CYCLING:PHILIP DEIGNAN has shown both that his form is building and that he has got over a bout of stomach problems with a solid performance thus far in the Presidential Tour of Turkey.
The UnitedHealthcare rider finished in the main bunch on yesterday’s 178 kilometre stage to Turgutreis, the group coming in one minute 27 seconds behind solo winner Andrea Di Corrado (Colnago-CSF Inox).
Deignan remains 24th overall in the race, his solid placing being achieved by a decent ride on Tuesday’s mountain stage. He is aiming to build his condition for next month’s Tour of California, one of his top season targets.
“The main goal is coming up in a few weeks’ time in California,” he said this week. “We have three strong guys on the team and there’s a possibility to be up there in the general classification.”
In Switzerland, Daniel Martin was in the main group on yesterday’s second stage of the Tour de Romandie. He placed 22nd and is now 38th overall, 23 seconds off the race lead of Bradley Wiggins.
Martin finished an excellent fifth in Liège-Bastogne-Liège last Sunday, and will look forward to testing himself in the mountains in the Swiss WorldTour event.
In other news, a promising-looking Atlas Personal-Jakroo team from Switzerland have been confirmed for the An Post Rás next month. The team will be led by 23-year-old Swiss rider Pirmin Lang plus the Frenchman Nicolas Baldo, four years his elder. Both have solid career results, with Lang netting fifth on a stage of the 2.1-ranked Tour of China last year.
WEEKEND FIXTURES – Saturday: Beggs/McGreevy Cups, Dromore. Sign on from 10am; Corkagh Park races, sign on at 11am; Gogarty Cup, Tullycross, sign on 3.15pm. Saturday-Sunday: Bog Week Two-Day, Tullycross, Connemara. Sunday: Noel and Kieran Hammond Memorial races, Roundwood. First races at 10.30am (incorporating Trek women’s Classic league); Mid Ulster GP, Bangor/ Donaghadee circuit; Connacht RR league, sign on 10.30am Castlebar; John Drumm Cup, Currow, first races 12.15; IVCA 80km CP, Curragh, starts 9.15am.
