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Last Updated: 2 Apr 2018 - 8:45:17 PM |
DEGENKOLB TRIUMPHS ON STAGE SIX, O'LOUGHLIN BOOSTS KOM JERSEY LEAD
By Shane Stokes
28 May 2010,
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On what was the shortest but undoubtedly one of the toughest stages on this year�s FBD Insurance R�s, German rider John Degenkolb (Germany Thuringer Energie) scooped his third major win of the year in Gorey. The 21 year old followed up on his two stage victories in the Tour of Brittany by outsprinting Dan Craven (Britain Rapha Condor Sharp) into Gorey. The duo had broken clear together towards the end of the 127 kilometre leg, and were strong enough to hold off the chase behind.
�It was a very good stage for me and my team,� he said afterwards. �We did some very good work today and in the end we got the win. The hills today were very hard�the first category climb was a four kilometre mountain. I had good legs today, my team too. They made the pace and then I attacked, going away with Dan Craven and winning the sprint.�
Craven said that they tried to split things up going over the category one climb of Corabutt, but that other teams wouldn�t work. He was then active towards the end, attacking twice and then getting into the decisive move.
�On the second last King of the Mountains, I was in a small break and then jumped away from them as they were caught, going away on my own,� he said. �Then I realised, �hey, maybe I am feeling better than it feels I am, or maybe everyone else is feeling worse than I am feeling.�
�I realised that I wasn�t going anywhere on my own as there was a bit of a headwind, so I sat up. The bunch caught me, and then on the last King of the Mountains, I saw John Degenkolp go straight from the bottom. Everyone around him wasn�t really going, so I just gave it my all and got across to him.�
From that point on, the two worked well together. Craven said that his main aim was to gain time for the general classification fight and so he wasn�t too preoccupied with the stage win; chasing the final yellow jersey is his biggest priority and his strong ride today means that he remains in with a chance of the overall victory.
It was a nervous day in the saddle for the race leader Alex Wetterhall. His Sweden � Team Sprocket squad worked hard to keep him in yellow and to contain a large number of attacks from his rivals. He eventually finished in a large bunch sprinting for third, losing 50 seconds to Degenkolb and Craven but preserving his advantage over his closest challengers.
Shane Archbold (New Zealand) led in the chasers, galloping to the line ahead of Lucas Schadlich (Germany Thuringer Energie) and Mariusz Wiesiak (Japan - Nippo). Stephen O�Sullivan (Meath Engraveit.ie/Jade.ie) was best Irishman in eleventh, while Connor McConvey (An Post Grant Thornton M. Donnelly Sean Kelly) also finished in the same time and is top home rider in seventh overall.
McConvey�s team-mate David O�Loughlin was one of the strongest riders on the stage, attacking after approximately 30 kilometres and pushing on ahead with 2009 FBD R�s champion Simon Richardson (Britain Sigmasport Specialized) plus Wetterhall�s team-mate Fredrik Johansson.
The Mayo rider took top points on four of the day�s seven climbs, underlining his strength when he temporarily rode away from the other two on the first category Corabutt. The display boosted his hold on the pink King of the Mountains jersey. He now has a 15 point advantage over Richardson and if he can continue gaining points tomorrow, can start Sunday�s final stage with what will be a very solid lead in the competition.
The trio stayed clear until 30 kilometres from the end, being caught just before Carnew, and from there Craven and Degenkolb ramped up the pace and went on to fight it out for the stage win. Others tried to get across to them but were unable to do so.
Wetterhall admitted to being under big pressure at times. �I had a rough beginning and my team worked very hard for me to keep the jersey. They did a good job, but I had to do a lot of work myself. As a team, we are really strong, but it starts to hurt now. There is more climbing tomorrow so I hope to recover for that one.�
He said that he was most worried when a big group jetted clear with 30 kilometres to go. �We had nobody in the move,� he explained. �My team had done a lot before that and they were pretty cooked. I was on the front myself and I couldn�t close it down. I was up there for a couple of minutes, just chasing, chasing and chasing.
�After a while, one of my team-mates came up and helped me, and we managed to close it down anyway. That was the most worrying part of the race. Later, all five of us were on the front, going pretty fast to stop attacks. Things worked out fine in the end.�
Wetterhall is eight seconds clear of his nearest rival, the Austrian Josef Kugler (Austria Arb� KTM-Gebr�der Weis). His next-closest challenger is Peter Williams (Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta), who is one second further back, but after that, team-mate John Anderson (Sweden - Team Sprocket Pro) is a minute and a half behind.
Craven�s effort today moves the former race leader up to fifth overall, while Degenkolb progresses to twelfth. In all there are nine riders within two minutes of the yellow jersey. Two stages remain including tomorrow�s tough 151 kilometre race from Gorey to Kilcullen, and with the race being so notoriously difficult to control, there is still plenty of racing ahead.
�It�s hard to say who is the biggest threat, as there are a lot of strong riders here,� he said. �Of course I am worried about the guys who are next to me. There are two more days and everybody reacts differently on these stage races. Some guys might have good legs tomorrow, some may not. We will see.�
Saturday�s seventh stage travels over some of the toughest roads in Wicklow. Four categorised climbs are lying in wait, including the cat 1 Drumgoff and Wicklow Gap ascents, and so he�ll hope that he is one of those with good sensations.
How it happened:
Stage six was the shortest of this year�s FBD Insurance R�s but, with seven climbs, it was also one of the toughest. A total of 137 riders took to the start, with the best-placed county rider Philip Lavery (Murphy and Gunn/Newlyn Group) opting to pull out in advance of next week�s Nations Cup race in Canada. He wanted to ensure he is fully recovered prior to the start of that event.
The stage was run off in memory of Paul Healion, who won the sixth stage last year but then tragically passed away three months later in a car accident.
There were a number of early attacks but each of those were hauled back by the Sweden � Sprocket Cycling team of Alex Wetterhall. However the elastic finally snapped after approximately 30 kilometres of racing when
Simon Richardson (Britain Sigmasport Specialised), David O'Loughlin (Belgium An Post Grant Thornton M. Donnelly Sean Kelly) and Fredrik Johansson (Sweden - Team Sprocket Pro) raced clear.
They succeeded in building an advantage of over a minute by the 57 kilometre point, and were looking good to stay away for quite some time. Various other riders tried to bridge across, including Conor McAllistair (Ireland Subway National Team), Michael Fitzgerald (Limerick BDO Get Back) and Stephen O�Sullivan (Meath Engraveit.ie/Jade.ie), but nobody succeeded.
Richardson was the winner of last year�s FBD Insurance R�s and was best placed overall of the trio, sitting 20th overall. However his deficit of four minutes 28 seconds meant that the trio would be given a bit of leeway, as they were no immediate threat to the yellow jersey. Johansson was also there to police the move, so there was no panic on the part of Wetterhall.
Just before the start of the first of seven categorised climbs, the gap was up to nearly two minutes. King of the Mountains leader O�Loughlin then took top points on that ascent, the category three hill of Knockdramagh. Richardson and Johansson were second and third. Behind, Ian Bibby (Motorpoint Marshall�s Pasta) took fourth place, and joined up with John Degenkolb (Germany Thuringer Energie), Dan Craven (Britain Rapha Condor Sharp), Peter Williams (Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta) and yesterday�s winner Jon Tiernan-Locke (Britain Rapha Condor Sharp) in pursuit.
The leaders raced on to the second category climb of The Heights, where O�Loughlin again led Richardson and Johannson across the summit. Craven, Bibby and Williams took fourth, fifth and sixth, but their group was then reeled in.
Almost immediately after the prime line, the leaders started the day�s biggest climb, the first category Corrabut. There O�Loughlin showed his strength when he simply rode away from the others, dropping Richardson first and then shedding Johannson. He crossed the summit 17 seconds ahead of the Swede, then joined up after the descent.
The yellow jersey of Alexander Wetterhall was in a chase group at that point, approximately a minute behind. These were led over the top by Tiernan Locke and Degenkolb, then later recaptured after O�Loughlin nabbed top points � again � on the category three climb of Corragh (km 89.8). However a 70-man bunch was closing in at this point and the leading three sat up soon afterwards.
O�Loughlin�s team-mate Pieter Ghyllebert was first to the top of the next climb, the category three in Carnew, while O�Loughlin had enough left to pick up two points for fourth. After the top, eight riders went clear -
Dan Craven (Britain Rapha Condor Sharp), Peter Williams (Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta), John Degenkolb (Germany Thuringer Energie), Joseph Lewis (Australia Drapac Porsche), Connor McConvey and Pieter Ghyllebert (Belgium An Post Grant Thornton M. Donnelly Sean Kelly), Wouter Sybrandy (Britain Sigmasport Specialized) and Jakob Steigmiller (Germany Thuringer Energie).
Several others got across, namely Josef Kugler (Austria Arb� KTM-Gebr�der Weis), David Pell (Australia Drapac Porsche), John Anderson (Sweden - Team Sprocket Pro) and Rhys Lloyd (Wales), and these established a lead of 18 seconds. However the group behind hauled them back.
Stage one winner Craven was feeling energetic and attacked, cresting the third cat at Monaseed alone. He held a ten second lead with 20 kilometres remaining, then realised it was too far to go alone and sat up. However the next climb, that of Laraheenhill, saw Degenkolb hit the jets and Craven went with him there. The two combined to pull clear, fending off a chase by Bibby, John McEvoy and Williams (all Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta), and opened up a lead of 50 seconds by the finish.
There, Degenkolb was first in the sprint to the line, taking the win ahead of Craven and moving to the head of the points standings. Shane Archbold (New Zealand), Lucas Schadlich (Germany Thuringer Energie) and Mariusz Wiesiak (Japan - Nippo) led home a 54 man chase group, with O�Sullivan being the best-placed of the Irish riders in eleventh.
Wetterhall finished in the same time as his main rivals and maintained his place at the top of the general classification. Craven and Degenkolb advanced to fifth and twelfth overall as a result of the time gained, but still remain one minute 32 seconds and two minutes 19 seconds back respectively.
O�Loughlin�s strong performances over the climbs moved him into a strong position in the King of the Mountains classification. He now has 57 points, 15 more than Richardson, and will look to defend the pink jersey tomorrow and Sunday.
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FBD Insurance R�s (2.1, May 23 � 30)
Stage 6, Carrick on Suir � Gorey:
1, John Degenkolb (Germany Thuringer Energie) 127 kilometres in 2 hours 59 mins 58 secs
2, Dan Craven (Britain Rapha Condor Sharp) same time
3, Shane Archbold (New Zealand) at 50 secs
4, Lucas Schadlich (Germany Thuringer Energie)
5, Mariusz Wiesiak (Japan - Nippo)
6, Joseph Lewis (Australia Drapac Porsche)
7, John Anderson (Sweden - Team Sprocket Pro)
8, Alessio Signego (Japan - Nippo)
9, Peter Williams (Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta)
10, John McEvoy (Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta)
11, Stephen O'Sullivan (Meath Engraveit.ie/Jade.ie)
12, Wouter Sybrandy (Britain Sigmasport Specialized)
13, Matt Cronshaw (Britain Rapha Condor Sharp)
14, Kit Gilham (Britain Sigmasport Specialized)
15, Andrew Roche (Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta) all same time
KOM Category 3, Knockdramagh (km 71):
1, David O'Loughlin (Belgium An Post Grant Thornton M. Donnelly Sean Kelly) 5
2, Simon Richardson (Britain Sigmasport Specialized) 4
3, Fredrik Johansson (Sweden - Team Sprocket Pro) 3
4, Ian Bibby (Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta) 2
KOM Category 2, The Heights (km 74.1)
1, David O'Loughlin (Belgium An Post Grant Thornton M. Donnelly Sean Kelly) 10
2, Simon Richardson (Britain Sigmasport Specialized) 8
3, Fredrik Johansson (Sweden - Team Sprocket Pro) 6
4, Dan Craven (Britain Rapha Condor Sharp) 4
5, Ian Bibby (Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta) 3
6, Peter Williams (Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta) 1
KOM category 1, Corrabutt:
1, David O'Loughlin (Belgium An Post Grant Thornton M. Donnelly Sean Kelly) 15
2, Fredrik Johansson (Sweden - Team Sprocket Pro) 12
3, Simon Richardson (Britain Sigmasport Specialized) 10
4, Jon Tiernan-Locke (Britain Rapha Condor Sharp) 8
5, John Degenkolb (Germany Thuringer Energie) 6
6, Connor McConvey (Belgium An Post Grant Thornton M. Donnelly Sean Kelly) 5
7. Wouter Sybrandy (Britain Sigmasport Specialized) 3
KOM cat 3, Corragh (km 89.8):
1, David O'Loughlin (Belgium An Post Grant Thornton M. Donnelly Sean Kelly) 5
2, Simon Richardson (Britain Sigmasport Specialized) 4
3, Fredrik Johansson (Sweden - Team Sprocket Pro) 3
4, Wouter Sybrandy (Britain Sigmasport Specialized) 2
KOM cat 3, Carnew (km 99.5):
1, Pieter Ghyllebert (Belgium An Post Grant Thornton M. Donnelly Sean Kelly) 5
2, Wouter Sybrandy (Britain Sigmasport Specialized) 4
3, Jakob Steigmiller (Germany Thuringer Energie) 3
4, David O'Loughlin (Belgium An Post Grant Thornton M. Donnelly Sean Kelly) 2
KOM cat 3, Monaseed (km 106.4):
1, Dan Craven (Britain Rapha Condor Sharp) 5
2, Rob Partridge (Wales) 4
3, John Degenkolb (Germany Thuringer Energie) 3
4, Stephen Gallagher (Britain Sigmasport Specialized) 2
Category 3 KOM, Laraheenhill (km 112.3):
1, Dan Craven (Britain Rapha Condor Sharp) 5
2, John Degenkolb (Germany Thuringer Energie) 4
3, Ian Bibby (Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta) 3
4, Wouter Sybrandy (Britain Sigmasport Specialized) 2
County rider:
1, Stephen O'Sullivan (Meath Engraveit.ie/Jade.ie)
2, Mark Dowling (Meath Engraveit.ie/Jade.ie)
3, Ryan Sherlock (Dublin Eurocycles)
CI category 2:
1, John Dempsey (Tipperary Dan Morrissey) 3 hours 48 secs
2, Rory Wyley (Tipperary Dan Morrissey) same time
3, Lorcan Davoust (Dublin Zilcom-South Dublin) at 26 secs
International team:
1, Germany Thuringer Energie, 9 hours 1 min 343 secs
2, Britain Rapha Condor Sharp
3, Japan � Nippo, both same time
County team:
1, Dublin Eurocycles, 9 hours 2 mins 24 secs
2, Tipperary Dan Morrissey, same time
3, Meath Engraveit.ie/Jade.ie, 9 hours 16 mins 29 secs
General classification after 6 stages:
1, Alexander Wetterhall (Sweden - Team Sprocket Pro) 17 hours 46 mins 18 secs
2, Josef Kugler (Austria Arb� KTM-Gebr�der Weis) at 8 secs
3, Peter Williams (Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta) at 59 secs
4, John Anderson (Sweden - Team Sprocket Pro) at 1 min 28 secs
5, Dan Craven (Britain Rapha Condor Sharp) at 1 min 32 secs
6, David Pell (Australia Drapac Porsche) at 1 min 34 secs
7, Connor McConvey (Belgium An Post Grant Thornton M. Donnelly Sean Kelly) at 1 min 45 secs
8, Jon Tiernan-Locke (Britain Rapha Condor Sharp) same time
9, Joseph Lewis (Australia Drapac Porsche) at 1 min 46 secs
10, Rob Partridge (Wales) at 1 min 49 secs
11, Pieter Ghyllebert (Belgium An Post Grant Thornton M. Donnelly Sean Kelly) at 2 mins 4 secs
12, John Degenkolb (Germany Thuringer Energie) at 2 mins 19 secs
13, Stuart Shaw (Australia Drapac Porsche) at 2 mins 35 secs
14, Andrew Roche (Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta) at 2 min 57 secs
15, Ian Bibby (Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta) at 3 mins 29 secs
Points:
1, John Degenkolb (Germany Thuringer Energie) 42
2, Peter Williams (Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta) 40
3, Dan Craven (Britain Rapha Condor Sharp) 37
4, Joseph Lewis (Australia Drapac Porsche) 30
5, Pieter Ghyllebert (Belgium An Post Grant Thornton M. Donnelly Sean Kelly) 29
King of the mountains:
1, David O'Loughlin (Belgium An Post Grant Thornton M. Donnelly Sean Kelly) 57
2, Simon Richardson (Britain Sigmasport Specialized) 42
3, Fredrik Johansson (Sweden - Team Sprocket Pro) 34
4, Dan Craven (Britain Rapha Condor Sharp) 29
5, Jon Tiernan-Locke (Britain Rapha Condor Sharp) 25
Under 23:
1, Connor McConvey (Belgium An Post Grant Thornton M. Donnelly Sean Kelly) 17 hours 48 mins 3 secs
2, Joseph Lewis (Australia Drapac Porsche) at 1 sec
3, John Degenkolb (Germany Thuringer Energie) at 34 secs
County rider:
1, Ryan Sherlock (Dublin Eurocycles) 17 hours 52 mins 42 secs
2, Paul Griffin (Tipperary Dan Morrissey) at 16 secs
3, Conor Murphy (Dublin Eurocycles) at 31 secs
International team:
1, Belgium An Post Grant Thornton M. Donnelly Sean Kelly, 53 hours 21 mins 40 secs
2, Britain Rapha Condor Sharp, at 1 min 26 secs
3, Motorpoint Marshall�s Pasta, at 2 mins 1 sec
County team:
1, Dublin Eurocyles, 53 hours 38 mins 39 secs
2, Tipperary Dan Morrissey, at 45 secs
3, Limerick BDO Get Back, at 42 mins 41 secs
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