Dowling joins Dan Morrissey-Speedy Spokes in France for pre-Rás tune up

Sean Lacey leads them in Ras Mumhan; he will be a GC rider in France

By Brian Canty

Following a disappointing Kerry Group Rás Mumhan, a Dan Morrissey-Speedy Spokes selection and guest rider Mark Dowling will tomorrow, Wednesday, leave Ireland for the Essor Breton stage race in northern France.

Counting Alexandre Vinokourov as a previous winner, and with a start list that includes an Omega Pharma-Quickstep selection and the Sojasun espoirs, the four-day is being used by the Cork-based team as fine tuning for the An Post Ras.

The Tim Barry-led selection includes Páidi O’Brien, Mick Fitzgerald, Sean Lacey, Joe Fenlon and Dowling. The riders are hopeful of pulling off some results and believe the French assignment is better preparation for the Ras than this weekend’s Tour of Ulster at home.

Barry told stickybottle the riders had opted to travel because the Essor was a day longer than the Tour of Ulster; with longer and faster stages.

Lacey, who is enjoying another hot-streak this season with a string of wins and podium places to his name, is in agreement.

“A lot of these guys we are racing at the weekend will be at the Rás standard so it’s good to put ourselves up against them now and see where we are,” he said.

“One of the teams (Cotes D’Armour) was one of the top teams at the Rás last year so it will be good for us. Ulster is a great race too but it’s nice to break up the year a bit too with an event like this.”

Related News

Lara Gillespie attacks Dolomite stage as Giro hits high mountains

Video - Italy's hero Balsamo mobbed mid-stage during Giro TT

“It starts on Saturday with a stage of around 100 miles and then the same, or something similar on Sunday. Monday then there’s a team-time-trial in the morning and an afternoon stage of around 60 miles. It finishes on Tuesday with a stage of 90 miles or so.”

Mark Dowling is the only rider who is not a member of the team. He wears the colours of DID Dunboyne every weekend in Ireland but when illness forced Micky O’Reilly out of the team for France, Dowling seemed like a good fit.

The race profile should suit him too as it is very hilly. Dowling took that memorable stage on the Connor Pass when he came around Ryan Sherlock on the finishing straight for the Easter Saturday stage at Rás Mumhan. And he will be a big help to the likes of Barry and Lacey, who are the team’s GC riders in France.

Getting to France is a chore in itself and involves the team driving to Rosslare tomorrow after work and boarding a ferry for a night-time crossing to Cherbourg before they drive the 400 kilometres to Lorient.

The team will be backed-up by manager Philip Finnegan and mechanic Paul Christopher. They will be assigned a soigneur on their arrival in France.

Some of the team fly home the day after the race while more will be staying on a few days and coming home on Friday week.

The race is one of the best-known races in Brittany and attracts over 100 cyclists every year.

Among the best known previous riders are: Tom Simpson, who won a stage in 1959; Cyrille Guimard won in 1985; Kazakh rider Vinokourov won in 1997, a year before he signed for Casino-Ag2R and two years before he shocked the peloton when he won the Dauphine.