McCann consoled by stage victory

David McCann, riding for Armagh, gained consolation for fourth place on Monday when he won yesterday's stage four of the FBD Milk Ras from Killaloe to Ballinrobe. Paul Helion of Dublin IRC took second and there was a change of leadership with Estonian Erki Putsep heading for Sligo in the yellow jersey today.

What seemed a straightforward stage of 88 miles with two small hills at 16 and 23 miles produced an upheaval at the top of the overall classification as Jon Clay of the British trade team, Linda McCartney, lost the lead.

Putsep, who was in fifth place, 22 seconds behind Clay, is now a minute and eight seconds ahead of Philip Cassidy of the Ireland team with Clay third but two minutes and 56 seconds in arrears. Brian Kenneally (Wicklow) is still two seconds behind Clay with Dermot Finnegan (Meath) another 13 seconds adrift in fifth place. McCann improved from 12th to eighth, he is at 3:39.

Cassidy and Helion started what proved the decisive break when they went clear with Simon Coughlan (Meath) and Anthony Malarczyk (Wales) straight from the start. Cassidy who had decided "up at the front is the place to be today" leaped from sixth place at 1:53 to second at 1:08. With 10 miles covered the leading four were joined by six others - McCann, Andy Lyons (Cheshire), Gary Dodd (Surrey), Kirk Slaon (Antrim), Ian Chivers (Dublin Orwell) and John Blackwell (Kerry) and just before Gort, 32 miles, another 14 came up and Adrian Hedderman (Carlow) took the prime.

Behind the main pack split into three more groups and Clay was left with those at the back. Brooks, the leader at the end of stage one last Saturday, retired from the race near Gort. He is entered for the British Prutour which starts on Sunday.

As big second and third groups formed on the road, Kenneally and Finnegan, who were closest to Clay overall, were left behind with him. Understandably they would not work with the leader, it was up to him to lead the chase after the breakaways but it was unfortunate that they slipped into such arrears with him.

However, when the deficit grew to eight minutes Clay had an exchange of words with those nearest to him in the overall list and it was agreed they would work together in an all-out effort to save the situation.

At Kilcolgan, the halfway point, the second group were almost three minutes behind the leaders with the next group including Eugene Moriarty (Ireland) at 4:45 and those with Clay were at eight minutes. As the top men got going they were only 4:45 behind the leaders but up at the front Cassidy and Helion led by 30 seconds through Tuam.

McCann and Belgian Peter van Hoof set out in pursuit, followed by Lyons and James Griffiths (Wales) and they rejoined Cassidy and Helion. After passing the 10 kilometres McCann sprinted ahead and he kept going strongly all the way to the line where he had 14 seconds to spare over Helion, who held off van Hoof, Lyons and Griffiths for second place with Cassidy another three seconds behind.

When McCann arrived up the hill to the finish in Killaloe on Monday he thought he had won as he did not know the three Dutchmen were ahead so yesterday was great compensation. McCann has been racing in France and he was not among the Ras entries but he was accommodated when he arrived home in Belfast last Tuesday.

Putsep, from Tartu, will be 23 next Tuesday. It is only his third stage race and he held the leader's jersey once before, in France. He arrived in a group that sprinted for seventh place, 40 seconds down but was not listed in the first 15. Clay came in at the head of a group at 3:58 with Kenneally, Finnegan and Moriarty all included.

Stage four, 88 miles from Killaloe to Ballinrobe - 1, D McCann (Armagh) 3:26:33; 2, P Helion (Dublin IRC) at 14 secs; 3, P van Hoof (Belgium); 4, A Lyons (Cheshire); 5, J Griffiths (Wales) all same time; 6, P Cassidy (Ireland) 17; 7, N Fabien (France) 40; 8, B Doherty (Armagh); 9, D O'Loughlin (Ireland); 10, G Dodd (Surrey) all same time. Prime at Gort, A Hedderman (Carlow).

Overall - 1, E Putsep (Estonia) 14:21:14; 2, Cassidy at 1:08; 3, J Clay (Linda McCartney) 2:56; 4, B Kenneally (Wicklow) 2:58; 5, Dermot Finnegan (Meath) 3:11; 6, C Pearce (USA/Europe) 3:17; 7, E Moriarty (Ireland) 3:21; 8, McCann 3:39; 9, E Dagelet (Netherlands) 4:42; 10, R Hobby (Lincoln) 4:43; 11, Helion 5:05; 12, I Chivers (Dublin Orwell) 5:41. Second category - R Cahill (Wicklow); Ben McKenna under 22 trophy, Helion. Points - 1, P Kil (Netherlands) 29; 2, McCann 27; 3, Kenneally 26. King of the Mountains - 1, J Wright (Cheshire) 19 pts; 2, Dagelet 19; 3, Finnegan 18. Teams - 1, Ireland 43:17:05; 2, Estonia at 7:14; 3, Linda McCartney 10:02. Counties - 1, Wicklow 43:28:05; 2, Armagh at 11 secs; 3, Meath 8:06.