David McCann (leading here) has been racing hard in this Ras (Photo: Stevie McKenna)
By Gerard Cromwell
In Killybegs
Ireland’s David McCann, the overall winner of the Ras in 2004, and last year’s victor Gediminas Bagdonas have both expressed their frustration at what they saw as an unwillingness of other riders on today’s stage into Killybegs to ride to try and win the race.
McCann has been one of the main animators of the race and today spent long periods in the final hour of action trying to get clear to take the fight to race leader Nicolas Baldo of the Atlas Jakroo team. However, he said he could not understand why others where not willing to have a go.
The Belfast man was clear in a four-man group today before the race got to Glengesh Pass but sat up out of it before it was overhauled on the climb. However, with around 18km remaining he put in a series of attacks to try and take the overall lead, having started today just 29 seconds down on GC.
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He first went clear in another group of four, this time with Bagdonas for company, but they were caught after a few kilometres. Just as they were being reeled in he went again, pulling away on his own before being joined after a while by Krister Hagen (Oneco Mesterhus). They battled hard and got a gap of 30 seconds, but the select group behind did not let them get too far, with an attack by Baldo managing to claw them back most of the way before they were caught inside the last 10km.
McCann said he had opted to sit up out of the earlier four man group because he did not think it would make it to the finish.
“I just looked at the combination and they didn’t look too strong,” said the RTS Racing rider of that first attempt to go clear.
“There were a lot of guys behind and I think it would have been a waste of energy, so I decided to wait for later. I had a few good goes but there was such a headwind it was hard to do anything. Why more people didn’t have a go, I don’t know; maybe they didn’t have the legs. To me, today was the last chance to get away. The Swiss have three good guys there now and I think it’ll be very hard to shift him now.”
While clearly frustrated, McCann has at least demonstrated this week that he is over the nasty thumb injury he sustained in a crash in the Tour of Korea a few weeks back. He has also picked up Olympic qualification points under the Cycling Ireland qualification criteria, with his strong riding this week unlikely to go unnoticed by the selectors, one of whom is An Post Ras race director Dermot Dignam.
McCann’s sentiments about today’s racing were echoed at the finish by green jersey Gediminas Bagdonas of An Post- Sean Kelly.
Having finished 10th on the stage, four places behind McCann, the usually smiling defending Ras champion was not impressed, throwing his bike to the ground and cursing in his native tongue.
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“It was unbelievable today,” said Bagdonas when he had calmed down.
“All the guys are watching me. I tried to attack but they always chased me. It was unbelievable for me to try to get away. When I did go with one or two guys they wouldn’t work with me and I don’t understand why,” he said shrugging his shoulders.
“Then the leader goes and nobody chases him. It’s not easy but maybe I can do something tomorrow or on the last day. Everything is possible.”
It was a much more positive day for the French race leader Nicolas Baldo who proved attack to be the best form of defence when he jumped clear of a select front group of 30 riders in the final 3km of racing and soloed to victory in Killybegs to win the stage.
Baldo’s victory was made all the sweeter as he had fought his way back through the cavalcade on the approach to the second toughest climb on this year’s Ras, the steep, sinuous ascent of Glengesh Pass with around 30km to go.
By the summit, as county riders and former contenders grimaced their way up the slopes, Baldo had rejoined the front of the race thanks to his Swiss Atlas Personal team-mates.
“I was worried when I punctured, because you never know where the team car is,” said the relieved race leader at the finish.
“Even if it’s number one car, there are 35 cars behind the race and you worry. It was a big effort to rejoin the bunch but thanks to my team-mates I made it back to the front. It was nice to win after having to fight to come back, but I just attacked to see what would happen.”
For Adam Armstrong of the Dublin Eurocylces team though, third place on the stage behind Baldo and Norwegian Krister Hagen was a big step in the right direction, a step nearer his dream of a stage win.
“I picked today out,” said a happy Armstrong at the finish.
“I thought there would be a select group coming in the road and if I got over the Glengesh Pass, I’d have a chance. It wasn’t too bad. I kind of rode it at my own pace and got over it in the lead group which was the main thing. I knew if I blew my legs there, I wouldn’t have anything left in the run in.”
“In the last 10km there was a lot of attacking. I was trying to save it a bit and thought I had a chance coming into the town. Unluckily, the jersey attacked coming in the road. Otherwise I might have got second but third on a stage of the Ras... I can’t believe it. For someone who works full time, I can’t complain.”
Baldo now leads the race by 13 seconds from compatriot Thomas Rostollan (France Aix En Provence) with Czech Martin Hunal (Sparta Prague) a further four seconds back in third. Conor McConvey remains the highest placed Irish rider on GC, in seventh place, 24 seconds back.
Bagdonas on the podium after his win into Westport (Photo: Barry Sutton – www.irishcyclingphotos.com)
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