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55th FBD Insurance Rás - 2.2

Ireland, May 20-27, 2007

Main Page    Results   Overall standings    Previous Stage   Next Stage

Stage 5 - May 24: Dungloe – Buncrana, 131 km

Germans victorious on stage five, O'Brien second on stage and overall

By Shane Stokes

Nico Graf (Thuringer Energy Team)
Photo ©: Stephen McMahon
(Click for larger image)

The list narrows. Prior to today's fifth stage of the FBD Insurance Rás, there were 33 riders within two minutes of the yellow jersey. After the 131 kilometre leg to Buncrana, this such list of contenders had plummeted to 16, with just three of these being within a minute of the time of new leader Tony Martin.

On paper, and in practice, the race was a very decisive one. In featuring the gruelling Mamore Gap plus five other categorised climbs, a shakeup was almost certain, and so it proved. A quintet of riders went clear after approximately 20 kilometres of racing and built a solid lead. And while the Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada team of race leader Jesse Anthony rode for a long time on the front of the main bunch, they were unable to bring back the threatening move.

The day's biggest winners were the Thuringer Energy team, who took the stage victory thanks to Nico Graf and the yellow jersey via the efforts of Martin. Previous race leader Jesse Anthony finished back in tenth and drops to third overall, having lacked the legs to go with Martin and Chris Newton (Recycling.co.uk) when they put the hammer down on the cruel slopes of Mamore.

"It was a hard day," said Graf, who was clear for almost the entire stage with Paídi O'Brien (Ireland Murphy and Gunn/Newlyn Group/M. Donnelly Sean Kelly), Ricardo Van der Velde (Netherlands), Jason Hegert (FRF Couriers) and Yannick Tiedt (Stevens Von Hacht).

"We thought that there would be a fast start at the beginning and there would be a selection. After ten kilometres there was a big group and then there were attacks. I had to go with the Dutch rider [Van der Velde]. After 40 kilometres we were in the group with five riders. I knew that it was a long way to the finish but I had good legs.

Cork native Paidi O'Brien
Photo ©: Stephen McMahon
(Click for larger image)

"Our group was good together, every rider drove it. The gap to the field became bigger. I didn't want to go for the mountain prizes or anything else, because I wanted to aim for the stage. In the general classification I am very much behind because two days ago I lost 20 minutes. The GC was finished for me then."

O'Brien finished second in the two-up sprint for stage honours, making it the third stage on the race where he has been runner-up. "We knew it was windy at the beginning so we said that we would go and try to have the full team at the front. Then as that group got bigger the speed went out of it so I attacked. We got into a group, it wasn't too hard and we kept putting time into the others. I thought then that it might be possible to take the jersey or to go for the stage win."

He and Graf were distanced by Van der Velde on the climb of Mamore. The Dutchman topped the next summit ahead of them, but strong driving by O'Brien and Graf eventually brought him back.

"The climb was hard, you couldn't get out of the saddle because the back wheel was spinning. Then in the last ten kilometres Kurt [Bogaerts, team manager] came onto the radio and said that I should try to go for time, so gave it everything coming in the last ten kilometres and finished just a little bit short of the yellow jersey. I did most of the work as I needed to get the time; both those other guys [Graf and Van der Velde] were 20 minutes down so they were playing for the stage...it is understandable."

Leader of the mountains classification
Photo ©: Stephen McMahon
(Click for larger image)

The Dutchman finished third in the end, but has now taken what should be an unbeatable lead in the king of the mountains classification. He is now 34 points clear of Jesse Anthony; with eight category three climbs remaining in the race, a prime win on each of these would yield 40 points. So it is looking good.

"The plan was to have our best riders in the front from the beginning and make the race hard from then," he said, explaining their tactics. "That worked out well. We went away with a fairly large group. I noticed that the Germany rider who was also going for the mountains jersey was not in the group, so it was easy for me to get the points.

"The group was going slower and slower after that and I attacked again as I saw the German rider was coming back. A small group came up to me and we all worked really well together.

"I think I was the best uphill and everyone in the break said to me that I could have the points. It is a pity there wasn't an uphill finish because I think I would have won then. They caught me inside the final two kilometres and as they are faster than me, they finished ahead.

"I am happy to have the mountains jersey. There are still three stages to go but I want to try to hold on to it."

Tony Martin (Thuringer Energy Team)
Photo ©: Stephen McMahon
(Click for larger image)

Martin is also happy with his new jersey. This marks the third time he has led a big stage race; last year he won the Internationale Thüringen-Rundfahrt under 23 event. Earlier this year he won a stage of the Circuit des Ardennes, so he has the ability to come out on top here.

"Today was a tough race, but the race leader's team had to drive the pace all the time so I could sit behind them. It was not so hard for me. But on the mountain I had to give it everything, it was very hard. I think the day was harder for the yellow jersey, though."

He's hopeful of defending his lead, but he knows nothing is guaranteed. "It is very difficult because we don't know the course for the next few days. We have to see what the rest of the peloton will do."

Martin's race number was obscured when he crossed the line, and so immediately after the stage many felt that O'Brien was the new leader. When everything was calculated, he finally came up 17 seconds short. The FBD Insurance Rás is notoriously difficult to control, though, so there is a silver lining.

"It is not that disappointing to miss out on yellow because there are still three long days ahead," O'Brien said. "It would have been nice to have the jersey, but I can still go on the attack tomorrow because I don't have to defend the lead. We will see how things work out by Sunday!"

Newton and Martin came out of the chase group to place fourth and fifth, with Irishmen David McCann (Ireland Subway Eat Fresh) and Stephen Gallagher (Ireland Murphy and Gunn/Newlyn Group/M. Donnelly Sean Kelly) taking sixth and seventh, nine seconds ahead of a disappointed Anthony.

O'Brien and team-mate Mark Cassidy are now best placed Irishmen overall in second and seventh respectively. The race continues tomorrow with a short but potentially decisive 96 kilometre leg to Derry.

How it unfolded

A view of a section of the decisive climb
Photo ©: Stephen McMahon
(Click for larger image)

136 riders lined out in overcast conditions for the start of stage 5 of the FBD Insurance Rás, a gruelling 131 kilometres from Dungloe to Buncrana. The day's route would see the riders cross six categorised climbs, including the second cat Carabit and Pinch Mountain plus first category Gap of Mamore, regarded by some as one of the hardest climbs in the country. It tops out just 13 kilometres from the finish, making it vitally important for those hoping for stage honours or a good showing in the general classification.

After a very aggressive start a group of twenty-nine riders went clear approximately ten kilometres into the stage and were together when they hit slopes of the day's first climb, the cat 3 Peirse Mor. There was a chasing group of 20 riders at 33 seconds, with another group 50 seconds back.

Race leader Jesse Anthony (Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada) fortified his hold on the mountains jersey when he beat closest challenger Ricardo Van der Velde (Netherlands) and Brian Kenneally to the top of the climb.

The two frontmost groups joined soon afterwards. Further back, a lot of riders were under pressure, with a large peloton over two minutes down. Robin Chaigneau (Netherlands) took top points on the day's second climb, Carabit (category 2, 18.3 km), crossing the line ahead of team-mate Van der Velde and Anthony.

Former double winner of the Rás
Photo ©: Stephen McMahon
(Click for larger image)

Shortly afterwards, Van der Velde clipped away alone, realising that he needed to open up some distance over Anthony in a bid to maximise his chances of taking the mountains jersey. He was joined by four others, namely Paídi O'Brien (Ireland Murphy and Gunn/Newlyn Group/M. Donnelly Sean Kelly), Jason Hegert (FRF Couriers), Nico Graf (Thuringer Energy) and Yannick Tiedt (Stevens Von Hacht), and these five opened a 30 second lead over a 52 man chasing group.

After 30 kilometres of racing the gap was 43 seconds. 11 riders set off in pursuit, namely Yvo Kusters (Netherlands), Mark Cassidy, Stephen Gallagher, Glenn Bak (all Ireland Murphy and Gunn/Newlyn Group/M. Donnelly Sean Kelly), Peter Herzig (FRF Couriers), Chris Newton (Recycling.co.uk), Tony Martin (Thuringer Energy), Dominque Rollin and race leader Jesse Anthony (Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada), Roger Aiken (Armagh Big Picture Developments) and Brian Kenneally (Meath MyHome.ie/BDBC).

These were then joined by Paul Griffin (Ireland Subway Eat Fresh), Alain Van der Velde (Netherlands), Peter McDonald (FRF Couriers), Mart Ojavee (Kalev Chocolate) and Marcin Bialoblocki (Team Sportscover). More riders then came up just before the leaders headed into Letterkenny, some 50 kilometres after the start of the stage.

Australian riders Chris Jory and Brendan Brooks
Photo ©: Stephen McMahon
(Click for larger image)

O'Brien and the other four up front were briefly sent the wrong direction here, losing some time, but being quickly alerted to the problem and getting back on course. Roger Aiken (Armagh Big Picture Developments) set off in pursuit and closed to within 12 seconds of the quintet before eventually cracking and slipping back to the chasing group at the 84 kilometre point. He would have enough left in the tank to finish 23rd on the stage, taking the prize for the best county rider.

Van de Velde continued to scoop the points when he finished ahead of O'Brien and Tiedt on the category three climb of Slavary (93.2 km). The yellow jersey group was 2'27 back at this stage, with his US Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada team doing the bulk of the chasing. Despite this driving, by the time Van de Velde collected the top points at Pinch Mountain (102.8 km), the gap was still around two and a half minutes, and as the rain came down with 20 kilometres remaining, the break were two minutes and 40 seconds clear. The stage win suddenly looked more than possible.

Van de Velde was certainly aiming for that and drove hard on Mamore Gap to crest the top ahead of Graf and O'Brien. He tore down the short descent and then dug deep again on the final climb of the day, the third cat Old Mountain, collecting more KOM points and ensuring that he would end the day a very considerable 34 points ahead of Anthony.

American Jesse Anthony (Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada)
Photo ©: Stephen McMahon
(Click for larger image)

The summit of the climb was just ten kilometres from the line and so he continued to drive the pedals around, knowing that the stage win was up for grabs. However Graf and O'Brien were also digging in, the latter aware that he could take over the yellow jersey, and they finally caught and passed the Dutchman inside the last two kilometres.

Once onto the streets of Buncrana, Graf outsprinted O'Brien for the stage victory. Further back, the yellow jersey group had exploded on the slopes of Mamore, with Chris Newton - who won here four years ago - and Tony Martin (Germany Thuringer Energy) ripping clear of the others and chasing hard all the way to the line. They came in 42 seconds behind Graf and O'Brien, Newton taking the sprint for fourth. Irish duo David McCann and Stephen Gallagher came in sixth and seventh, just ahead of Gallagher's Murphy and Gunn/Newlyn Group/M. Donnelly Sean Kelly team-mate Glenn Bak, while the race leader Jesse Anthony finished 1'22 behind Graf in tenth place.

The full podium
Photo ©: Stephen McMahon
(Click for larger image)

The race judges initially thought O'Brien was the new race leader, but a careful examination of the finishing photographs showed that Martin's race number was obscured by the gillet he was wearing. He was confirmed as the new race leader once this was factored into the calculations, while O'Brien ended the day second overall, 17 seconds back.

A disappointed Anthony slipped to third, 36 off the yellow jersey he had worn for two stages. He also conceded his best young rider lead to Martin and his KOM jersey to Van der Velde, but is likely to come out all guns blazing tomorrow in a bid to get the yellow jersey back. O'Brien is also going to go on the offensive, knowing that a good showing in the final three stages could yet produce an Irish winner.

Stage 6 will take the riders 96 kilometres to Derry. It's a mainly flat stage but the short distance is certain to result in aggressive, attacking, flat-out racing. Martin is 17 seconds clear at the top of the leaderboard but the final race victory is still quite some way away.

Photography

For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here

Images by Stephen McMahon

Results

1 Nico Graf (Ger) Thuringer Energy                                   3.12.17 (42.25 km/h)
2 Paidi O'Brien (Irl) Murphy & Gunn-Newlyn-M. Donnelly-Sean Kelly       0.01
3 Ricardo Van der Velde (Ned) Netherlands National Team U23             0.04
4 Chris Newton (GBr) Stena Line / Recycling                             0.42
5 Tony Martin (Ger) Thuringer Energy                                        
6 David McCann (Irl) Ireland Subway Eat Fresh                           1.13
7 Stephen Gallagher (Irl) Murphy & Gunn-Newlyn-M. Donnelly-Sean Kelly       
8 Glenn Bak (Den) Murphy & Gunn-Newlyn-M. Donnelly-Sean Kelly           1.21
9 Patrick Gretsch (Ger) Thuringer Energy                                    
10 Jesse Anthony (USA) Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada                      1.22
11 Alain Van der Velde (Ned) Netherlands National Team U23                  
12 Florian Frohn (Ger) Thuringer Energy                                     
13 Peter McDonald (Aus) FRF Couriers NSWIS                                  
14 Jason Hegert (Aus) FRF Couriers NSWIS                                    
15 Peter Herzig (Aus) FRF Couriers NSWIS                                    
16 René Birkenfeld (Ger) Stevens-Von Hacht                              1.46
17 Dominique Rollin (Can) Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada                       
18 Silvar Kibur (Est) Kalev Chocolate                                       
19 Wayne Randle (GBr) Team Sportscover                                      
20 Dan Bowman (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies                            1.47
21 Mark Cassidy (Irl) Murphy & Gunn-Newlyn-M. Donnelly-Sean Kelly           
22 Marcin Bialoblocki (GBr) Team Sportscover                            2.19
23 Roger Aiken (Irl) Armagh Big Picture Dev                                 
24 Rory Wyley (Irl) Tipperary Dan Morrissey                             2.22
25 Brian Kenneally (Irl) Meath Myhome.ie/BDBC                               
26 Yvo Kusters (Ned) Netherlands National Team                          2.34
27 Mark Walters (Can) Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada                           
28 Ben Raby (USA) Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada                               
29 Johannes Sickmuller (Ger) Stevens-Von Hacht                              
30 Ryan Roth (Can) Kelly Benefit Strategies                                 
31 Marcel Barth (Ger) Thuringer Energy                                      
32 Andrei Mustonen (Est) Kalev Chocolate                                    
33 Robin Chaigneau (Ned) Netherlands National Team U23                      
34 Eugene Moriarty (Irl) Meath Myhome.ie/BDBC                               
35 Justin Spinelli (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies                           
36 Paul Griffin (Irl) Ireland Subway Eat Fresh                              
37 Mart Ojavee (Est) Kalev Chocolate                                        
38 Yannick Tiedt (Ger) Stevens-Von Hacht                                2.53
39 Dennis Kreder (Ned) Netherlands National Team U23                    4.16
40 Michael Johansen (Den) Vision Bikes                                      
41 Benjamin Hill (Ger) Stevens-Von Hacht                                    
42 Josh Thornton (USA) Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada                      9.51
43 Dominique Perras (Can) Kelly Benefit Strategies                     11.30
44 Thomas Bendixen (Den) Vision Bikes                                  13.57
45 Alo Jakin (Est) Kalev Chocolate                                          
46 Isaac Speirs (Irl) Dublin Murphy & Gunn Newlyn                      14.31
47 Ryan Bonser (GBr) Stena Line / Recycling                                 
48 Adam Armstrong (Irl) Dublin Usher Insulations                       15.08
49 Paul Vaughan (Irl) Kildare Murphy Surveys                           15.23
50 Zdenek Krizek (Cze) Sparta Praha                                         
51 Matthew Ward (Irl) Dublin Usher Insulations                         16.08
52 Ciaran Cassidy (Irl) Meath M.Donnelly Cycleways                     16.09
53 Ashley Brown (GBr) Team Sportscover                                      
54 Sean Lacey (Irl) Dublin Murphy & Gunn Newlyn                             
55 Neil Delahaye (Irl) Dublin Usher Insulations                             
56 Patrick Moriarty (Irl) Cork Omega Designs Ltd                            
57 Markku Ainsalu (Est) Kalev Chocolate                                16.13
58 Chris Jory (Aus) FRF Couriers NSWIS                                 16.23
59 Brendan Brooks (Aus) FRF Couriers NSWIS                                  
60 Petr Pucelik (Cze) Sparta Praha                                          
61 Josef Soukup (Cze) Sparta Praha                                          
62 Ondrej Pavek (Cze) Sparta Praha                                          
63 Graham Briggs (GBr) Stena Line / Recycling                               
64 Alan Carey (Irl) Dublin Usher Insulations                                
65 Matthew Green (GBr) Surrey                                               
66 Simon Kelly (Irl) Murphy & Gunn-Newlyn-M. Donnelly-Sean Kelly            
67 Mark Lovatt (GBr) Team Sportscover                                       
68 Benjamin Justesen (Den) Vision Bikes                                     
69 Conor Murphy (Irl) Dublin Usher Insulations                              
70 Mark Nestor (Irl) Dublin Murphy & Gunn Newlyn                       17.00
71 Sonke Thiel (Ger) Stevens-Von Hacht                                      
72 Brian Ahern (Irl) Dublin DTC Orwell Wheelers                             
73 Miceál Concannon (Irl) Kerry Earl Of Desmond                             
74 John Charlsworth (GBr) Team Sportscover                                  
75 Simon Jensen (Den) Vision Bikes                                          
76 Dermot Nally (Irl) Ireland Subway Eat Fresh                              
77 David Brennan (Irl) Kerry Earl Of Desmond                                
78 Daire McCaughley (Irl) Armagh Big Picture Dev                       17.30
79 Tomas Hruby (Cze) Sparta Praha                                           
80 Michael Butler (Irl) Kerry Earl Of Desmond                          17.57
81 Cormac O'Shea (Irl) Kildare Newbridge ReMax                         18.20
82 Michael Fitzgerald (Irl) Tipperary Dan Morrissey                         
83 Raymond Clarke (Irl) Tipperary Dan Morrissey                             
84 Martyn Irvine (Irl) Ireland Subway Eat Fresh                             
85 Padraig Marrey (Irl) Dublin Murphy & Gunn Newlyn                         
86 Simon Holt (GBr) Stena Line / Recycling                                  
87 Derek Burke (Irl) Dublin Murphy & Gunn Newlyn                            
88 Tom Diggle (GBr) Stena Line / Recycling                                  
89 Scott McDonald (Irl) Meath Myhome.ie/BDBC                                
90 Mads Bugge (Den) Vision Bikes                                            
91 Ronan McLaughlin (Irl) Down Mar Properties                          23.18
92 Kevin Donagher (Irl) Dublin DTC Orwell Wheelers                          
93 Hugh Mulhearne (Irl) Tipperary Dan Morrissey                             
94 Paul Wright (GBr) North England West Pennine                        24.07
95 Chris Belsham (GBr) North England West Pennine                           
96 Mick Mulcahy (Irl) Kildare Murphy Surveys                           24.11
97 Paul Delahunty (NZl) Surrey                                         24.13
98 Craig Sweetman (Irl) Meath M.Donnelly Cycleways                          
99 David Peelo (Irl) Kildare Murphy Surveys                                 
100 Frank O'Leary (Irl) Kildare Newbridge ReMax                             
101 Robin Kelly (Irl) Waterford Comeragh CC                            25.04
102 Toby Neave (GBr) Surrey                                            25.09
103 Thomas O'Flaherty (Irl) Kerry Earl Of Desmond                      25.31
104 John O'Brien (Irl) Tipperary Dan Morrissey                              
105 Ben Pochee (GBr) Surrey                                                 
106 Brian Taaffe (Irl) Meath M.Donnelly Cycleways                           
107 Richard Simmonds (GBr) Surrey                                           
108 Adrian Hederman (Irl) Meath M.Donnelly Cycleways                        
109 Nick Waite (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies                               
110 Michael Hennessy (Irl) Cork Omega Designs Ltd                           
111 Stephen O'Sullivan (Irl) Meath Myhome.ie/BDBC                           
112 Jonathan Gormley (Irl) Down Mar Properties                              
113 Aidan Crowley (Irl) Meath Myhome.ie/BDBC                                
114 Nathan Jones (Aus) Kildare Newbridge ReMax                              
115 Conor McGrath (Irl) Waterford Comeragh CC                          26.49
116 Tom Fanning (Irl) Waterford Comeragh CC                                 
117 Michael O'Reilly (Irl) Cork Omega Designs Ltd                           
118 Barry Mullin (Irl) Down Mar Properties                                  
119 Frank O'Connor (Irl) Meath M.Donnelly Cycleways                    34.36
120 Dave McLoughlin (Irl) Dublin DTC Orwell Wheelers                   36.38
121 Colm Bracken (Irl) Kildare Murphy Surveys                               
122 Peter Hey (GBr) North England West Pennine                              
123 Ben Lieberson (GBr) Cork Omega Designs Ltd                              
124 James Lattimore (Irl) Dublin Eurocycles -Eurobaby                  37.16
125 John-Paul Lyons (Irl) Dublin Eurocycles -Eurobaby                  40.48
126 Frank Dunne (Irl) Waterford Comeragh CC                            41.56
127 Tony Kemp (Irl) Cork Omega Designs Ltd                             42.00
128 Don Feighery (Irl) Waterford Comeragh CC                           42.59
129 Stephen Surdival (Irl) Dublin DTC Orwell Wheelers                  45.27
130 Noel McGlynn (Irl) Kildare Murphy Surveys                          46.49
131 Richard Eastham (GBr) North England West Pennine                        
132 Colm Ahern (Irl) Dublin DTC Orwell Wheelers                             
133 Brendan Kirk (Irl) Down Mar Properties                                  
DNF Mark Scanlon (Irl) Ireland Subway Eat Fresh                             
DNF Kieran Downey (Irl) Armagh Big Picture Dev                              
DNF David Mulholland (Irl) Armagh Big Picture Dev                           
DNS Llewellyn Byrne (Irl) North England West Pennine                        
 
Mountains
 
Peirse Mór - Cat. 3
1 Jesse Anthony (USA) Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada                          5 pts
2 Ricardo Van der Velde (Ned) Netherlands National Team U23                4
3 Brian Kenneally (Irl) Meath Myhome.ie/BDBC                               3
4 Yvo Kusters (Ned) Netherlands National Team                              2
 
Carabit - Cat. 2
1 Robin Chaigneau (Ned) Netherlands National Team U23                     10 pts
2 Ricardo Van der Velde (Ned) Netherlands National Team U23                8
3 Jesse Anthony (USA) Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada                          6
4 Brian Kenneally (Irl) Meath Myhome.ie/BDBC                               4
5 Mark Cassidy (Irl) Murphy & Gunn-Newlyn-M. Donnelly-Sean Kelly           3
6 Alain Van der Velde (Ned) Netherlands National Team U23                  1
 
Slavary - Cat. 3
1 Ricardo Van der Velde (Ned) Netherlands National Team U23                5 pts
2 Paidi O'Brien (Irl) Murphy & Gunn-Newlyn-M. Donnelly-Sean Kelly          4
3 Yannick Tiedt (Ger) Stevens-Von Hacht                                    3
4 Jason Hegert (Aus) FRF Couriers NSWIS                                    2
 
Pinch Mountain - Cat. 2
1 Ricardo Van der Velde (Ned) Netherlands National Team U23               10 pts
2 Jason Hegert (Aus) FRF Couriers NSWIS                                    8
3 Paidi O'Brien (Irl) Murphy & Gunn-Newlyn-M. Donnelly-Sean Kelly          6
4 Nico Graf (Ger) Thuringer Energy                                         4
5 Yannick Tiedt (Ger) Stevens-Von Hacht                                    3
6 Patrick Gretsch (Ger) Thuringer Energy                                   1
 
Mamore - Cat. 1
1 Ricardo Van der Velde (Ned) Netherlands National Team U23               15 pts
2 Nico Graf (Ger) Thuringer Energy                                        12
3 Paidi O'Brien (Irl) Murphy & Gunn-Newlyn-M. Donnelly-Sean Kelly         10
4 Yannick Tiedt (Ger) Stevens-Von Hacht                                    8
5 Jason Hegert (Aus) FRF Couriers NSWIS                                    6
6 Chris Newton (GBr) Stena Line / Recycling                                5
7 Tony Martin (Ger) Thuringer Energy                                       3
 
Old Mountain - Cat. 3
1 Ricardo Van der Velde (Ned) Netherlands National Team U23                5 pts
2 Paidi O'Brien (Irl) Murphy & Gunn-Newlyn-M. Donnelly-Sean Kelly          4
3 Nico Graf (Ger) Thuringer Energy                                         3
4 Yannick Tiedt (Ger) Stevens-Von Hacht                                    2
 
County Rider 
 
1 Roger Aiken (Irl) Armagh Big Picture Dev                           3.14.36
2 Rory Wyley (Irl) Tipperary Dan Morrissey                              0.03
3 Brian Kenneally (Irl) Meath Myhome.ie/BDBC                                
 
Cotter Hoose Category 2          
 
1 Alan Carey (Irl) Dublin Usher Insulations                          3.28.40
2 Mark Nestor (Irl) Dublin Murphy & Gunn Newlyn                         0.37
3 Brian Ahern (Irl) Dublin DTC Orwell Wheelers                              
4 Daire McCaughley (Irl) Armagh Big Picture Dev                         1.07
5 Kevin Donagher (Irl) Dublin DTC Orwell Wheelers                       6.55
6 Jonathan Gormley (Irl) Down Mar Properties                            9.08
 
International Team 
 
1 Thuringer Energy                                                          
2 Murphy & Gunn-Newlyn-M. Donnelly-Sean Kelly                               
3 Netherlands national Team U23                                             
4 FRF Couriers NSWIS                                                        
5 Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada                                               
6 Kalev Chocolate                                                           
7 Kelly Benefit Strategies                                                  
8 Stevens-Von Hacht                                                         
9 Team Sportscover                                                          
10 Ireland Subway Eat Fresh                                                 
11 Stena Line / Recycling                                                   
12 Vision Bikes                                                             
13 Sparta Praha                                                             
14 Surrey                                                                   
15 North England West Pennine                                               
 
County Team 
 
1 Meath Myhome.ie/BDBC                                                      
2 Tipperary Dan Morrissey                                                   
3 Dublin Usher Insulations                                                  
4 Dublin Murphy & Gunn Newlyn                                               
5 Kerry Earl Of Desmond                                                     
6 Kildare Murphy Surveys                                                    
7 Meath M.Donnelly Cycleways                                                
8 Kildare Newbridge ReMax                                                   
9 Cork Omega Designs Ltd                                                    
10 Down Mar Properties                                                      
11 Dublin DTC Orwell Wheelers                                               
12 Waterford Comeragh CC                                                    
 
General Classification after stage 5
 
1 Tony Martin (Ger) Thuringer Energy                                17.37.20
2 Paidi O'Brien (Irl) Murphy & Gunn-Newlyn-M. Donnelly-Sean Kelly       0.17
3 Jesse Anthony (USA) Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada                       0.36
4 Peter McDonald (Aus) FRF Couriers NSWIS                               0.40
5 Chris Newton (GBr) Stena Line / Recycling                             1.02
6 Dominique Rollin (Can) Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada                    1.04
7 Mark Cassidy (Irl) Murphy & Gunn-Newlyn-M. Donnelly-Sean Kelly        1.05
8 David McCann (Irl) Ireland Subway Eat Fresh                           1.35
9 Stephen Gallagher (Irl) Murphy & Gunn-Newlyn-M. Donnelly-Sean Kelly       
10 Brian Kenneally (Irl) Meath Myhome.ie/BDBC                           1.38
11 Patrick Gretsch (Ger) Thuringer Energy                               1.43
12 Alain Van der Velde (Ned) Netherlands National Team U23              1.44
13 Jason Hegert (Aus) FRF Couriers NSWIS                                    
14 Peter Herzig (Aus) FRF Couriers NSWIS                                    
15 Yvo Kusters (Ned) Netherlands National Team                          1.52
16 Paul Griffin (Irl) Ireland Subway Eat Fresh                              
17 Ryan Roth (Can) Kelly Benefit Strategies                                 
18 Dan Bowman (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies                            2.09
19 Rory Wyley (Irl) Tipperary Dan Morrissey                             2.44
20 Justin Spinelli (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies                       2.45
21 Florian Frohn (Ger) Thuringer Energy                                 2.52
22 Robin Chaigneau (Ned) Netherlands National Team U23                  2.56
23 Mark Walters (Can) Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada                           
24 Roger Aiken (Irl) Armagh Big Picture Dev                             3.31
25 Glenn Bak (Den) Murphy & Gunn-Newlyn-M. Donnelly-Sean Kelly          3.45
26 Michael Johansen (Den) Vision Bikes                                  4.37
27 Benjamin Hill (Ger) Stevens-Von Hacht                                4.38
28 Josh Thornton (USA) Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada                     10.31
29 Marcel Barth (Ger) Thuringer Energy                                 12.54
30 Johannes Sickmuller (Ger) Stevens-Von Hacht                         13.07
31 Dominique Perras (Can) Kelly Benefit Strategies                     13.37
32 Thomas Bendixen (Den) Vision Bikes                                  14.19
33 Zdenek Krizek (Cze) Sparta Praha                                    15.45
34 Neil Delahaye (Irl) Dublin Usher Insulations                        16.31
35 Ondrej Pavek (Cze) Sparta Praha                                     16.43
36 Chris Jory (Aus) FRF Couriers NSWIS                                 16.45
37 Josef Soukup (Cze) Sparta Praha                                          
38 Markku Ainsalu (Est) Kalev Chocolate                                     
39 Yannick Tiedt (Ger) Stevens-Von Hacht                               16.49
40 Petr Pucelik (Cze) Sparta Praha                                     17.01
41 Sean Lacey (Irl) Dublin Murphy & Gunn Newlyn                        17.25
42 Graham Briggs (GBr) Stena Line / Recycling                          18.30
43 Brian Ahern (Irl) Dublin DTC Orwell Wheelers                        18.39
44 Ricardo Van der Velde (Ned) Netherlands National Team U23           19.10
45 Patrick Moriarty (Irl) Cork Omega Designs Ltd                       19.33
46 Nico Graf (Ger) Thuringer Energy                                    20.17
47 René Birkenfeld (Ger) Stevens-Von Hacht                             21.24
48 Wayne Randle (GBr) Team Sportscover                                 22.03
49 Silvar Kibur (Est) Kalev Chocolate                                       
50 Marcin Bialoblocki (GBr) Team Sportscover                           22.36
51 Alo Jakin (Est) Kalev Chocolate                                          
52 Mart Ojavee (Est) Kalev Chocolate                                   22.41
53 Ben Raby (USA) Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada                          22.51
54 Eugene Moriarty (Irl) Meath Myhome.ie/BDBC                               
55 Andrei Mustonen (Est) Kalev Chocolate                               23.30
56 Dennis Kreder (Ned) Netherlands National Team U23                   23.39
57 Simon Jensen (Den) Vision Bikes                                     27.20
58 Ryan Bonser (GBr) Stena Line / Recycling                            27.26
59 Stephen O'Sullivan (Irl) Meath Myhome.ie/BDBC                       27.38
60 Tomas Hruby (Cze) Sparta Praha                                      27.50
61 Ashley Brown (GBr) Team Sportscover                                 28.28
62 Tom Diggle (GBr) Stena Line / Recycling                             30.39
63 Adam Armstrong (Irl) Dublin Usher Insulations                       35.25
64 Mick Mulcahy (Irl) Kildare Murphy Surveys                           35.41
65 Isaac Speirs (Irl) Dublin Murphy & Gunn Newlyn                      36.05
66 David Peelo (Irl) Kildare Murphy Surveys                            36.32
67 Brendan Brooks (Aus) FRF Couriers NSWIS                             36.40
68 Conor Murphy (Irl) Dublin Usher Insulations                              
69 Mark Lovatt (GBr) Team Sportscover                                       
70 Benjamin Justesen (Den) Vision Bikes                                36.59
71 Dermot Nally (Irl) Ireland Subway Eat Fresh                         37.17
72 Ben Pochee (GBr) Surrey                                             37.00
73 John O'Brien (Irl) Tipperary Dan Morrissey                               
74 Sonke Thiel (Ger) Stevens-Von Hacht                                 38.27
75 David Brennan (Irl) Kerry Earl Of Desmond                           38.34
76 John Charlsworth (GBr) Team Sportscover                                  
77 Simon Holt (GBr) Stena Line / Recycling                             38.00
78 Michael Fitzgerald (Irl) Tipperary Dan Morrissey                         
79 Simon Kelly (Irl) Murphy & Gunn-Newlyn-M. Donnelly-Sean Kelly       38.38
80 Alan Carey (Irl) Dublin Usher Insulations                           38.39
81 Mads Bugge (Den) Vision Bikes                                       38.54
82 Tom Fanning (Irl) Waterford Comeragh CC                             39.55
83 Michael Butler (Irl) Kerry Earl Of Desmond                          40.13
84 Scott McDonald (Irl) Meath Myhome.ie/BDBC                           40.36
85 Matthew Ward (Irl) Dublin Usher Insulations                         40.56
86 Derek Burke (Irl) Dublin Murphy & Gunn Newlyn                       42.42
87 Martyn Irvine (Irl) Ireland Subway Eat Fresh                        43.52
88 Hugh Mulhearne (Irl) Tipperary Dan Morrissey                        45.06
89 Craig Sweetman (Irl) Meath M.Donnelly Cycleways                     46.29
90 Nathan Jones (Aus) Kildare Newbridge ReMax                          46.46
91 Matthew Green (GBr) Surrey                                          47.16
92 Nick Waite (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies                           47.47
93 Conor McGrath (Irl) Waterford Comeragh CC                           49.00
94 Michael O'Reilly (Irl) Cork Omega Designs Ltd                            
95 Paul Wright (GBr) North England West Pennine                        50.07
96 Daire McCaughley (Irl) Armagh Big Picture Dev                       51.32
97 Mark Nestor (Irl) Dublin Murphy & Gunn Newlyn                       53.02
98 Padraig Marrey (Irl) Dublin Murphy & Gunn Newlyn                    55.04
99 Richard Simmonds (GBr) Surrey                                       55.36
100 Paul Vaughan (Irl) Kildare Murphy Surveys                          56.31
101 Ciaran Cassidy (Irl) Meath M.Donnelly Cycleways                    57.17
102 Miceál Concannon (Irl) Kerry Earl Of Desmond                       58.08
103 Raymond Clarke (Irl) Tipperary Dan Morrissey                       59.24
104 Ronan McLaughlin (Irl) Down Mar Properties                       1.04.24
105 Cormac O'Shea (Irl) Kildare Newbridge ReMax                      1.15.16
106 Aidan Crowley (Irl) Meath Myhome.ie/BDBC                         1.17.39
107 Kevin Donagher (Irl) Dublin DTC Orwell Wheelers                  1.19.33
108 Chris Belsham (GBr) North England West Pennine                   1.19.40
109 Paul Delahunty (NZl) Surrey                                      1.24.58
110 Richard Eastham (GBr) North England West Pennine                 1.27.39
111 Michael Hennessy (Irl) Cork Omega Designs Ltd                    1.36.13
112 Brian Taaffe (Irl) Meath M.Donnelly Cycleways                    1.36.47
113 Toby Neave (GBr) Surrey                                          1.47.17
114 Colm Bracken (Irl) Kildare Murphy Surveys                        1.47.20
115 Robin Kelly (Irl) Waterford Comeragh CC                          1.52.04
116 Adrian Hederman (Irl) Meath M.Donnelly Cycleways                 1.54.24
117 Stephen Surdival (Irl) Dublin DTC Orwell Wheelers                1.56.20
118 James Lattimore (Irl) Dublin Eurocycles -Eurobaby                1.56.29
119 Noel McGlynn (Irl) Kildare Murphy Surveys                        2.07.26
120 Barry Mullin (Irl) Down Mar Properties                           2.14.30
121 Don Feighery (Irl) Waterford Comeragh CC                         2.14.36
122 Ben Lieberson (GBr) Cork Omega Designs Ltd                       2.15.53
123 Frank O'Connor (Irl) Meath M.Donnelly Cycleways                  2.16.32
124 Thomas O'Flaherty (Irl) Kerry Earl Of Desmond                    2.20.17
125 Peter Hey (GBr) North England West Pennine                       2.32.53
126 Dave McLoughlin (Irl) Dublin DTC Orwell Wheelers                 2.33.12
127 Frank O'Leary (Irl) Kildare Newbridge ReMax                      2.38.36
128 Jonathan Gormley (Irl) Down Mar Properties                       2.39.54
129 Colm Ahern (Irl) Dublin DTC Orwell Wheelers                      2.44.19
130 Tony Kemp (Irl) Cork Omega Designs Ltd                           2.49.35
131 John-Paul Lyons (Irl) Dublin Eurocycles -Eurobaby                2.55.11
132 Frank Dunne (Irl) Waterford Comeragh CC                          2.56.19
133 Brendan Kirk (Irl) Down Mar Properties                           3.01.12
 
Points classification
 
1 Dominique Rollin (Can) Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada                      53 pts
2 Paidi O'Brien (Irl) Murphy & Gunn-Newlyn-M. Donnelly-Sean Kelly         42
3 Yvo Kusters (Ned) Netherlands National Team                             39
4 Mart Ojavee (Est) Kalev Chocolate                                       30
5 Tony Martin (Ger) Thuringer Energy                                      30
6 Nico Graf (Ger) Thuringer Energy                                        26
7 Paul Griffin (Irl) Ireland Subway Eat Fresh                             25
8 Peter McDonald (Aus) FRF Couriers NSWIS                                 24
9 Mark Cassidy (Irl) Murphy & Gunn-Newlyn-M. Donnelly-Sean Kelly          23
10 Ryan Roth (Can) Kelly Benefit Strategies                               21
11 Stephen Gallagher (Irl) Murphy & Gunn-Newlyn-M. Donnelly-Sean Kelly    19
12 Ricardo Van der Velde (Ned) Netherlands National Team U23              19
13 René Birkenfeld (Ger) Stevens-Von Hacht                                18
14 Alain Van der Velde (Ned) Netherlands National Team U23                17
15 Marcel Barth (Ger) Thuringer Energy                                    16
16 Brian Kenneally (Irl) Meath Myhome.ie/BDBC                             15
17 Jesse Anthony (USA) Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada                        15
18 Chris Newton (GBr) Stena Line / Recycling                              14
19 Petr Pucelik (Cze) Sparta Praha                                        13
20 Tomas Hruby (Cze) Sparta Praha                                         13
21 Benjamin Hill (Ger) Stevens-Von Hacht                                  11
22 David McCann (Irl) Ireland Subway Eat Fresh                            10
23 Robin Chaigneau (Ned) Netherlands National Team U23                    10
24 Brian Ahern (Irl) Dublin DTC Orwell Wheelers                           10
25 Ben Raby (USA) Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada                              9
26 Glenn Bak (Den) Murphy & Gunn-Newlyn-M. Donnelly-Sean Kelly             8
27 Eugene Moriarty (Irl) Meath Myhome.ie/BDBC                              8
28 Andrei Mustonen (Est) Kalev Chocolate                                   8
29 Patrick Gretsch (Ger) Thuringer Energy                                  7
30 Dan Bowman (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies                               7
31 Josef Soukup (Cze) Sparta Praha                                         5
32 Marcin Bialoblocki (GBr) Team Sportscover                               5
33 Florian Frohn (Ger) Thuringer Energy                                    4
34 Dennis Kreder (Ned) Netherlands National Team U23                       4
35 Peter Herzig (Aus) FRF Couriers NSWIS                                   3
36 Justin Spinelli (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies                          3
37 Sean Lacey (Irl) Dublin Murphy & Gunn Newlyn                            3
38 Jason Hegert (Aus) FRF Couriers NSWIS                                   2
 
Mountains classification
 
1 Ricardo Van der Velde (Ned) Netherlands National Team U23               74 pts
2 Jesse Anthony (USA) Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada                         40
3 Paidi O'Brien (Irl) Murphy & Gunn-Newlyn-M. Donnelly-Sean Kelly         24
4 Nico Graf (Ger) Thuringer Energy                                        19
5 Jason Hegert (Aus) FRF Couriers NSWIS                                   16
6 Yannick Tiedt (Ger) Stevens-Von Hacht                                   16
7 René Birkenfeld (Ger) Stevens-Von Hacht                                 15
8 Robin Chaigneau (Ned) Netherlands National Team U23                     10
9 Brian Kenneally (Irl) Meath Myhome.ie/BDBC                               7
10 Patrick Gretsch (Ger) Thuringer Energy                                  7
11 Michael Johansen (Den) Vision Bikes                                     6
12 Petr Pucelik (Cze) Sparta Praha                                         5
13 Chris Newton (GBr) Stena Line / Recycling                               5
14 Dominique Rollin (Can) Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada                      4
15 Roger Aiken (Irl) Armagh Big Picture Dev                                4
16 Ondrej Pavek (Cze) Sparta Praha                                         4
17 Tony Martin (Ger) Thuringer Energy                                      3
18 Mark Cassidy (Irl) Murphy & Gunn-Newlyn-M. Donnelly-Sean Kelly          3
19 Peter Herzig (Aus) FRF Couriers NSWIS                                   3
20 Justin Spinelli (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies                          3
21 Ben Raby (USA) Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada                              3
22 Simon Kelly (Irl) Murphy & Gunn-Newlyn-M. Donnelly-Sean Kelly           3
23 Nathan Jones (Aus) Kildare Newbridge ReMax                              3
24 Peter McDonald (Aus) FRF Couriers NSWIS                                 2
25 Yvo Kusters (Ned) Netherlands National Team                             2
26 Dan Bowman (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies                               2
27 Alain Van der Velde (Ned) Netherlands National Team U23                 1
28 Andrei Mustonen (Est) Kalev Chocolate                                   1
  
U23 Rider classification                                                   
 
1 Tony Martin (Ger) Thuringer Energy                                        
2 Jesse Anthony (USA) Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada                       0.36
3 Mark Cassidy (Irl) Murphy & Gunn-Newlyn-M. Donnelly-Sean Kelly        1.05
4 Patrick Gretsch (Ger) Thuringer Energy                                1.43
5 Alain Van der Velde (Ned) Netherlands National Team U23               1.44
6 Jason Hegert (Aus) FRF Couriers NSWIS                                     
7 Yvo Kusters (Ned) Netherlands National Team                           1.52
8 Florian Frohn (Ger) Thuringer Energy                                  2.52
9 Robin Chaigneau (Ned) Netherlands National Team U23                   2.56
10 Benjamin Hill (Ger) Stevens-Von Hacht                                4.38
11 Marcel Barth (Ger) Thuringer Energy                                 12.54
12 Zdenek Krizek (Cze) Sparta Praha                                    15.45
13 Chris Jory (Aus) FRF Couriers NSWIS                                 16.45
14 Yannick Tiedt (Ger) Stevens-Von Hacht                               16.49
15 Ricardo Van der Velde (Ned) Netherlands National Team U23           19.10
16 Nico Graf (Ger) Thuringer Energy                                    20.17
17 Silvar Kibur (Est) Kalev Chocolate                                  22.03
18 Alo Jakin (Est) Kalev Chocolate                                     22.36
19 Dennis Kreder (Ned) Netherlands National Team U23                   23.39
20 Ryan Bonser (GBr) Stena Line / Recycling                            27.26
21 Tom Diggle (GBr) Stena Line / Recycling                             30.39
22 Adam Armstrong (Irl) Dublin Usher Insulations                       35.25
23 Isaac Speirs (Irl) Dublin Murphy & Gunn Newlyn                      36.05
24 Brendan Brooks (Aus) FRF Couriers NSWIS                             36.40
25 Simon Holt (GBr) Stena Line / Recycling                             38.37
26 Derek Burke (Irl) Dublin Murphy & Gunn Newlyn                       42.42
27 Martyn Irvine (Irl) Ireland Subway Eat Fresh                        43.52
28 Matthew Green (GBr) Surrey                                          47.16
29 Mark Nestor (Irl) Dublin Murphy & Gunn Newlyn                       53.02
30 Ciaran Cassidy (Irl) Meath M.Donnelly Cycleways                     57.17
31 Ronan McLaughlin (Irl) Down Mar Properties                        1.04.24
 
County Rider classification
 
1 Brian Kenneally (Irl) Meath Myhome.ie/BDBC                                
2 Rory Wyley (Irl) Tipperary Dan Morrissey                              1.06
3 Roger Aiken (Irl) Armagh Big Picture Dev                              1.53
4 Neil Delahaye (Irl) Dublin Usher Insulations                         14.53
5 Sean Lacey (Irl) Dublin Murphy & Gunn Newlyn                         15.47
6 Brian Ahern (Irl) Dublin DTC Orwell Wheelers                         17.01
7 Patrick Moriarty (Irl) Cork Omega Designs Ltd                        17.55
8 Eugene Moriarty (Irl) Meath Myhome.ie/BDBC                           21.13
9 Stephen O'Sullivan (Irl) Meath Myhome.ie/BDBC                        26.00
10 Adam Armstrong (Irl) Dublin Usher Insulations                       33.47
 
CI Category 2                   
 
1 Brian Ahern (Irl) Dublin DTC Orwell Wheelers                              
2 Alan Carey (Irl) Dublin Usher Insulations                            20.00
3 Tom Fanning (Irl) Waterford Comeragh CC                              21.16
4 Conor McGrath (Irl) Waterford Comeragh CC                            30.26
5 Daire McCaughley (Irl) Armagh Big Picture Dev                        32.53
6 Mark Nestor (Irl) Dublin Murphy & Gunn Newlyn                        34.23
7 Kevin Donagher (Irl) Dublin DTC Orwell Wheelers                    1.00.54
8 Stephen Surdival (Irl) Dublin DTC Orwell Wheelers                  1.37.41
9 James Lattimore (Irl) Dublin Eurocycles -Eurobaby                  1.37.50
10 Noel McGlynn (Irl) Kildare Murphy Surveys                         1.48.47
11 Ben Lieberson (GBr) Cork Omega Designs Ltd                        1.57.14
12 Dave McLoughlin (Irl) Dublin DTC Orwell Wheelers                  2.14.33
13 Jonathan Gormley (Irl) Down Mar Properties                        2.21.15
14 Colm Ahern (Irl) Dublin DTC Orwell Wheelers                       2.25.40
15 Tony Kemp (Irl) Cork Omega Designs Ltd                            2.30.56
16 John-Paul Lyons (Irl) Dublin Eurocycles -Eurobaby                 2.36.32
17 Brendan Kirk (Irl) Down Mar Properties                            2.42.33

International Team classification
 
1 Netherlands national Team U23                                     52.54.04
2 Thuringer Energy                                                      0.01
3 Murphy & Gunn-Newlyn-M. Donnelly-Sean Kelly                           0.33
4 FRF Couriers NSWIS                                                    2.04
5 Kodak Gallery Sierra Nevada                                           2.36
6 Kelly Benefit Strategies                                              4.42
7 Stevens-Von Hacht                                                    28.56
8 Kalev Chocolate                                                      34.18
9 Ireland Subway Eat Fresh                                             38.40
10 Stena Line / Recycling                                              42.19
11 Vision Bikes                                                        43.36
12 Sparta Praha                                                        47.11
13 Team Sportscover                                                  1.09.04
14 Surrey                                                            2.10.13
15 North England West Pennine                                        2.38.01
 
County Team classification
 
1 Meath Myhome.ie/BDBC                                              53.36.56
2 Tipperary Dan Morrissey                                              26.36
3 Dublin Usher Insulations                                             33.28
4 Dublin Murphy & Gunn Newlyn                                          47.08
5 Kildare Murphy Surveys                                             1.23.30
6 Kerry Earl Of Desmond                                              1.31.41
7 Cork Omega Designs Ltd                                             1.59.55
8 Waterford Comeragh CC                                              2.11.14
9 Meath M.Donnelly Cycleways                                         2.16.45
10 Dublin DTC Orwell Wheelers                                        2.40.47
11 Kildare Newbridge ReMax                                           3.00.32
12 Down Mar Properties                                               4.49.57