Matteo Cigala, in the club 'county rider' jersey, had a really strong week on the Rás and said he will be back to try and take a stage win (Photo: Toby Watson)
By Shane Stokes
Matteo Cigala may be Italian but he has made the best daily county rider award his own on many occasions, by virtue of his consistency in sprint finishes.
The Carlow: Dan Morrissey rider finished third on the final stage on Sunday, adding another Festina watch to his collection, and notched up his fourth top-ten finish out of five days.
And while Cigala is yet to win a stage, his regularity is notable. In all we reckon he has taken 26 top-ten stage placings over the years.
According to our calculations, he has placed second (twice), third (five times), fourth (twice), sixth (four times), seventh, eighth (four times), ninth (four times) and tenth (four times) on stages to date.
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Third in Dunboyne was a very solid result, but not the one he was hoping for.
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“Today was a beautiful day and it was really fast from the start,” he said. “We got to the circuit and there were some attacks. I got a good position on the last lap, came out of the corner in third place and finished in third place.
“I was coming quick but not enough to get to the win. It will be maybe for another year, I guess!”
Going close on a number of occasions is bound to be frustrating but it is also strengthening his intention to keep coming back again.
“This is my eighth or ninth Rás, I have been here a long time. I got all of the positions in the top ten but I am missing the first. I keep coming back every year and it is just not happening. Of course it is still a good result, but I will look for more next year.”
Cigala’s consistency saw him finish second overall in the points classification in 2022 and fourth in 2018. He was also eighth overall in 2024 and 11th this year.
