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2007 Just over twenty four hours after winning into Derry, Canadian national champion Dominque Rollin once again showed his speed when he won today’s seventh stage of the FBD Insurance Rás in Newcastle, County Down. “My team helped me a bit in the run-up to the sprint,” he said. “We were disrupted a bit by a roundabout and so I just sat on the wheel of the [Estonia Kalev] Chocolate team, then jumped with 200 metres to go. “This is my third win of the race. I missed one the other day by half a wheel but things have been going well.” “I had very good legs today and was trying to win the stage,” he said. “I attacked going over the top of the last climb and was clear for two or three kilometres by myself. But I never made it because it was downhill from there and the peloton is always quicker than one rider.” Aidan Crowley (Meath MyHome.ie/BDBC) was ninth on the stage, finishing as best county rider and also best Irishman on the stage. “I said to myself with 50 miles to go that I could win the stage,” he said. “The top riders really wanted to keep the bunch together; the Canadians really wanted to keep it together for Dominique [Rollin], the Estonians and the Czechs wanted to keep it together for their sprinters, and that is the way it panned out. “It got very dangerous in the last five kilometres when we went from a bunch down to twenty riders at the front and then at the last corner, there were basically ten of us in a line turning. It was very risky. I went for the win but unfortunately these guys are very quick.” Like Van der Velde, Rollin is also certain to carry off a major prize tomorrow, barring accident. He fortified his points jersey lead by winning the bunch sprint to the line. However with he and Jesse Anthony in fourth and fifth overall, they are after a bigger prize, and were disappointed that the peloton finished together in Newcastle. “The problem today is that all the GC guys were watching each other so it gave an easy ride to the yellow jersey,” he stated. “The GC guys were bringing everything back. The leader’s team really had nothing to do, just sit there and wait. “Tomorrow will be as aggressive as today, we will try to get the jersey back. The riders are still separated by a handful of seconds so we think we can make it back. The finishing circuit is supposed to be hard so that will help.” Crowley agrees, saying that the race is not over yet. “Everything is to play for. The circuit tomorrow around Skerries is actually very, very hard. Three times up the Black Hills will make a difference. I remember last year 150 of us hit the Black Hills together and we thought ‘ah, it is only ten miles to the finish.’ But at the line, there were only twenty riders in the front group in the first group, twenty in the second group and twenty in the third group. Those hills disintegrated the bunch. “I don’t think you will see all the top guys together at the end. I think you will see Paídi O’Brien and one or two others really go for it. I fancy him to do something and I wouldn’t say it is all over yet.” How it unfolded: One hundred and thirty riders lined out in mainly overcast conditions for the penultimate stage of the FBD Insurance Rás, a 165 kilometre race from Derry to Newcastle in County Down. Benjamin Justesen (Demark Vision Bikes) was the only non-starter. The early part of the stage saw several short-lived attacks. The first such move was by Martyn Irvine (Ireland Subway Eat Fresh), Markku Ainsalu (Estonia Kalev Chocolate) and Sean Lacey (Dublin Murphy and Gunn/Newlyn Group), with Mark Cassidy (Ireland Murphy and Gunn/Newlyn Group) joining up just before the peloton reeled it in. Andrei Mustonen (Estonia Kalev Chocolate) was next to try, then Peter Herzig (Australia FRF Couriers NSWIS) set out alone. Both of these moves were hauled back. After approximately 22 kilometres of racing a crash brought down a large group of riders. Most remounted and set off in pursuit of the bunch, but Josh Thornton (US Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada) ended up instead in the race ambulance. He pulled out of the FBD Rás but thankfully was reported by race personnel as not being too seriously hurt. Former yellow jersey Jesse Anthony (US Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada) beat KOM leader Ricardo Van der Velde (Netherlands) at the top of the third category Glenshane Pass (39.2 km), one of two such climbs on today’s stage. Jason Hegert (Australia FRF Couriers) and Ondrej Pavek (Czech Republic Sparta Praha) were third and fourth. Anthony had previously led the competition and was Van der Velde’s closest rival. At this point seven category three climbs remained in the 2007 FBD Insurance Rás; when the results of Glenshane Pass were factored into the total, Anthony was 35 points behind with 35 remaining. Barring accident, it meant that Van der Velde was in a position to seal his success on the final climb later in the stage. After one hour of racing the field had covered a brisk 45.5 kilometres. Things stayed together until just after Moneymore (63.4 km), when Mark Walters (US Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada) opened a slight – but short-lived – gap. Approximately ten kilometres later Yvo Kusters (Netherlands) and Stephen Gallagher (Ireland Murphy and Gunn/Newlyn Group/M. Donnelly Sean Kelly) went clear and were joined soon afterwards by Jesse Anthony. They too were brought back. The high pace continued to and beyond the end of the second hour, by which time the field had covered 91 kilometres. David McCann (Ireland Subway Eat Fresh) and Stephen Gallagher got a gap around this point and were joined shortly afterwards by Alo Jakin (Estonia Kalev Chocolate), Nico Graf (Germany Thuringer Energie) and Roger Aiken (Armagh Big Picture Developments). This move came to an end after approximately ten minutes. Shortly afterwards Tom Diggle (Britain Stena Line Recycling.co.uk) crashed out of the race when he hit a civilian car. He was fortunately reported as not being too badly hurt. Although no move had yet stuck, riders were determined to try to break the elastic. Ondrej Pavek (Czech Republic Sparta Praha), Marcel Barth (Germany Thuringer Energie), Mark Lovatt (Team Sportscover), Roger Aiken and Conor Murphy (Dublin Usher Insulations) went away approximately 55 kilometres from the end of the stage. They built a lead of 17 seconds, prompting Dermot Nally (Ireland Subway Eat Fresh), Alain Van der Velde (Netherlands), Andrei Mustonen (Estonia Kalev Chocolate), Ryan Roth (US Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada) and Derek Burke (Dublin Murphy and Gunn/Newlyn Group) to chase. Others also tried the same and the net result was a split in the main field, with several distinct groups forming before an eventual regrouping. Aiken is from the area and was determined to show well. He went away with Mark Walters (US Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada), was brought back and then went again after a solo move by Mads Bugge (Denmark Vision Bikes) came to nothing. With approximately 30 kilometres remaining he tried yet again, tearing through Banbridge at the head of the race and building a 21 second lead. Dermot Nally (Ireland Subway Eat Fresh) went after Aiken and spent a couple of kilometres chasing before being joined by Dennis Kreder (Netherlands). With about 25 kilometres to go Brian Kenneally (Meath MyHome.ie/BDBC) went after the front three, who all joined up. Alo Jakin (Estonia Kalev Chocolate) had a similar plan but was unable to bridge. Mark Cassidy and Chris Newton (Britain Recycling.co.uk) then attacked and got across to the four leaders but despite the extra firepower, this group was brought back. David McCann, Glenn Bak (Ireland Murphy and Gunn/Newlyn Group/M. Donnelly Sean Kelly) and Ben Raby (US Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada) attacked on the third category climb of Devils Elbow, which topped out 9.9 km from the finish. The bunch was quickly onto the move, but Raby was nonetheless first to the top, ahead of Marcel Barth (Germany Thuringer Energie) and Van der Velde, who won the mountains competition with his third place on the hill. Motivated perhaps by this, he kicked hard going over the top and stayed clear for two or three kilometres. However he was reeled in, as was subsequent attacker René Birkenfeld (Germany Stevens Von Hacht). From there to the line things stayed mainly together, and the ensuing bunch sprint saw yesterday’s stage winner Dominique Rollin (US Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada) once again hit the line first. The Estonia Kalev Chocolate team had done most of the driving on the run in towards the finish but had to be satisfied with Mart Ojavee’s second place. Ondrej Pavek (Czech Republic Sparta Praha) netted third, while Aidan Crowley (Meath MyHome.ie/BDBC) was best Irishman and top county rider in ninth. Race leader Tony Martin crossed the line in twelfth and with all his major challengers also finishing in the same time, it ensures that the general classification remains the same heading into tomorrow’s final stage. Stage 7, Derry to Newcastle: 1, Dominique Rollin (US Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada) 165 kilometres in 3 hours 38 mins 53 secs Glenshane Pass, category 3 (39.2 km) 1, Jesse Anthony (US Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada) 5 pts Devils Elbow, category 3 (96.4 km) 1, Ben Raby (US Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada) 5 pts 1, Aidan Crowley (Meath MyHome.ie/BDBC) 3 hours 38 mins 53 secs 1, Mark Nestor (Dublin Murphy and Gunn/Newlyn Group) 3 hours 38 mins 53 sedcs 1, Czech Republic Sparta Praha, 10 hours 56 mins 39 secs 1, Dublin Murphy and Gunn/Newlyn Group, 10 hours 56 mins 39 secs 1, Tony Martin (Germany Thuringer Energie) 23 hours 28 mins 51 secs 1, Tony Martin (Germany Thuringer Energie) 23 hours 28 mins 51 secs County rider: 1, Brian Kenneally, 23 hours 30 mins 13 secs Cycling Ireland category 2: 1, Brian Ahern (Dublin Dundrum Town Cente/Orwell) 23 hours 47 mins 30 sec |
