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Last Updated: 2 Apr 2018 - 8:45:17 PM |
Winning a race he briefly led one year ago, British rider Simon Richardson today came out best in the FBD Insurance Rás, thus netting his biggest triumph to date.
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| FBD Insurance Ras 2009 Pictures by Peter Purfield |
The Britain Rapha Condor competitor safely kept tabs on his main rivals during the 150 kilometre stage from Clara to Skerries. Whilst he was delayed behind a crash, his two minutes and 49 second lead over Mads Christensen gave him plenty of leeway. But, as things turned out, the crash happened inside the final three kilometres and so no time loss was applied; what’s more, Christensen was also himself delayed.
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| The FBD Ras finished in glorious sunshine in Skerries today - Picture by Peter Purfield |
Richardson’s team combined with the Germany Kuota Indeland squad to control things. As a result no breakaway group succeeded in gaining significant time. “I said it time and again that I had the strongest team in this race,” he said afterwards. “But even so, I still felt a bit of pressure due to the fact that the guys had spent so many kilometres in on the front and worked so hard for this. I needed to do the honours.
“There was a crash in the last two kilometres...I got caught behind it and while we still got credited with the same time, if it had been a couple of kilometres earlier... Anything can happen.”
Quadruple Tour de France stage winner Jaan Kirsipuu (Norway Giant Veolia) took his second stage victory of the race when he won the big gallop to the line. He beat Niko Eeckhout (Ireland An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly) and Ian Wilkinson (Britain Halfords Bike Hut) into second and third, while Russell Downing (Britain CandiTV – Marshall’s Pasta) was fourth.
The Estonian said afterwards that everything worked out perfectly. “I’m satisfied. I missed out in the last three days...I made a little error in each of those sprints and got second, second and third. Today I wasn’t very confident at all, actually, but finally I found myself in the right position. I was third into the last corner, and I was lucky that Ian Wilkinson started his sprint from there...it was the perfect lead-out for me.”
It was his second time competing in Ireland, the 39 year old having ridden the 1998 Tour de France which started in Dublin.
“I enjoyed this race,” he said. “I was afraid at the beginning that it would be harder. It was still hard, but it was okay for me. There was only one time when it was a bit much for me, that was the stage to Conor Pass.”
Things also went well for Eeckhout; he beat Russell Downing (Britain Candi TV Marshall’s Pasta) by two places, thus making sure of his victory in the green jersey classification.
His team-mate David O’Loughlin earned the second classification jersey for the team today. He had a crash early on but recovered and successfully retained the pink jersey of King of the Mountains leader. The Mayo rider also finished tenth overall, two places behind the best-placed Irish competitor David McCann.
“I was happy to defend it [the jersey] today and at least get something out of the race,” he said. “The Rás didn’t quite go to plan. It was a very, very difficult race to win.”
All could have been lost if his crash was more serious, but fortunately things worked out fine. “I came down earlier in the stage, as did David McCann,” he said. “I am a bit sore all right, but I got back on and tried to forget about it. The primes themselves were fairly straightforward... I had to go hard once or twice, but apart from that it was fine. I could then ease off then for the last two and concentrate then on leading Niko out.
“Mark [Cassidy] was in the front group all right, but Nicholas Walker was there and he is fairly fast. So we worked to bring it back. Overall, we are happy with the week – we had a stage win and won two jerseys.”
Best of the home riders on the stage were Paul Healion (Ireland, 5th) and Sam Bennett (Tipperary Dan Morrissey, 6th). They also took the only Irish stage wins during the race, with Healion triumphing on Friday into Castlebar and Bennett outsprinting the peloton into Clara on Saturday.
The latter result was hugely significant as he was the youngest rider in the race at 18 years of age, and also the youngest in many years to take a victory.
Apart from netting six top ten placings from the eight stages, Bennett also finished second to Brian Kenneally in the county rider competition, placing third in the under 23 international classification to Mark McNally (Britain Halfords Bike Hut) and finished up 17th overall. John Dempsey (Tipperary Dan Morrissey) was best category two rider in the race.
Attacking finale:
The home riders had an aggressive showing on the stage, with both Brian Kenneally (Meath Engraveit.ie) and Cassidy going on the attack in separate groups. While they were unable to stay clear, Kenneally had the consolation of winning the best county rider classification. His Meath Engraveit.ie/BDBC squad were also best county team.
“I got the team prize and the county rider prize too,” he said. “ But it was a very frustrating Rás – I’ve never seen anything like it! There was a bunch sprint [practically] every day.
“On the first of the two laps today I went away on top of the climb with Downing. Benny de Schrooder was there but was sitting on...ah, in this race what can you do? When we got caught there was a big chase and the group that did go fell off the front and I missed it. I felt good, but the race this year has been frustrating.”
Not so for John Herety, manager of the Rapha Condor squad. It won the race with Richardson and also dominated the best International team competition. He’s got a strong track record and thoroughly enjoyed his time here.
“I’ve had four wins in seven editions of the race,” he said. “I did it with Paul Manning, did it for one of Chris Newton’s wins, as well as Kristian House and now Simon.
“Today was pretty straight forward, not a problem at all, really. Always under control, always very strong. We used Tom Southam and Kristian House in the early part of it. No-one really attacked...we set the pace so high that nobody could really attack us. The nature of the route has also helped our situation as there was less climbing in the last few days.”
An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly team manager Kurt Bogaerts was also satisfied, even if his riders didn’t succeed in repeating the overall win they secured last year with Stephen Gallagher.
“The yellow was quickly gone...we needed a miracle to be able to get back into the running,” he said, referring to the time loss stage one winner Eeckhout and the rest of the team suffered on stage three. “So it was necessary to reassess and see what was the maximum we could get out of this race. The mountains jersey was a big objective; then, near the end we came closer to the points jersey. Then we had two jerseys, and that is what we wanted to bring home.”
How it unfolded:
For the first time this week, clear blue skies greeted the riders as they lined out for the start of the stage. After a brief delay, things got underway and 139 riders rolled out from Clara, ready for the 150 kilometre final leg to Skerries. Simon Kelly (Dublin IRC Usher Insulations) was the only non starter.
Straight away the Rapha Condor team of race leader Simon Richardson and the Germany Kuota Indeland team went to the front and started riding tempo. Several riders tried to get clear, these attempts including solo moves by Chris McNamara (Britain Surrey Racing league) and Dale Appleby (Britain Candi TV Marshall’s Pasta) but nothing stuck due to the high pace. In fact, 50 kilometres were covered in the first hour.
Just before that point, there was a large crash and several riders went down, including the KOM leader David O’Loughlin (Ireland An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton). He returned to the peloton but Joachim Pettersen (Norway Giant Veoila) was forced to pull out.
The Rapha Condor and Kuota – Indeland teams backed off the pace to allow the riders to return to the bunch, then knuckled down again. As a result no breaks could form.
After 100 kilometres of racing the riders crested the first of four category three climbs on the stage, namely that of Pluckhimin. Jan Barta (Austria Arbö KTM Junkers) beat Benny Deschrooder (Ireland An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly), Jacques j.v.Rensburg (China Trek Marco Polo) and KOM leader David O'Loughlin (Ireland An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly) to the top, after which De Schrooder and David Fletcher (Britain Halfords Bike Hut) attacked.
They built a lead of 19 seconds and were joined by Mads Christensen (Denmark Designa Kokken) and Ian Wilkinson (Britain Halfords Bike Hut). Unsurprisingly, given that Christensen was second overall, the peloton quickly closed down the move. It also chased down a subsequent solo effort by Matt Stephens (Kildare Projector World), who had the misfortune to crash afterwards and was forced to leave the race.
O’Loughlin essentially sealed his win in the KOM classification when he won the Cross of the Cage climb, 119.3 kilomeres after the start. He beat Spas Gyurov (Greece Heraklion-Nessebar), Jacques j.v.Rensburg (China Trek Marco Polo) and Jaco Venter (China Trek Marco Polo) to the prime line. The bunch had split into two halves at this point and it was clear that the real racing had begun.
Several kilometres after the climb, Mark Cassidy (Ireland An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly), James Spragg (China Trek Marco Polo) and Martin Grashev (Greece Heraklion-Nessebar) accelerated clear and built a decent lead. Cassidy overshot a bend and lost time, but was able to chase back on as they headed into Skerries for the first passage over the finish line. However, despite having a lead of 20 seconds, the bunch quickly got back on terms.
The inevitable counterattack saw Laurent Didier (Denmark Designa Kokken), Russell Downing (Britain Candi TV Marshalls) and Brian Kenneally (Meath Engraveit.ie/BDBC) race clear. Kenneally had won the stage two years ago and wanted to do likewise this time, but they were closed down before the first ascent of the Black Hills (km 132.5). Didier held on to take the top points there, while Barta, Christensen and Richarson were second, third and fourth.
Heading back towards Skerries, Pete Williams (Britain Candi TV Marshalls) and Rob Partridge (Britain Halfords Bike Hut) slipped clear. They were chased by four others, namely Cassidy, Nicholas Walker (Australia Cinelli-Down Under), Stefan Pöll (Austria Arbö KTM Junkers) and Mark McNally (Britain Halfords Bike Hut), and the two groups merged shortly after starting the final 13.8 kilometre lap. Walker took the points the last time up the climb, edging out Poll, McNally and Cassidy and, at the prime line with nine kilometres remaining, they had twenty seconds.
Things were looking good for the break but the bunch wasn’t waiting around. It hurtled back towards Skerries, closing the gap down all the time. Wtih three kilometres to go Sean Downey (Ireland National Team) jumped across to them, but the seven riders were all mopped up. Things were looking certain for Simon Richardson, but he had one final scare when a crash took some riders down and delayed him.
Up front, the race’s biggest sprinters were gearing up for their last duel. Jaan Kirsipuu (Norway Giant Veolia) had been beaten several times this week but judged things just right, thundering to his second stage success. Niko Eeckhout (An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly) secured his grip on the green jersey when he finished second, while former race leader Ian Wilkinson (Britain Halfords Bike Hut) took third.
Best of the home riders on the stage were Paul Healion (Ireland National Team) in fifth and, once place further back, Sam Bennett (Tipperary Dan Morrissey) in sixth.
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FBD Insurance Rás (2.2)
Stage eight, Clara – Skerries:
1, Jaan Kirsipuu (Norway Giant-Veolia)150km in 3 hours 25 mins 13 secs
2, Niko Eeckhout (Ireland An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly)
3, Ian Wilkinson (Britain Halfords Bike Hut)
4, Russell Downing (Britain Candi TV Marshalls)
5, Paul Healion (Ireland National Team)
6, Sam Bennett (Tipperary Dan Morrissey)
7, Espen Jogert (Norway Giant-Veolia)
8, Jaco Venter (China Trek Marco Polo)
9, Ian Bibby (Britain Halfords Bike Hut)
10, Stefan Ganser (Germany Kuota-Indeland)
11, Laurent Didier (Denmark Designa Kokken)
12, Mark Cassidy (Ireland An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly)
13, Kasper Jebjerg (Denmark Designa Kokken)
14, Wouter Sybrandy (Britain C'Shire Sigmasport)
15, Spas Gyurov (Greece Heraklion-Nessebar) all same time
County rider:
1, Sam Bennett (Tipperary Dan Morrissey) 3 hours 25 mins 13 secs
2, Mark Nugent (Waterford Comeragh CC)
3, Brian Kenneally (Meath Engraveit.ie/BDBC) both same time
KOM Primes:
Category 3 climb at Pluckhimin, km 100:
1, Jan Barta (Austria Arbö KTM Junkers) 5 pts
2, Benny Deschrooder (Ireland An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly) 4
3, Jacques j.v.Rensburg (China Trek Marco Polo) 3
4, David O'Loughlin (Ireland An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly) 2
Category 3 climb at Cross of the Cage, km 119.3:
1, David O'Loughlin (Ireland An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly) 5pts
2, Spas Gyurov (Greece Heraklion-Nessebar) 4
3, Jacques j.v.Rensburg (China Trek Marco Polo) 3
4, Jaco Venter (China Trek Marco Polo) 2
Category 3 climb at Black Hills (lap 1), km 132.5:
1, Laurent Didier (Denmark Designa Kokken) 5pts
2, Jan Barta (Austria Arbö KTM Junkers) 4
3, Mads Christensen (Denmark Designa Kokken) 3
4, Simon Richardson (Britain Rapha Condor) 2
Category 3 climb at Black Hills (lap 2), km 146.3:
1, Nicholas Walker (Australia Cinelli-Down Under) 5pts
2, Stefan Pöll (Austria Arbö KTM Junkers) 4
3, Mark McNally (Britain Halfords Bike Hut) 3
4, Mark Cassidy (Ireland An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly) 2
International team:
1, Britain Halfords Bike Hut, 10 hours 15 mins 39 secs
2, Ireland An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly
3, Ireland National Team
4, Norway Giant Veolia
5, Denmark Designa Kokken, all same time
County team:
1, Meath Engraveit.ie/BDBC, 10 hours 15 mins 39 secs
2, Tipperary Dan Morrissey, same time
3, Dublin KTM Winning Solutions, at 4 mins 58 secs
4, Kerry Total Cleaning Supplies, same time
5, Dublin IRC Usher Insulations, at 6 mins 27 secs
Final general classification:
1, Simon Richardson (Britain Rapha Condor) 30 hours 57 mins 17 secs
2, Mads Christensen (Denmark Designa Kokken) at 2 mins 49 secs
3, Jan Barta (Austria Arbö KTM Junkers) at 3 mins 2 secs
4, Darren Lapthorne (Britain Rapha Condor) at 3 mins 24 secs
5, Ian Wilkinson (Britain Halfords Bike Hut) at 3 mins 29 secs
6, Chris Newton (Britain Rapha Condor) at 5 mins 29 secs
7, Russell Downing (Britain Candi TV Marshalls) at 6 mins 7 secs
8, David McCann (Ireland National Team) at 6 mins 9 secs
9, Alexander Gottfried (Germany Kuota-Indeland) at 6 mins 38 secs
10, David O'Loughlin (Ireland An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly) at 6 mins 53 secs
11, Rune Jogert (Norway Giant-Veolia) at 7 mins 17 secs
12, Josef Kugler (Austria Arbö KTM Junkers) at 7 mins 18 secs
13, Benny De Schrooder (Ireland An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly) same time
14, Mark McNally (Britain Halfords Bike Hut) at 7 mins 23 secs
15, Brian Kenneally (Meath Engraveit.ie/BDBC) at 7 mins 46 secs
U23 Rider Overall:
1, Mark McNally (Britain Halfords Bike Hut) 31 hours 4 mins 40 sec
2, Nicholas Walker (Australia Cinelli-Down Under) at 25 secs
3, Sam Bennett (Tipperary Dan Morrissey) at 33 secs
4, Jaco Venter (China Trek Marco Polo) at 41 secs
5, Stephen Halpin (Ireland Development U23) at 1 min 35 secs
CI Category 2 overall:
1, John Dempsey (Tipperary Dan Morrissey) 31 hours 14 mins 57 sec
2, John Mason (Meath Engraveit.ie/BDBC) at 3mins 36 secs
3, Daniel Clifford (Kildare Projector World) at 5 mins 21 secs
4, Chris Coyle (Mayo Castlebar WesternEdge) at 10 mins 52 secs
5, Graham Hurley (Dublin DTC Orwell Wheelers) at 14 mins 14 secs
County Rider Overall:
1, Brian Kenneally (Meath Engraveit.ie/BDBC) 31 hours 5 mins 3 secs
2, Sam Bennett (Tipperary Dan Morrissey) at 10 secs
3, Paul Griffin (Kerry Total Cleaning Supplies) at 1 min 38 secs
4, Philip Lavery (Dublin KTM Winning Solutions) at 4 mins 23 secs
5, Micéal Concannon (Kerry Total Cleaning Supplies) at 5 mins 15 secs
Points Competition:
1, Niko Eeckhout (Ireland An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly) 84 pts
2, Jaan Kirsipuu (Norway Giant-Veolia) 82
3, Russell Downing (Britain Candi TV Marshalls) 82
Mountains Competition:
1, David O'Loughlin (Ireland An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly) 62
2, Kit Gilham (Britain C'Shire Sigmasport) 45
3, David McCann (Ireland National Team) 38
International Team Overall:
1, Britain Rapha Condor, 93 hours 44 secs
2, Denmark Designa Kokken, at 9 mins 42 secs
3, Austria Arbo KTM Junkers, at 10 mins
4, Ireland An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly, at 13 mins 28 secs
5, Ireland National Team, at 16 mins 14 secs
County Team Overall:
1, Meath Engraveit.ie/BDBC, 93 hours 28 mins 37 secs
2, Tipperary Dan Morrissey, at 1 min 22 secs
3, Kerry Total Cleaning Supplies, at 9 mins 35 secs
4, Dublin IRC Usher Insulations, at 12 mins 3 secs
5, Waterford Comeragh CC, at 35 mins 34 secs
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