Sean Downey - in the escape, second in line, red gloves - spent most of today's stage 2 at the Tour of Britain up the road. He is now second in the climbers' classification and is riding high.
By Brian Canty
An Post Chainreaction rider Sean Downey said winning a jersey at the Tour of Britain is now his and the team’s goal, after he spent most of today’s rain-lashed second stage in the breakaway.
The Banbridge rider, in his second season with the Belgian-based team, is just two points off the mountains classification jersey, currently being worn by Angel Madrazo Ruiz (Movistar Team).
“I was riding pretty strong all day,” Downey told stickybottle.
“I didn’t know I was riding as strongly but Kurt (Bogaerts, manager) came up and said 'there’s a good chance to try and get a jersey out of today’. So I saw the flags on the first climb and hit the other breakaway guys with a surprise attack, and got it.”
Advertisement
“I was afraid of them coming around me, but I didn’t know I had gotten such a gap on everyone else. Then on the second climb, the cat one of Honister Pass, I could have done with a 28 (rear sprocket); a 25 was too heavy to turn.”
“So I lost contact with the two guys up ahead and then a Sojasun guy got passed me, then on the next climb Dan (Martin) and (Nairo) Quintana caught us and they were just riding so strongly.”
“They had fresh legs and we had been out there all day and I couldn’t hold them. But I think I got fourth out of the group, so I’m two points off the mountains jersey, that’s a big goal now.”
Downey, whose brother Mark rides the Junior World Championships for Ireland in the road race and TT next week and whose father Seamus was a top flight international who rode the Olympics, said he toyed with the idea of leaving his aggression until after the time-trial tomorrow. But when he found himself with a gap so soon today he couldn’t resist going with the move.
“It just happened really,” he said.
“Kurt said for us to be aggressive all day so I was thinking maybe I should wait until after the time-trial to try and get in the break because I’d like to see what I could do there.”
“But there was an opportunity there today and I went and looked around and there was a massive gap and I saw a group coming over to us and thought that was it for the day.”
“Whenever the attacking started I followed the first move and usually at the Tour of Britain it’s the first move that sticks. But we were racing for 20 minutes flat out."
"Then it sort of went up a little hill and a guy from Sigma Sport went and I went after him. We got a gap and started to ride. That seemed to be the right combination because Team Sky let it go.”
Related News
He escaped with six others and the gap swelled to over three minutes, but the cold was playing havoc with the riders, Downey included.
“It was so cold my body was just numb. I couldn’t really feel anything. It was probably better being off the front it was so cold."
"At the start it was so hard to decide what to wear because you’re afraid of overheating. I had two gilets over the top of a jersey, it was just so cold. I’ve been racing in warm weather the last while and it was a big shock to the body.”
“I knew when I saw Dan coming over it would give us strength but I also knew Team Sky wouldn’t give them too much leeway to get away so I knew in my mind we’d be caught. It was a good move by Dan and Quintana, forcing Sky to work hard to catch them. But I knew they wouldn’t let them get too far.”
As for the finish, he said the alarm bells went off for him with five kilometres to go.
“It was such a hard run in, there was a climb with 5km to go and my legs just fell off after that, they were cramping up badly.”
But that was tempered by team mate Sam Bennett, who notched a brilliant second place on the stage.
“It was a super ride by him,” said Downey.
“The guys got him into a super position and he just took it over and rode a stormer. I think he’s very pleased with that result.”
“Obviously he would have liked to win but he’s really happy. He did what he could and when you can do no more you have to be happy with the result.”
“Everyone’s sitting here happy out tonight, Kurt’s in a good mood and we’re just all chilled out. We’re not even talking about the race, we’re just having the craic, slagging everyone off, the morale is great in the team.”
Downey's father Seamus - an Olympian - and brother Mark after he won Rás Dun na nGall this year.
Topics
