Dean Downing of the Rapha Condor Sharp team won the first stage of this year’s An Post Rás, after edging out Irish youngster Sam Bennett of the An Post-Sean Kelly team, following a tight bunch sprint finish in Portumna, Galway.
(View video highlights from the An Post Rás 2011 here.)
The stage finale finished in controversial circumstances as the race commissiare halted proceedings with just under eight kilometres to go due to a crash which had occurred in the main bunch.
At the time of the crash three riders: Sean Downey (Ireland Team Skoda), Yuriy Agarkov (ISD Lampre Continental) and Pete Williams (Motorpoint) had built up a lead of 32 seconds.
The race restarted after a short delay, with the same time differences given to the break. The trio attempted to stay clear of the pack before being caught inside the final kilometre.
Bennett went on to attack in the sprint, but Downing was too quick and held on for his first ever stage win on the race, claiming the yellow jersey in the process.
Downing takes a four-second lead into stage two, after factoring in time bonuses. Erwan Brenterch (France AVC Aix en Provence) took third place in the sprint and the same place in the general classification, eight seconds behind Downing.
Downing was understandably delighted with his stage win, following a tough day’s racing into a strong headwind for most of the stage. He said: ‘It was so hard out there with the headwind, but we took a gamble with it being a bunch sprint and my team gave me a fantastic lead out. I’m happy to take the victory and overall it’s a great start for the team.’
Meanwhile An Post rider Sam Bennett was disappointed that the race was stopped, which he felt hindered his chances of taking the stage win.
Bennett said: ‘When the race was stopped my legs went to jelly and I didn't have anything left for the sprint.’
He also had high praise for his team-mates which included fellow Irishmen Ronan McLaughlin and Mark Cassidy.
‘The team did most of the work for me today and they all did a brilliant job in bringing me up. We’ll just take every day as it comes now and see what comes in our way,’ he added.
Tomorrow sees the race start up in Portumna at 11am before departing on the 164 kilometre route to the finish in Kilrush.
