JERSEY CHANGES HANDS AS MANNING USES HANDS.
by Gerard Cromwell
Today's 6th stage of the FBD MILK Ras took the riders on a 102 mile journey
from Skibbereen to Dungarvan, with seven KOM's along the way. With the rain
coming down for the first time on this years Ras, a group went clear on the
first climb, at jut 3 miles. In it were yetserda'y hero Phil Cassidy and Eugne
Morarty of Meath cycleways, David O'Loughlin (Mayo Connaught Gold), and Aiden
Duff (Ireland Shannon Oaks Hotel)). These were joined by Mark Scanlon (Ireland
Shannon Oaks Hotel), Huw Pritchard (Wales) and Erik Saunders of Fisconseils
(Switzerland) and at the village of Leap had 16" on the main field.
Aiden Duff was dropped from the group on Barley Hill at 9 miles as Phil West
of Great Britain drove the bunch along behind @ 33". At Ballinascarthy
(24miles) the field came back together and shortly after a new breakaway formed.
In it were Prichard, Saunders and Scanlon from the original move and Mark Lovatt
(Southend), Neil McDonald (South Africa HSBC) and Bryan Steele (Great Britain)
who was acting as policeman for yellow jersey Paul Manning. This group had 38"
by Bandon and were to stay away for most of the day.
Such was the speed of the field that there were 60 miles covered in the first 2 hours! On entering the Jack Lynch tunnel on the outskirts of Cork (56 miles) a chase group of David McCann (Ireland), Alastair Kaye (Deeside), Eugene Moriarty (Mth Cycleways), Gary Dodd (Surrey), Marek Blazec (Poland Legia), Andrew Carroll (Wicklow UCD), Kevin Dawson (Southend), Niklas Ekstrom (Sweden Malarenergi), Jason Crookham (Jet Fuel Coffee Canada), Anthony Malarczyk (Wales), Phil West (Great Britain), and Paddy Moriarty (Dublin Skip) were just 35" behind the leaders, with the bunch at 1'27".
With Phil West sitting up from the chasers to help his GB teammates the gap started to come down again. The front two groups merged just before Midleton, but this was the kiss of death for them as the German telekom team went to the front to help the GB squad. In Youghal, the field were all together and despite skirmishes off the front from Jason McIntyre of Scotland Velo Eccosse, who was chased by Tommy Evans (Ireland) and Phil Cassidy, the field were all together on the last KOM with less than 15kms. Over the top, a five man group launched what was to be the decisive move of the day. Anthony Malarczyk (Wales), David McKenzie (Fisconseils Switzerland), Dave O'Loughlin (Mayo Connaught Gold), Mark Lovatt (Southend) and South Africa HSBC rider Jeremy Maartens held a 30" lead with 10 kilomertres remaining and the gap hovered in and around that for the next 5kms, on the 40mph run-in to Dungarvan.
With Maartens sitting on, at 3kms to go he was able to launch an attack with McKenzie on the tight streets of Dungarvan. Maartens attacked McKenzie again with one kilometre remaining to take his "biggest win ever!" and showed his sheer delight as he crossed the line whooping and screaming. Mark Lovatt took a fine second on the stage from Welshman, Malarczyk, with McKenzie 4th and David O'Loughlin 5th.
The yellow jersey of race leader changed hands yet again, this time in rather starnge circumstances. Great Britains Paul Manning was deemed to have taken a hand sling from Olympic pursuit teammate Stephen Cummings to get across to an earlier move and was penalised ten seconds, with German rider Christian Knees, who won yesterday stage taking over in the golden fleece. David Kopp of Telekom retains his green points jersey, with Ray Clarke of Derry Classic Walls NCBI also keeping his King of the Mountains jersey.
South African Jeremy Maartens was delighted with his stage win. "It's the greatest win of my life." he said "I can't believe it. The stage was really, really quick. In the first hour I was thinking - shit I don't know if I'm going to make it today! Then near the end, Nick my teammate said there was 20k to go, and that I should go to the front. I got in a move over the top of the climb and I was biting the bullet then, and I just sat on. Then with 3k to go, David McKenzie and myself got away and I hit him with about a k to go. I didn't have much left and just hung on to win at the end." The 21 year old Johannasburg resident said "I didn't think we were going to stay away. The way the breaks have been goin all week they've been coming back. This is by far the biggest win I've ever had. It's unbelievable."
John Herety wasn't so happy. "They (the commisaires) say that Paul Manning allegedly took a handsling which 'significantly increased his chances of getting across to a group ahead'. He doesn't need to take hand slings. It was just a case of one of the guys getting blown, losing his place in the line and slinging Manning to keep the wheels going. We're going to appeal anyway." he said as he walked ominously towards the Ras HQ.
It wasn't such a good day for Team Ireland either, with Morgan Fox abandoning with tendonitus. "He's had it a couple of days." said manager Declan Byrne, "Today it just got too much."
Dave O'Loughlin was looking for a stage win today, but it wasn't to be. "We came around a roundabout and one of the guys let a wheel go and that was it McKenzie and Maartens were gone. It's a better race this year, more like continental racing." Phillip Cassidy agreed "It was fairly fast. The style of racing has changed, there's a lot more stronger riders. It could do with a few more people having a go but...... it's good racing."
QUOTE OF THE DAY "I had a 54/11 on and I was on it most of the day!!!" Phillip Cassidy (Meath Cycleways)
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