CYCLING/FBD MILK RAS: stage 3: Tommy Evans may have successfully retained the yellow jersey of race leadership, but at the end of yesterday's third stage another Irishman was the happiest man in Ballina.
Prior to the race, defending FBD Milk Rás champion Ciarán Power nominated a stage victory as his prime goal in the event; taking a third win in the overall classification would undoubtedly be a bigger achievement, but the lack of a stage win on his palmarès was, he felt, a big omission.
Yesterday he put everything right with a blistering sprint finish. Power timed his surge to perfection, coming off the wheel of Paul Manning just when the Great Britain rider was starting to tire and unleashing a devastating finishing burst which gave him time enough to straighten his jersey, thrust his arms in the air and freewheel, grinning, across the finishing line.
"This feels great; just great," he said, towelled down and changed and heading back to the podium. Signing autographs, shaking hands, smiling for young fans pointing cameras; the satisfaction of this second win of his pro career was clear to see. "I am so happy now. I have ridden the race five times and this is my first stage."
If Power was the happiest man in the race, Evans was probably next in the smiling stakes. On Sunday he won the opening stage, but insisted that it was too early in the race for the Irish team to consider defending the yellow jersey. Two days later, he is still wearing that golden fleece. There may be a long way to go yet in this race, but two stages, the overall lead and their position as best international team is a huge boost for the Ireland team, who are up against the toughest foreign opposition yet assembled.
If things ended up well, they didn't look that way at the start. A big crash at the beginning of the race caused disarray and then 16 miles into the stage, Mark Lovatt (Lancaster Life Repair Group), Chris Newton (Great Britain), Jonas Holmkvist (Bianchi Scandinavia-Sweden) and Tipperary Dan Morrissey's Richie Cahill raced ahead and opened a good lead. Pushed along by a thundering tailwind, the dangerous breakaway forced the Ireland riders to mount a panicked chase, with speeds touching 40mph.
With the mist-shrouded lakes and mountains around Leenane as a spectacular backdrop, their duel was a fascinating one. After 12 miles, this group was finally hauled back but Lovatt forged clear again, this time with Swede Thomas Lovkvist and 2001 winner Paul Manning. The Team Ireland squad were ready, though; David O'Loughlin slipped into the move and Power later managed to jump across, in turn sparking off a reaction from behind and forming an eventual 50-man front group.
Present were most of the main contenders, including Evans, but behind the remainder of the field were splintered into small, suffering packs. Once through Westport Lovatt tried again and opened up a substantial gap. But he was finally overhauled with just one mile remaining.
Power was ready for his chance. Assisted by Evans and Gleeson, he scythed his way through the bunch and manoeuvred his way towards the front. Newton went early, trying to line Manning up for the win. Power was in close attendance, though, and when he kicked, his velocity carried him well clear. Second place went to the impressive Meath Lee Strand Cycleways rider Eugene Moriarty, who sprinted in ahead of former top professional Malcolm Elliott, Paul Manning, and the rest of the front group.
"The team were fantastic today; Andrew (Donnellan) and Vincent (Gleeson) rode very strongly to bring back Lovatt. Tommy Evans helped me get position, and once I got onto Manning's wheel, I knew I had it," said a jubilant Power.
Next up for the riders is today's 107-mile stage to Letterkenny. Morale is high in the Irish squad, but there are still 16 riders within 30 seconds of Evans' lead. The next few days will be crucial for the team.
