By Shane Stokes
Like Wednesday, Tim Shoreman’s criterium experience came in handy. The Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli rider won his second stage of this year’s Rás Tailteann on Friday, speeding into Miltown Malbay ahead of Matteo Cigala (Carlow Dan Morrissey Pissei), Sebastian Brenes (Mexico: Canel’s Java) and Matthew Teggart (Down Banbridge CC Specsavers).
Speaking to stickybottle afterwards, Shoreman made clear that tactics played an important part in his win.
“Nothing was going clear because of the headwind,” he said, describing the leadup to the sprint. “And so I said to my team if they could lead me out, and they did a really good job of that. I ended up going on another team's train in the end.
“When I saw that we were finishing around a corner, which I didn't think we were doing, I just knew I had to be first around that. So that's what I did.”
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Shoreman got that dive to the bend perfectly right and finished well clear of Cigala and the rest in the gallop.
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Wednesday’s finish was even more technical and he said then that the type of racing he does in Britain helps when things are tricky.
“We do a lot of crits over in the UK, so it is kind of perfect for me,” he said then.
Shoreman won the final stage last year and also the points jersey. His success Friday saw him retake the lead in that classification from Odhran Doogan (Cycling Ulster). Shoreman is now level on points with Brenes, but ahead by virtue of his stage victories.
Winning that classification again is important to him, but so too taking another stage.
Saturday’s stage to Mounrath comes just 14km after the summit of the category one Wolftrap climb. That could complicate things for a tall, solidly built rider like Shoreman, but he doesn’t rule anything out.
“Tomorrow, it just kind of depends on how Ulster want to ride it with the yellow and how they play it,” he said. “So we'll see. I’m not really sure. And then Sunday, hopefully that'll be another sprint.”
What will help is his experience of winning in Bective the last time around. “It’s a slightly different circuit this year, but the finish is the same.”
