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Last Updated: 2 Apr 2018 - 8:45:17 PM |
A crash during the stage brought about another change of race leader at the finish in Tralee, Stephen McMahon was there to capture the action.
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| A blast from the past: the front cover of the official programme from the 1978 Rαs Tailteann The Health Race. Noel Clarke from County Meath is featured on the right hand side, his right arm in a bandage. Noel is part of the signposting team on the 2008 edition of the race. ©: Stephen McMahon. |
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| The less than ideal weather conditions did not dissuade people from coming out to welcome the race to The Kingdom of Kerry. ©: Stephen McMahon. |
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| Meanwhile, out on the road, Iranian rider Abbas Saeidi Tanha (Iran Islamic Azad University) has broken clear of the main field and is riding well. ©: Stephen McMahon. |
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| Ciaran Power (Ireland Pezula Racing Team) leads Paul Healion (Dublin McNally Swords) and Dean Downing (Britain Stena Rapha Condor Recycling.co.uk). ©: Stephen McMahon. |
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| Winning in the rain: David McCann (Team Ireland) romped home to take an important victory on Stage 4 of the 2008 FBD Insurance Rαs. The man from Belfast was so focused on maximizing his time advantage over his rivals for the race lead that he did not indulge in a victory salute. ©: Stephen McMahon. |
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| Wojciech Dybel (Poland National Team) took second on the stage. ©: Stephen McMahon. |
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| Tiedt Yannick (Germany Stevens von Hacht) hits the line with Roger Aiken (Team Ireland), Stephen Gallagher (Ireland An Post Sean Kelly Team) and Khormizi Razael (Iran Islamic Azad University) finishing just behind. ©: Stephen McMahon. |
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| Riders on the storm: Paidi OBrien (Ireland An Post Sean Kelly Team) leads home a small group as the heavens open in earnest. ©: Stephen McMahon. |
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| Graham Hurley (Dublin Dundrum Town Centre) shows his relief at having completed a particularly demanding stage. ©: Stephen McMahon. |
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| Stage winner David McCann (Team Ireland) pays the price for his considerable efforts. ©: Stephen McMahon |
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| His grimace soon turned to a smile as he made his way to the victory podium. ©: Stephen McMahon. |
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| Craig Sweetman (Meath Martin Donnelly) weaves his way through the finish line crowd after another hard day on the road. Unfortunately, his injured teammate Simon Mulvany was left with no choice but to abandon the race. ©: Stephen McMahon. |
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| Eugene Moriarty (Meath - MyHome.ie BDBC) took the County Rider prize on his home turf. ©: Stephen McMahon. |
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| Paul Griffin (Team Ireland) crosses the line in his home town. ©: Stephen McMahon. |
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| A Coke but no smile: Neil Coleman (Britain Plowman Craven) gets some sugars on board after a tough stage. ©: Stephen McMahon. |
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| Eugene Moriarty (Meath - MyHome.ie BDBC) receives his Cuchulainn Crystal County Rider prize from Race Director Dermot Dignam. ©: Stephen McMahon. |
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| Bogdan Stoytchev (Bulgaria Nessebar) took third place on the stage. ©: Stephen McMahon. |
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| Dale Appleby (Britain Stena Rapha Condor Recycling.co.uk) receives his white jersey as best placed U-23 rider.©: Stephen McMahon. |
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| Chris Newton (Britain Stena Rapha Condor Recycling.co.uk) retained his lead in the King of the Mountains classification.©: Stephen McMahon. |
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| Dean Downing (Britain Stena Rapha Condor Recycling.co.uk) also retained his lead in the Points Classification.©: Stephen McMahon. |
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| The wind and rain had not affected David McCanns sense of humour as he waited patiently for the rewards of his efforts. ©: Stephen McMahon. |
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| After a day marred by foul weather and crashes, David McCann (Team Ireland) emerged victorious on Stage 4 and donned the yellow jersey. ©: Stephen McMahon. |
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| The men of the Rαs after Stage 4: third on the stage, Bogdan Stoytchev (Bulgaria Nessebar), Best Placed County Rider, Eugene Moriarty (Meath - MyHome.ie BDBC), winner of the stage and new race leader, David McCann (Team Ireland), Points leader, Dean Downing (Britain Stena Rapha Condor Recycling.co.uk), Best placed U-23 rider, Dale Appleby (Britain Stena Rapha Condor Recycling.co.uk) and King of the Mountains, Chris Newton (Britain Stena Rapha Condor Recycling.co.uk). ©: Stephen McMahon. |
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| Race leader after Stage 3, Mark Cassidy (Ireland An Post Sean Kelly Team) crashed on Stage 4, landing heavily on his right arm. Pride and adrenalin got him off the ground and back in contact with the main group but the Meath man felt that something serious was wrong and made the difficult but intelligent decision to retire from the race. An x-ray revealed a suspected fracture to his elbow joint. In conversation, Cassidy was upbeat and already talking about being at his best for the National Championships. ©: Stephen McMahon. |
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