CYCLING/Rás: Ciarán Power made it two stage wins at this year's FBD Insurance Rás when he raced to victory in Westport yesterday evening. The Éireann Dan Morrissey rider outsprinted Jehudi Schoonacker (Ireland M Donnelly Sean Kelly) and Ryan Connor (Ireland Grant Thornton) at the end of the 83-kilometre stage.
The day's big news was the ongoing battle for the yellow jersey of race leadership. Irish rider Tommy Evans (Dublin IRC Usher Insulations) seized the lead from Danny Pate (USA TIAA-CREF) in the morning's 24-kilometre team time trial, benefiting from a rule which awards the same time gain to both the fastest Irish county team and the quickest international squad.
Although Dublin Usher were 2 minutes and 4 seconds behind the pace set by Kristian House's Britain Recycling.co.uk team, the regulation meant that both essentially came out level as regards the general classification.
Then in the afternoon road race, Evans, David O'Loughlin, House and Pate were all present in a large breakaway group which went clear on the road to Westport. The riders from USA, TIAA-CREF and Britain Recycling.co.uk put the pressure on Evans, who eventually was outmanoeuvred by the rest of the overall contenders. Power reached the finish with Schoonacker and Connor and outsprinted both.
The shake up saw Evans drop to fifth overall, 38 seconds back. Kristian House and Pate are now tied on time, separated only by their stage placings.
The race continues today with the penultimate stage, a mainly flat 168-kilometre race to Clara. House, Pate, Hegreberg, O'Loughlin and Evans are all within 38 seconds of each other so this Rás is shaping up to an exciting finale.
FBD RÁS (2.2) Stage 6, team time trial, An Cheathrú Rua - final finishing order: International team: 1, Britain Recycling.co.uk, 31 mins 13 secs (= no time penalty); 2, USA TIAA-CREF, 31 mins 54 secs (+ 15 secs) ; 3, Norway Sparebanken Vest, 32 mins 1 secs (+20 secs); 6, Ireland Grant Thornton, 32 mins 28 secs (+ 35 secs). County team: 1, Dublin IRC Usher Insulations, 33 mins 17 secs (= no time penalty); 2, Meath MyHome.ie Cycleways.com, 34 mins 26 secs (+15 secs); 3, Kildare Murphy, 34 mins 38 secs (+20 secs). General classification after stage 6 TTT: 1, T Evans (Dublin IRC Usher Insulations) 20 hours 12 mins 58 secs; 2, K House (Britain Recycling.co.uk) at 8 secs; 3, D Pate (USA TIAA-CREF) same time.
Stage 7, An Ceathrú Rua - Westport: 1, C Power (Éireann Dan Morrissey) 83 kilometres in 1 hour 55 mins 21 secs (43.17 kph); 2, J Schoonacker (Ireland M Donnelly Sean Kelly) same time; 3, R Connor (Ireland Grant Thornton) at 5 secs. International team: 1, Ireland Grant Thornton, 5 hours 49 mins 21 secs; 2, Norway Sparebanken Vest, at 30 secs; 3, USA TIAA-CREF, at 40 secs. County team: 1, Kildare Murphy Surveyors, 6 hours 1 min 54 secs; 2, Meath MyHome.ie Cycleways.com, same time; 3, Dublin IRC Usher Insulations, at 2 mins 9 secs. General classification: 1, K House (Britain Recycling.co.uk) 22 hours 9 mins 37 secs; 2, D Pate (USA TIAA-CREF) same time; 3, M Hegreberg (Norway Sparebanken) 12 secs.
