Stage 6: Scariff - Castlebar, 159 Kilometres
Kicking clear at the final corner and holding on all the way up the finishing straight in Castlebar, Paul Healion today stormed to the first Irish stage victory of this year’s FBD Insurance Rás.
The Ireland National Team competitor outsprinted the rest of the large front group at the finish of the 159 kilometre sixth stage.
Quadruple Tour de France stage victor Jaan Kirsipuu (Norway Giant-Veolia) was second, with the stage winner from Wednesday and Thursday Nicholas Walker (Australia Cinelli-Down Under) placing third.
Former Belgian road race champion Niko Eeckhout (Ireland An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly) was fourth.
‘I’m absolutely delighted – over the moon,’ the 30-year-old Dubliner Healion said afterwards. ‘It has been a long time coming...I have ridden this race nine or 10 times, so I’ve waited this long.
‘It was a really tight finish. There were three roundabouts to negotiate at the end and I kind of got swamped with about 500 metres to go. I saw the bend at 300 metres to go and I jumped into the corner first. Then I kicked again.
‘I didn’t believe I had a gap. I looked under my wheel with about one hundred metres to go and I knew I had it then. I had plenty of time to celebrate.’
Three other Irish riders finished in the first fifteen. Sam Bennett (Tipperary Dan Morrissey) was ninth, the 18-year-old landing his fourth top ten of the week, Aidan Crowley (Meath Engraveit.ie/BDBC) was 12th and Seán Downey (Ireland National Team) was 14th.
Race leader Simon Richardson had a relatively stress-free day, and moved one stage closer towards winning the overall race. He finished safely in the main bunch and preserved his advantage over all of his rivals.
‘We have got the strongest team in the race here and today the guys set an infernal pace,’ he said afterwards.
‘I think everyone in the bunch was cursing [because of the speed]. If we have another day like today the chances of retaining the yellow jersey right through to the finish are good. They increase day by day but, that said, you can never count your chickens in this race because it is just too difficult to control. With small teams you have to fight every inch of the way.’
The stage was marked by a number of unsuccessful early attacks before a five man group moved away approximately 50 kilometres after the start in Scariff.
This comprised of Laurent Didier (Denmark Designa Kokken), former race leader Ian Wilkinson (Britain Halfords Bike Hut), Brian Kenneally (Meath Engraveit.ie/BDBC), Peter Ronsse (Australia Cinelli-Down Under) and Espen Jogert (Norway Giant-Veolia).
Wilkinson had started the day sixth overall, three minutes and 29 seconds behind Richardson, and so was considered a threat.
The Rapha-Condor-led peloton didn’t give the move any leeway until Wilkinson sat up and went back to the bunch, perhaps realising that no rein would be given as long as he was part of the escape.
The other four pressed on, opening up a maximum lead of over two minutes, but they were ultimately caught 40 kilometres from the finish.
David McCann (Ireland National Team), Steve Calland (Britain Surrey Racing League) and Peter Hawkins (Dublin IRC Ushers Insulations) surged clear 10 kilometres later, but the first two sat up soon afterwards. Peter Hawkins persisted for a few more kilometres before he too was reeled in.
‘Today it took 50 kilometres for the break to go, so we raced to that point attacking and covering moves,’ continued Richardson. ‘From there to the finish my four team mates were on the front. We had very little help until maybe ten kilometres to go, when the sprinters got a whiff of the win.’
Apart from his defence of the yellow jersey, others also maintained their own lead in their own classifications.
Russell Downing (Britain CandiTV Marshall’s Pasta) keeps the green jersey of best sprinter, Mark McNally (Britain Halfords Bike Hut) is best young rider, and David O’Loughlin (Ireland An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly) fortified his advantage in the King of the Mountains category.
He took top points on the day’s first climb, the third category ascent of Leecarrow (km 8.1), beating Bjorn Glasner (Germany Kuota-Indeland), his closest rival Kit Gilham (Britain C'Shire Sigmasport) plus Georgi Georgiev (Greece Heraklion-Nessebar).
And while he missed out on points in the day’s other climb, the category three ascent of Killanena (km 18.3), the points gained by Spas Gyurov (Greece Heraklion-Nessebar), Mads Christensen (Denmark Designa Kokken), David McCann (Ireland National Team) and Richardson should not pose any problems. Mathematically, only three riders – Gilham, McCann and Pete Williams (Britain Candi TV Marshall’s Pasta) – can catch him now, but it is highly unlikely.
‘I think at this point in the race I am feeling pretty confident about holding onto the mountains jersey now,’ he confirmed after the stage.
Also gaining confidence is 18-year-old Sam Bennett, who added ninth place today to the sixth, seventh and eighth placings he has already achieved. It’s a very strong performance by someone so young. His assessment shows his competitive nature; he’s riding well, but wants to achieve more.
‘I am happy enough but I am doing so well now that I kind of hope I can do better,’ he said. ‘I am hoping that if I can get into the right position I can compete with the top guys.
‘Today was very fast. I was really struggling at times but near the end I kind of came into my element and it was much better.’
Kenneally was annoyed after the stage, having spent almost 70 kilometres off the front and having nothing to show for it. ‘It’s very frustrating this year,’ he said.
‘There’s a whole lot of negative racing. I couldn’t get the other guys in the break to ride hard; I started pushing it and they said that they would not ride with me if I didn’t back off. I felt very good up there but we ended up being caught. If they'd dug deeper early on we could have had a chance.’ He said that he’ll try to have a go again.
The 2.2-ranked race continues tomorrow with the penultimate stage, a mainly flat 150 kilometre race from Castlebar to Clara.
FBD Insurance Rás (2.2) May 17 – 24:
Stage 6 Scariff – Castlebar:
1 Paul Healion (Ireland National Team) 159kms in 3 hours 45 mins 26 secs
2 Jaan Kirsipuu (Norway Giant-Veolia)
3 Nicholas Walker (Australia Cinelli-Down Under)
4 Niko Eeckhout (Ireland An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly)
5 Kasper Jebjerg (Denmark Designa Kokken)
6 Jaco Venter (China Trek Marco Polo)
7 Joachim Tolles (Germany Kuota-Indeland)
8 Russell Downing (Britain Candi TV Marshalls)
9 Sam Bennett (Tipperary Dan Morrissey)
10 Mark McNally (Britain Halfords Bike Hut)
General classification:
1 Simon Richardson (Britain Rapha Condor) 24 hours 10 mins 21 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 Bert Roesems (Australia Cinelli-Down Under) at 3 mins 19 secs
5 Darren Lapthorne (Britain Rapha Condor) at 3 mins 24 secs
6 Ian Wilkinson (Britain Halfords Bike Hut) at 3 mins 29 secs
7 Chris Newton (Britain Rapha Condor) at 5 mins 29 secs
8 Russ Downing (Britain Candi TV Marshalls) at 6 mins 7 secs
9 David McCann (Ireland National Team) at 6 mins 9 secs
10 Alexander Gottfried (Germany Kuota-Indeland) at 6 mins 38 secs
