FOR THE THIRD time in four days, an Irish rider has come within a whisker of taking the yellow jersey at the An Post Rás and on today’s fifth stage from Sneem to Clonakilty it was national road race champion Damien Shaw who came within two seconds of it.
The An Post Chain Reaction team rider started today’s 148-kilometre stage 29 seconds down on overnight leader Clemens Fankheuser (Tirol Cycling) but when he found himself 1:40 clear of the Austrian with 15 kilometres to go, things looked really good for him.
At that point he was in a group of 11 hurtling towards the finish and pulling out time on the peloton which was being led by Fankheuser’s loyal band of teammates.
However, after a near flawless policing effort today and yesterday, they were beginning to show cracks and fade.
In the move up ahead was a willing coalition of riders and among them were Monday’s stage winner Eoin Morton (UCD-FitzCycles), Conor Dunne (JLT-Condor Cycles), Ike Groen (Join-S De Rijke), Sean Lacey (Aquablue), Ronan McLaughlin (Irish national team), Marc Potts (Neon Velo), Troels Ronning-Vinther (Denmark Riwal Platform), Wouter Mol (Join-S De Rijke) and Sean McKenna (Aquablue).
Crucially, Matt Holmes (Madison Genesis) managed to bridge across to the break and that changed things from Shaw’s perspective as the Wigan man was on the same time as Shaw – though one placer higher than him on general classification courtesy of better stage placings all week.
That meant for Shaw to take yellow he had to somehow get rid of Holmes while also finishing at least 29 seconds ahead of the peloton.
McKenna suffered cruel luck when he punctured out of the move and it split in half with less than 10 kilometres to go.
Dunne, Shaw, Morton, Mol, Holmes and Ronning-Vinther remained out front as a real game of cat and mouse ensued on the run-in for home.
Holmes clung to Shaw while Dunne and Mol were all within striking distance of yellow – provided they stayed away to the finish.
Though for them to take the race lead they needed 1:01 and 1:27, respectively, and that was extremely unlikely given the pace of the chasers behind.
The Tirol team summoned one last effort to reel in that leading six and they came within 27 seconds by the time the six leaders crossed the line.
Shaw never managed to shake off Holmes so while he beat him by one place on the stage to take fifth, they finished on the same time.
It meant Fankheuser held his yellow jersey by two seconds from Holmes with Shaw on the same time in third.
Mol won the gallop up the hill in Clonakilty to take stage glory for his Join – S De Rijke squad for the second time this week with Ronning-Vinther (Riwal Platform) and Morton rounding out the podium.
The top of the general classification is still very tightly congested with 19 riders separated by just one minute and in there are Shaw (@0:02), Eddie Dunbar (@0:19) and Mark Downey (@0:29).
Tomorrow’s stage takes the riders on a 159-kilometre journey from Clonakilty to Dungarvan and there are three categorised climbs.
The42 is on Snapchat! Tap the button below on your phone to add!