Philip Cassidy of the Ireland team failed by just 19 seconds to take the overall lead on stage six of the FBD Milk Ras yesterday.

Harm Jansen (Netherlands) had his third stage win on the mountainous 89 miles from Donegal to Killybegs, but Cassidy reduced his deficit on Estonian Erki Putsep by 50 seconds. Although Cassidy is now 37, he is still enthusiastic and he said he was disappointed he did not take over the yellow jersey. "I really went for it out there, the team worked great and we should have been rewarded with the jersey."

Team manager Richie Beatty, reflecting on whether it might be better to take the lead on Saturday in Drogheda, said: "In an ideal world that would be great, but you have to take whatever you can, when you can, and our plan was to get Cassidy into the lead today. If Eugene Moriarty had not punctured with 10 miles to go we probably would have made it as he would have been up there helping Cassidy, but that's the way things go and now we have to wait for another day."

Cassidy, the winner in 1983 and in his 15th Ras since 1980, had been in a breakaway group from the start and he was involved in the action near the front throughout the stage. "There will be more of the same tomorrow," he said. "A bit of luck is needed, of course, but I'll be blasting away and making it hard for everybody."

In the move soon after the start, Cassidy had team-mates Eugene and Paddy Moriarty and Ray Clarke with him and although an out-of-form Clarke dropped back later, the Moriartys were with Cassidy towards the end. Approaching the Glengesh climb at 69 miles, Jeff Wright (Cheshire) went ahead with Jansen, along with Alges Maasikmets (Estonia), Jon Clay (Linda McCartney), Brian Kenneally (Wicklow) and Ian Chivers (Dublin Orwell). As Wright showed his climbing ability again and forged ahead, Chivers was replaced at the front by Mohammad Abdelfattah (Egypt).

There was a regrouping after the descent and 24 got together at the front, but although Cassidy was there with the Moriartys, the leader was behind in the next group a minute down.

Jansen and Wright went clear on the last two climbs and they stayed out in front to the end where Jansen sprinted three seconds clear for another win.

Cassidy's group arrived at 46 seconds and although the McCartney team's Clay and Russell Downing led them on the finishing stretch along the quays, it was 19-year-old Derek Finnegan (Meath) who came though with a powerful late surge on the outside, close to the barriers, to snatch third place.

Finnegan was fourth in Wednesday's hectic finish into Sligo and did very well to stay upright when Colm Bracken fell alongside him. After that close call he went courageously through a very tight gap yesterday, but admitted afterwards that he thought he was winning the stage and that as he understood it the two leaders had been reeled in before the finish.

There is another hard stage of 99 miles to Cootehill today, with more climbs again tomorrow. There are third and second category climbs at 24, 61 and 65 miles, with the first category Carnmore Mountain at 76 miles ensuring that Putsep is again in for a tough time.