bianchi) 2
4, Mark Cavendish (Team Columbia) 1
Loughrea 1st Passage:
1, Fredrik Ericsson (Pezula Racing) 5 pts
2, Julian Dean (Team Garmin-Chipotle p/b H30) 3
3, Alexander Kristoff (Joker – Bianchi) 2
4, Mark Cavendish (Team Columbia) 1
Mountains:
Cat 3: Mauherslieve:
1, Fredrik Ericsson (Pezula Racing) 6 pts
2, Matthew Wilson (Team Type 1) 4
3, Simon Clarke (Southaustralia.com – AIS) 2
4, Moises Aldape Chavez (Team Type 1) 1
Cat 3: Tountinna:
1, Fredrik Ericsson (Pezula Racing) 6 pts
2, Matthew Wilson (Team Type 1) 4
3, Moises Aldape Chavez (Team Type) 1 2
4, David George (Team MTN) 1
Teams:
1, CSF Group Navigare, 11 hours 53 mins 45 secs
2, Pinarello CandiTV
3, Rabobank
4, Team Type 1 Cycling Team
5, Topsport Vlaanderen
6, Joker Bianchi Team, all same time
Irish:
12, An Post Sean Kelly Team
15, Pezula
16, Irish National Team, all same time
General classification after stage 2:
1, Mark Cavendish (Team Columbia) 8 hours 57 mins 52 secs
2, Julian Dean (Team Garmin-Chipotle p/b H30) at 13 secs
3, Alexander Kristoff (Joker – Bianchi) at 14 secs
4, Maximiliano Richeze Ariel (CSF Group Navigare) at 19 secs
5, Matthew Wilson (Team Type 1) at 20 secs
6, Juan Van Heerden (Team MTN) at 22 secs
7, Russel Downing (Pinarello Racing Team) at 23 secs
8, Boy Van Poppel (Rabobank Continental)
9, Zakkari Dempster (Southaustralia.com – AIS)
10, Nikolas Maes (Topsport Vlaanderen) all same time
Irish:
12, Ciarán Power (Pezula Racing)
31, Stephen Gallagher (An Post - M. Donnelly - Grant Thornton - Sean Kelly Team)
37, Mark Cassidy (An Post - M. Donnelly - Grant Thornton - Sean Kelly Team)
45, Roger Aiken (Irish National Team) all same time
59, David McCann (Irish National Team) at 1 min 56 secs
69, Kenny De Haes (Topsport Vlaanderen) at 10 mins 3 secs
77, Paidi O'Brien (An Post - M. Donnelly - Grant Thornton - Sean Kelly Team) same time
87, Alejandro Paleo Mosquera (Xacobeo Galicia) at 13 mins 7 secs
89, Andrew Roche (Pinarello Racing Team) same time
90, David O'Loughlin (Pezula Racing) at 13 mins 34 secs
91, Paul Healion (Irish National Team)
92, Sean Lacey (Irish National Team) both same time
94, Paul Griffin (Irish National Team) at 15 mins 22 secs
95, Martyn Irvine (Pezula Racing) at 16 mins 35 secs
96, Miceal Concannon (Irish National Team) at 16 mins 38 secs
104, Stephen O'Sullivan (Irish National Team) at 25 mins 13 secs
Points classification:
1, Mark Cavendish (Team Columbia) 37 pts
2, Alexander Kristoff (Joker – Bianchi) 32
3, Julian Dean (Team Garmin-Chipotle p/b H30) 21
4, Russel Downing (Pinarello Racing Team) 21
5, Boy Van Poppel (Rabobank Continental) 19
6, Fredrik Ericsson (Pezula Racing) 15
Irish:
14, Ciarán Power (Pezula Racing) 8
17, Martyn Irvine (Pezula Racing) 5
Mountains classification:
1, Matthew Wilson (Team Type 1) 39 pts
2, Travis Meyer (Southaustralia.com – AIS) 21
3, David George (Team MTN) 13
4, Fredrik Ericsson (Pezula Racing) 12
5, Johan Coenen (Topsport Vlaanderen) 10
6, Bernhard Eisel (Team Columbia) 8
Irish:
7, Martyn Irvine (Pezula Racing) 8
9, Mark Cassidy (An Post - M. Donnelly - Grant Thornton - Sean Kelly Team) 4
Young rider classification:
1, Mark Cavendish (Team Columbia) 8 hours 57 mins 52 secs
2, Alexander Kristoff (Joker – Bianchi) at 14 secs
3, Juan Van Heerden (Team MTN) at 22 secs
4, Boy Van Poppel (Rabobank Continental) at 23 secs
5, Zakkari Dempster (Southaustralia.com – AIS)
6, Nikolas Maes (Topsport Vlaanderen) both same time
Irish:
18, Mark Cassidy (An Post - M. Donnelly - Grant Thornton - Sean Kelly Team) same time
36, Kenny De Haes (Topsport Vlaanderen) at 10 mins 3 secs
41, Paidi O'Brien (An Post - M. Donnelly - Grant Thornton - Sean Kelly Team) same time
48, Martyn Irvine (Pezula Racing) at 16 mins 35 secs
49, Miceal Concannon (Irish National Team) at 16 mins 38 secs
Teams classification:
1, Topsport Vlaanderen, 26 hours 54 mins 45 secs
2, CSF Group Navigare
3, Pinarello CandiTV
4, Rapha Condor Recycling.co.uk
5, Garmin Chipotle H30
6, Rabobank
Irish:
12, An Post Sean Kelly Team, same time
15, Pezula, at 9 mins 40 secs
16, Irish National Team, at 11 mins 13 secs
IrishCycling.com Information
|
IMPORTANT: All articles,
quotes, results and photographs which appear on this website are strictly © Copyright
2008 Shane Stokes,
IrishCycling.com. Unauthorised
use of quotes or any other copy will not be tolerated, and further action
will be taken.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
