McLaughlin gets the most aggressive rider prize on the podium in Blackpool yesterday
By Brian Canty
Ronan McLaughlin likes pain it seems. How else could one explain away attacking a speeding Team Sky lead-out train with two kilometres to go in yesterday’s Tour of Britain stage tailor-made for Mark Cavendish?
“Aye sure it was a bit mad alright, I think you can see it in my face [how painful it was]," he told stickybottle after a long and wet day spent in the breakaway.
"I was really hurting but that’s all part of it. You know you really don’t have a chance but I said ‘we’re gonna try anyway and have a go’. It was good to have the (An Post-Sean Kelly) jersey out there anyway.”
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Donegal man McLaughlin has been trying in vain all week to try and get in the breaks and eventually, on yesterday’s fourth stage of the Tour of Britain from Carlisle to Blackpool, he succeeded.
“Well, I’ve been trying for the last four days, trying to get in the breaks and the moves and it didn’t work out the first day but Niels got away which was great. The last few days I’ve been trying hard and it’s very frustrating so I ended up working for Sam to try and win a stage.”
“Yesterday I was very determined, especially with the weather as well. You could go absolutely mad and try and get away or just sit in and take it easy but I just went for it,” he explained.
Of the 158 kilometre leg, he was in an escape for over 125km, and even though their margin stretched to almost seven minutes at one stage, he was adamant a bunch finish was always going to be the outcome.
“On a day like today into Blackpool, it was guaranteed to be a sprinters stage. I never really thought we’d stay away. But I always kind of had it in the back of my mind too that there’d be a small possibility so that’s why I went.”
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“One of the other guys in the break stopped for a leak at one stage which is not really the done thing in the break, just at the time where there was another guy punctured so we lost at least a good minute. Looking back now, myself and Dan Craven were at the front and we should’ve kept going ourselves because there was still 80km to go.”
And with Niklas Gustavsson (UK Youth Cycling) in the move and just 17 seconds down on GC, it hampered their effort also.
“With him there, it was really doomed. But yesterday was kind of the last chance for Cav so Sky were always going to try and shut it down. Even if we had gotten another minute or two more Sky would have even went a bit faster.”
But that still didn’t stop him giving a couple more digs. He took off on a solo inside the last 10km from the breakaway and was soon joined by IG Sigma Sport man Dan Craven but they were hovered up by a reduced front group.
McLaughlin then went again on the approach to the finish when Sky were hammering it full bore to set up Cavendish. Little wonder he, and the team, are thrilled with the aggressive approach so far.
“We’re delighted. Sam has been ninth and fifth on stages and when you look at the four guys who beat him, they’re some of the biggest names in sprinting. I think he was unlucky that two guys got in front of him for the last corner (on Tuesday) otherwise he would’ve got on the podium.”
“Obviously we’re all delighted how that went and Niels getting in the break as well the first day. We’re out of GC so we’re just going to keep trying to get into the breaks.”
Understandably he was awarded the prize for the most combative rider and said he was amazed with the response that his breakaway efforts – broadcast live in ITV4 – had attracted.
“When I finished the stage yesterday my battery was fully charged but we had a two hour drive to the hotel here and I literally wasted a full battery replying to people who had sent me messages. The support was incredible. And I charged it then before dinner and it’s nearly gone again (10pm) from replying to people so I’ll have to charge it again. The same on twitter on Facebook; all evening. I’ve been getting so many messages and it just means a lot knowing I have that support. Two days in a row the Irish guys have gotten the most combative riders so I think we’ll have cheese sandwiches for everyone when we get back,” he said in reference to the prize of cheese that accompanies the award.
McLaughlin launches himself from the peloton at the start of a very long effort yesterday (Photo: www.velouk.net)
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