Robbie McCarthy not only crashed but fell far down off the edge of the road. It took him a long time to get going again and he lost a huge amount of time (Photo: Bryan Keane - Inpho)
By Shane Stokes
How quickly things can turn around in the Rás Tailteann. At the top of the Healy Pass on stage 4 yesterday, Robert-Jon McCarthy was just off the back of the lead group.
He had decided not to go with the jumps near the top in order to save his legs.
“I kind of sandbagged it a bit,” he told stickybottle after the stage. “We were easily going to ride back on the descent - there was only a 20 metre gap to the wheels.”
He was feeling good and having shown his speed in winning stage two, he fancied his chances in what was going to be a final sprint of less than 30 riders.
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Then, in a matter of seconds; disaster. McCarthy was passed by one of the race vehicles, and things went south at that point.
“They kind of slammed on the brakes, obviously because it was a bit tight going around the bend,” he explained.
“I couldn’t really brake to stop. I had to try and go around the other side. There wasn’t enough road, and I just took a hop straight off the side.
“The front wheel washed out and I went down off the side of the road and landed on a big rock.
“I was quite winded. I thought I might have done a rib or something. I was there for five minutes before the team cars were able to get to me.
“I was a few metres down the banking. It was lucky that I hadn’t hit my head or done a lung in or something severe like that, because it was obviously a while before someone would have got to me.”
Race director Eimear Dignam commented on the crash, saying:“The race organisation looked into the incident afterwards, and are satisfied that the driver was not at fault.”
McCarthy limped in 132nd, losing over 24 minutes between the crash and the finish. He may yet contend for another stage win, but his bigger ambition - the general classification - is over.
He spent quite some time in the ambulance after the race being assessed, getting cuts, scrapes and bruises seen too and having fractures ruled out.
Ireland national team manager Neil Martin was standing next to the ambulance and gave his perspective on what he knew about the crash.
“He hit a fair-sized rock,” he said. “It looks just like bark… flesh wounds, and his ribs are sore.
“He's more hurt mentally than physically, because for sure it was a stage for him.
“He was in the front group. He was going to survive, and the finish was made for him.”
McCarthy agreed, saying he was feeling good about his prospects.
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“I think I definitely would have been up there,” he said. “That is the most frustrating thing.
“I think I could have won or at least been on the podium today. We will see how we pull up after this.
“We will see what we have left. I am pretty sore now, so I will just have to see how I am tonight.”
McCarthy took eleventh on the opening stage, winning the bunch sprint behind the break.
He then won on stage two and was fourth into Listowel on stage three. He had started stage four 11th overall, 35 seconds off yellow.
And with several of the riders ahead of him missing the split yesterday he would have moved up the general classification.
“I kind of had my eye on the GC,” he said. “And obviously going over the climb with the front would have been promising.
“Especially with the racing that I have done this year, with all the stage races I have done.
“I thought I was probably going to get better through the week compared to a lot of lads. That is definitely frustrating now, to lose the chance for that.”
Looking at the bigger picture, though, he can take satisfaction from his performances this season.
He won a Rás stage in 2014, walked away from the sport in mid 2015, then returned at the start of 2017.
This season his results include fifth on a stage of the prestigious Tour de Yorkshire, a race with several WorldTour teams taking part, and then his Rás stage win and fourth on stage three.
It appears that he is building momentum, both for the season and also his career.
“I think definitely I am starting to get back my competitiveness,” he said. “I am feeling very good in this Rás, and in recent races.
“I have definitely made big leaps compared to last year. I think that was always going to be the case.
“I think it is only 14 months I am back racing now, so I think it is finally starting to hit the stride a bit and get back into the rhythm of it all.
“There is a lot more racing to come this year. And, if the body is good, there are still a lot of days to go this week.”
Martin will work with McCarthy to help him move on from the crash and not to dwell on his fall.
He points out that the most important thing is that he wasn’t badly hurt, and notes that there are other riders in green who can chase the general classification.
“You live to fight another day,” he said. “We have other guys in the race and they are still up there.
“Robert-Jon will hopefully be okay tomorrow. He has just got to get his head around it. His ribs are sore, but he will be good. He is just super-pissed off.”
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