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McCann Scoops Stage And Yellow Jersey, Cassidy Crashes Out
May 21, 2008, 17:09
The fourth stage of the FBD Insurance Rás saw yet another change in the yellow jersey, with overnight leader Mark Cassidy crashing out of the race but another Irishman – David McCann – winning the stage and taking over at the top.
2004 Rás winner McCann was part of a twelve-man break which went clear approximately 120 kilometres into the wet 156 kilometre stage from Corofin to Tralee, with Ireland team-mate Roger Aiken, former race leader Stephen Gallagher (Ireland An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly), stage two and three winners Dean Downing and Chris Newton (both Britain Stena Line Rapha Condor Recycling.co.uk) plus McCann amongst the most notable names.
Newton had started the day two seconds ahead of McCann and with Cassidy being forced to retire due to a badly bruised arm, he seemed in line to take over as race leader. However he punctured out of the move and while UCI rules stated that he would get the same time as the break due to the fact that the mechanical problem happened inside the final three kilometres, McCann was able to gain two seconds on the others with a late attack.
This netted him both the stage and the yellow jersey, the Belfastman ending the day level on time with Newton but ahead on points countback. It also made up for the third stage, when he broke clear with the Briton but finished second.
“I am really pleased,” he said after receiving the yellow jersey. “It is great to get a stage win. I had good legs coming into the race. I was disappointed to lose yesterday but I knew my day would come if I kept working at it. Yellow is a bonus because I wasn’t even thinking of the jersey, I was just going for the stage win.
“I knew the form was coming around and so my chance would come.”
McCann will start tomorrow exactly level on time with Newton. He felt that he could have had a bigger advantage had he had more food during the stage.
“The two of us seem to be the strongest here. I felt really strong, I probably could have put more time in if I had attacked sooner but I hadn’t eaten in the last hour and I could feel that I was running out of gas, really. There was never a chance – the racing was so full-on that there was no chance to go back to the car.
“I was holding back a wee bit just in case, because if you push it too hard with no food, the batteries just run flat. It was just in the very last mile I got the chance to get away from the group and put some time into them.”
In contrast, Newton felt that he would have been able to control McCann had he not punctured. In that case, he would have ended the day in yellow.
“I punctured in the last three kilometres. I would have been marking David otherwise. He was the only one who was close on time. He’s opened a gap on the rest of the field…it’s a few seconds but it counts.
“I was feeling fine up until the point I flatted. The break didn’t work very well, the group was pretty poor. Everybody kept sitting up. We had a minute, but could have taken two minutes if the group had worked properly. You don’t know what they want out of it…if everyone had worked, they know that myself or Dave would be going for the jersey rather than going for the win.
“They [the others in the break] would have got a stage win on the cards but they lost out both ways. You can’t teach people things like that, they have got to learn for themselves.”
Mark Cassidy had seized the race lead jersey yesterday, 25 years after his father – double Rás champion Phil Cassidy – took his own first yellow jersey. It was a curious coincidence but while Cassidy senior went on to win that Rás, Mark had the disappointment of lasting less than a day at the top of the leaderboard. The other riders in the peloton showed great sportsmanship in waiting for him to return after his accident, but he was later forced to pull out and get into the race ambulance.
“We were just going along in the bunch, moving quite fast on the right hand side,” he said after returning from hospital. “I heard someone let out a shout and then I hit a rock in the middle of the road. I had no time to react and went straight over the bars, landing on my elbow.
“It was very disappointing, but I am also happy to have had the jersey for a day. It was hard for the team to lose it that way. I was enjoying fighting for the jersey, defending it that way. I’d say that everybody was disappointed, even the competitors. They stalled to wait for me to get back on. But if it is not broken, it should be back to normal in a couple of weeks.”
The main bunch finished 24 second back at the end of today’s fourth stage and this further whittles down the list of possible winners. Five riders are within a minute or less of McCann’s lead, while only a further fifteen are less than two minutes back.
Tomorrow’s hilly 141 kilometre stage from Tralee to Skibbereen should further shuffle the general classification, and will show if McCann can be the first rider in this FBD Insurance Rás to defend his race lead.
How it unfolded:
After three days of good weather, the fourth stage of the FBD Insurance Rás got underway in wet conditions in the town of Corofin. 135 riders lined out for the 156 kilometre stage to Tralee, which featured three third category climbs in the final 60 kilometres.
Paídi O’Brien (Ireland An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly) and Ciarán Power (Ireland Pezula Racing) attacked very soon after the stage start, and were joined by Paul Healion (Dublin McNally Swords). However the bunch had no intention of letting those riders getting any sort of advantage, and soon closed it down. Just before that happened, Simon Richardson (Britain Plowman Craven) bridged but his effort proved to be in vain due to the break’s recapture.
Healion was at it again several kilometres later, going clear with Roger Aiken (Ireland) and Neill Delahaye (Dublin IRC Usher Insulations). They were joined by eleven others, namely Jaroslaw Dabrowski (Poland national team), Kristian House (Britain Stena Line Rapha Condor Recycling.co.uk), Simon Richardson (Britain Plowman Craven), Benny de Schrooder (Ireland An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly), Ciarán Power (Ireland Pezula Racing), Morten Hegreberg and Havard Nybo (Norway Sparebanken Vest), Johannes Sickmuller (Germany Stevens von Hacht), Kit Gilham (Britain Kenesis), Joe Fenlon (Tipperary Dan Morrissey) and Denis Lynch (Cork Kanturk Town), and this group opened up a lead of 50 seconds.
Double Rás winner Ciarán Power had been sick during the first couple of days of the race and was hoping to start mounting a challenge for his third title. However he punctured out of the break. His Pezula Racing team then started contributing to the chase and this brought the gap right down.
Aiken, Dabrowski, House, Richardson, de Schrooder and Nybo then clipped away before the break was caught, with Power and yellow jersey Mark Cassidy (Ireland An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly) and Ciarán Power (Ireland Pezula Racing) jumping across. However the peloton recognised the danger and closed down the move.
After 50 kilometres of racing, the riders reached the city of Limerick and here a small group of several riders got clear, these including Dean Downing (Britain Stena Line Rapha Condor Recycling.co.uk) and Benny de Schrooder (Ireland An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly). The break was hauled back but around this time, race leader Cassidy hit a rock on the road and crashed hard.
He lay on the ground for several minutes, receiving medical attention, then painfully remounted his bike. Two riders were clear at this point, Abbas Saeidi Tanha (Iran Islamic Azad University) and a lone chaser Neil Coleman (Britain Plowman Craven), but the peloton rode slowly along in a gesture of sportsmanship and this enabled Cassidy to eventually return 64 kilometres after the start.
His injuries would however prove to be too much for him to continue, the 23 year old being taken to hospital with a suspected fractured elbow. This was eventually diagnosed as very bad bruising, but he was out of the race.
By that point Tanha was six minutes clear and while Coleman was chasing hard, he was still 1 minute and 32 seconds down. The latter was eventually caught before Abbeyfeale (111 kms), while Tanha was reeled in soon afterwards. They had managed to take first and second at the day’s first king of the mountains climb, the category three ascent of Barnagh Gap (99.8 kilometres), with Simon Richardson (Britain Plowman Craven) and Martin Grashev (Bulgaria Nessebar) nabbing third and fourth.
Prior to the start of the next climb, the third category ascent at Glanshearon, Wojciech Dybel (Poland), Bogdan Stoytchev (Bulgaria Nessebar), Roger Aiken (Ireland national team) and Tiedt Yannick (Germany Stevens von Hacht) broke away.
They were joined by S. Mostafa Razaei Khormizi (Iran Islamic Azad University), Simon Richardson (Britain Plowman Craven), Stephen Gallagher (Ireland An Post M. Donnelly Sean Kelly) and Kit Gilham (Britain Kinesis). The first two riders yesterday, Chris Newton (Britain Stena Line Rapha Condor Recycling.co.uk), then bridged together.
Levi Heimans (Netherlands) and Dean Downing (Britain Stena Line Rapha Conor Recycling.co.uk) were the last two to get across, making it twelve ahead of the bunch.
Razaei Khormizi was first to the summit of the climb, the prime coming 27 kilometres from the end of the stage. Newton, Yannick and Richardson were next over the top
Dybel and Razaei Khormizi (Iran Islamic Azad University) then attacked after the climb and pushed on ahead, opening up an 18 second lead over the rest of the bunch and a 56 second advantage over the peloton. They were first and second at the category three Barr na Gaoithe prime, then sat up and went back to the break.
The gap was just thirty seconds with ten kilometres remaining but the bunch was unable to haul it back. With less than three kilometres to go Newton punctured out of the break, losing his chance for a second successive stage win and, more importantly, the opportunity to take over the race lead. He had been the best-placed rider in the move.
McCann had started the day two seconds behind him and broke clear of the group inside the final two kilometres. While his advantage at the finish would give him the yellow jersey on countback, he said that he was thinking first and foremost of the stage victory.
Dybel, Stoytchev, Richardson and Downing finished two seconds behind the former national road race champion, while Heimans, Yannick, Aiken, Gallagher and Razaei Khormizi were a further two seconds back. Ken Hanson (Isle of Man Microgaming Dolan) led home the main bunch 24 seconds after McCann crossed the line.
Newton at the back of this group but, as per UCI rules, he was given the same finishing time as the break. He ended the day locked on time with McCann but a countback of their stage placings saw the jersey go to the Ireland rider. Aiken and Partridge were third and fourth overall, with Downing and team-mate Newton leading the points and mountains classifications respectively.
A third competitor from the Britain Stena Line Rapha Condor Recycling.co.uk squad, Dale Appleby, was in the white jersey as Irish Sports Council best young rider.
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FBD Insurance Rás (2.2), May 18 – 25:
Stage four, Corofin to Tralee:
1, David McCann (Ireland national team) 156 kilometres in 3 hours 53 mins 36 secs
2, Wojcieck Dybel (Poland national team) at 2 secs
3, Bogdan Stoytchev (Bulgaria Nessebar)
4, Simon Richardson (Britain Plowman Craven)
5, Dean Downing (Britain Stena Line Rapha Condor Recycling.co.uk) all same time
6, Levi Heimans (Netherlands national team) at 4 secs
7, Tiedt Yannick (Germany Stevens von Hacht)
8, Roger Aiken (Ireland national team)
9, Stephen Gallagher (Ireland An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly)
10, S. M. Razaei Khormizi (Iran Islamic Azad University) all same time
11, Kit Gilham (Britain Kinesis) at 8 secs
12, Ken Hanson (Isle of Man Microgaming Dolan) at 24 secs
13, Mateusz Komar (Poland national team)
14, Eugene Moriarty (Meath MyHome.ie/BDBC)
15, Rene Birkenfeld (Germany Stevens von Hacht) all same time
King of the Mountains category 3 at Barnagh Gap:
1, Abbas Saeidi Tanha (Iran Islamic Azad Unversity) 5 pts
2, Neil Coleman (Britain Plowman Craven) 4
3, Simon Richardson (Britain Plowman Craven) 3
4, Martin Grashev (Bulgaria Nessebar) 2
King of the Mountains category 3 at Glanshearon:
1, S. Mostafa Razaei Khormizi (Iran Islamic Azad University) 5 pts
2, Chris Newton (Britain Stena Line Rapha Condor Recycling.co.uk) 4 pts
3, Tiedt Yannick (Germany Stevens von Hacht) 3
4, Simon Richardson (Britain Plowman Craven) 2
King of the Mountains category 3 at Barr na Gaoithe:
1, Wojciech Dybel (Poland national team) 5 pts
2, S. Mostafa Razaei Khormizi (Iran Islamic Azad University) 4
3, Tiedt Yannick (Germany Stevens von Hacht) 3
4, Chris Newton (Britain Stena Line Rapha Condor Recycling.co.uk) 2
County rider:
1, Eugene Moriarty (Meath MyHome.ie/BDBC) 3 hours 54 mins
2, Aidan Crowley (Meath MyHome.ie/BDBC)
3, Simon Kelly (Dublin IRC Usher Insulations) both same time
International team:
1, Ireland national team, 11 hours 41 mins 14 secs
2, Britain Stena Line Rapha Condor Recycling.co.uk, at 2 secs
3, Poland national team, at 24 secs
4, Bulgaria Nessebar
5, Germany Stevens von Hacht, both same time
County team:
1, Meath MyHome.ie/BDBC, 11 hours 42 mins
2, Dublin IRC Usher Insulations, at 1 min 7 secs
3, Tipperary Dan Morrissey, at 6 mins 47 secs
4, Kerry Total Cleaning Supplies, at 13 mins 3 secs
5, Meath Cycleways@53degreesnorth, at 13 mins 48 secs
General classification after four stages:
1, David McCann (Ireland national team) 14 hours 22 mins 35 secs
2, Chris Newton (Britain Stena Line Rapha Condor Recycling.co.uk) same time
3, Roger Aiken (Ireland national team) at 6 secs
4, Rob Partridge (Britain Stena Line Rapha Condor Recycling.co.uk) at 7 secs
5, Alex Higham (Britain Plowman Craven) at 9 secs
6, Andrew Bye (Britain Surrey Racing League) at 56 secs
7, Dean Downing (Britain Stene Line Rapha Condor Recycling.co.uk) at 1 min 4 secs
8, Stephen Gallagher (Ireland An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly) at 1 min 5 secs
10, S. M. Razaei Khormizi (Iran Islamic Azad University) at 1 min 7 secs
11, Benny de Schrooder (Ireland An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly) at 1 min 25 secs
12, Mateusz Komar (Poland national team) at 1 min 26 secs
13, Paídi O’Brien (Ireland An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly) at 1 min 29 secs
14, Dale Appleby (Britain Stena Line Rapha Condor Recycling.co.uk)
15, Amir Zargari (Iran Islamic Azad University) both same time
Points:
1, Dean Downing (Britain Stena Line Rapha Condor Recycling.co.uk) 37 points
2, David McCann (Ireland national team) 29
3, Mateusz Komar (Poland national team) 28
4, Stephen Gallagher (Ireland An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly) 20
5, Ken Hanson (Isle of Man Microgaming Dolan) 19
Mountains:
1, Chris Newton (Britain Stena Line Rapha Condor Recycling.co.uk) 25
2, S. Razaei Khormizi (Iran Islamic Azad University) 23
3, David McCann (Ireland national team) 17
4, Jaroslaw Dabrowski (Poland national team) 8
5, Benny de Schrooder (Ireland An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly) 8
Under 23:
1, Dale Appleby (Britain Stena Line Rapha Condor Recycling.co.uk) 14 hours 24 mins 4 secs
2, Martin Grashev (Bulgaria Nessebar) at 7 secs
3, Ole Quast (Germany Stevens von Hacht) at 9 secs
4, Maurice Schreurs (Netherlands) at 1 min 20 secs
5, Denis Dunworth (Kerry Total Cleaning Supplies) at 1 min 28 secs
County rider:
1, Stephen O’Sullivan (Meath MyHome.ie/BDBC) 14 hours 25 mins 32 secs
2, Denis Dunworth (Kerry Total Cleaning Supplies) same time
3, Joe Fenlon (Tipperary Dan Morrissey) at 28 secs
4, Peter Hawkins (Dublin IRC Usher Insulations) at 32 secs
5, Neill Delahaye (Dublin IRC Usher Insulations) at 2 mins 55 secs
CI Category 2:
1, Brendan Lacey (Kerry Total Cleaning Supplies) 14 hours 40 mins 27 secs
2, Graham Hurley (Dublin Dundrum Town Centre) at 55 secs
3, Mark Power (Tipperary Dan Morrissey) at 1 min 53 secs
4, Laurence Roche (Cycleways@53degreesnorth) same time
5, Michael Lucey (Cork Kanturk Town) at 2 mins 19 secs
International team:
1, Britain Stena Line Rapha Condor Recycling.co.uk, 43 hours 7 mins 33 secs
2, Ireland An Post M. Donnelly Grant Thornton Sean Kelly, at 1min 24 secs
3, Ireland national team, at 2 mins 29 secs
4, Britain Plowman Craven, at 4 mins 25 secs
5, Poland national team, at 4 mins 46 secs
County team:
1, Dublin IRC Usher Insulations, 43 hours 28 mins 41 secs
2, Meath MyHome.ie/BDBC, at 10 mins 23 secs
3, Kerry Total Cleaning Supplies, at 17 mins 42 secs
4, Tipperary Dan Morrissey, at 17 mins 50 secs
5, Dublin Eurocycles, at 24 mins 38 secs
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