We've seen some great racing so far and two Irish stage wins. Strong county rider Richie Maes has done impressive Rás rides in recent years. And he reckons the 2018 edition has been more controlled so far (Photo: Shane Stokes)
By Shane Stokes
Kerry Killarney rider Richard Maes was encouraged, but also frustrated, at the end of stage five of the Rás Tailteann.
The 31-year-old rider placed 11th on the stage into Mitchelstown, finishing as second Irish rider behind 10th-placed Fintan Ryan (Cycling Leinster).
The result matched his 11th on stage three into Listowel, and reflects his solid form. However he believes he got things wrong in the finale, and would otherwise have been higher up in the stage classification.
“The first two and a half hours were relatively steady, very controlled,” he told Sticky Bottle.
Advertisement
“With about 30 kilometres to go it really ramped up. The last ten kilometres were full gas then.
“I kind of misread the [race manual] a bit… I thought there was 300 metres to go in the last corner.
“I was third into the corner, jumped coming out of it. I looked up, saw the 200 metre sign and started going backwards. But sure that is it.”
Asked how he felt this race compared to other editions, he believes there is a difference.
Related News
“Honestly, I think this year is a bit easier. But I am a small bit stronger this year too, maybe,” he said.
“The race is a lot more controlled – I think the Swiss team are very strong. They can dictate the pace of the race very well.”
Maes was also third in the best county rider placings on Thursday, with Irish-based Italian rider Matteo Cigala (Westmeath Viner-Caremark - Pactimo) fourth.
Asked what he expected from the remaining stages, he said that getting closer to the podium is a big priority.
However he’s not sure if tomorrow’s profile will make that possible.
“I don’t think stage seven will suit me,” he admitted. “I would like to go well on the last day, obviously, in front of the crowds.
We will see what I can do in the Black Hills – if I can get over them, sure I will definitely try to get a top ten there.
“My aim was to try to get the county rider today, but Matteo is going very well at the moment. He is a hard man to beat. Fair play to him, he had a savage result yesterday as well.
“I had my eye on the blue jersey as well, but that left on Wednesday,” he said of losing three minutes 44 seconds on the road to Glengarriff.
“But nothing is going my way [laughs], but we’ll get there. We’ll keep on knocking…”
Topics
