Cycling Rás: Chris Newton yesterday made history when he became the first overseas rider to win two editions of the Rás.

The GB-Recycling.co.uk rider finished in the main bunch on the final stage, a one-hour circuit race in the Phoenix Park, thus preserving his 14-second advantage over Malcolm Elliott.

Bill Moore (32) surprised the sprint specialists when he thundered to an excellent stage win. The Meath-M Donnelly rider beat Julian Winn (Wales-Stena Line) and stage-seven winner Morten Hegreberg (Norway-Sparebanken Vest).

Moore made a big effort on Saturday's mountain stage to Wicklow town, going clear with eight others approximately 100 kilometres from the finish. With Morten Christiansen (Norway-Sparebanken Vest), Duncan Urquhart (Scotland), Mark Lovatt (Yorkshire-Trinity Capital), Steve Kenny (NE England), Andrew Roche (Tipperary-Worldwide Cycles) and Irish trio Seán Lacey (Meath-M Donnelly), Denis Lynch (Cork-Kanturk) and Philip Finegan (Dublin-Usher Insulations), he eked out a two-and-a-half-minute lead, but was brought back on the climb of Sally Gap.

Lynch, Lovatt and Urquhart forged clear just before the break was reeled in and stayed away until just two kilometres from the line.

Hegreberg outsprinted Elliott and Yanto Barker (Wales-Stena Line) for the win, while Eugene Moriarty (Meath-Cycleways.com) and Simon Kelly (Cork-Nucleus) were fifth and sixth. John Tanner rode strongly over the mountains to wrest the polka-dot jersey off the shoulders of Elliott.

As expected, yesterday's final stage had no effect on the general classification. Newton came home in the same time as his rivals. Elliott finished ahead of Newton, sewing up the points title. Lovatt took the mountains jersey, while Tim Barry was best Irishman, in sixth place. Yorkshire-Trinity Capital were top international team and Barry's Tipperary Dan Morrissey squad were first county team.