An Post Rás podium highlights video; all the big winners of this year’s race, with photos

The Cork-based Aquablue team on the podium as best county team on the Rás. Left to right - Sean Lacey, Olan Barrett, Damien Shaw, Keith Gater, Bryan McCrystal and manager Tim Barry (Photo: Ramsey Cardy - Sportsfile)

By Shane Stokes

The 2014 An Post Rás raced into Skerries yesterday afternoon and brought to an end a difficult and dramatic edition of Ireland’s biggest cycling race.

Austrian rider Clemens Fankhauser took the general classification, paying credit to his Tirol Cycling team after the squad helped him defend a slender 25 second lead over the Britain Madison Genesis rider Alex Peters.

The latter had the consolation of taking the best young rider award and, at twenty years of age, he has clearly a big future ahead. His performance helped his squad take the best international team award.

Double stage winner and former race leader Patrick Bevin (New Zealand) was the points classification winner, while the rider who reached the top of Seskin Hill first at the end of stage six, Markus Eibegger (Azerbaijan Synergy Baku) won the king of the mountains title.

Damien Shaw was best Irish county rider and his Cork City Aquablue squad was best county team.

In the video below yesterday’s podium ceremony is featured, with these riders plus the top three on the stage all figuring.

Bevin and Shaw speak to race announcer Cian Lynch about their races, and you can pick up on some of the very strong atmosphere evident at the finish in Skerries.

An Rás 2014 Podium Film

Clemens Fankhauser of the Austria Tirol Cycling Team with the overall winner's trophy that has not gone to an Irish man since Stephen Gallagher triumphed in the race back in 2008 (Photo: Ramsey Cardy)

Related News

Lara Gillespie attacks Dolomite stage as Giro hits high mountains

Video - Ireland's Meehan climbs with best on brutal Alpine terrain

Damien Shaw, Cork Aquablue, won the county rider classification (Photo: Ramsey Cardy - Sportsfile)

Mark Dowling picked up his third county rider stage prize in a row yesterday; the only county rider to make the yellow jersey group into Skerries (Photo: Ramsey Cardy - Sportsfile)

Patrick Bevin of New Zealand proved to be a really quality rider. He won two stages in great style, held yellow for a while and took the green jersey points classification overall (Photo: Ramsey Cardy - Sportsfile)

Markus Eibegger of the Synergy Baku team was king of the mountains (Photo: Ramsey Cardy - Sportsfile)

Madison Genesis placed two riders in the top four - Alex Peters 2nd and Ian Bibby 4th - and took the international team prize. Their fifth man, Ireland's Peter Hawkins fell ill and had to abandon; a crash claiming him last year when leading the race (Photo: Ramsey Cardy - Sportsfile)

The top three on the stage yesterday: Left to right, Daniel Klemme of Synergy Baku in 2nd, winner Davide Ballerini (Team IDEA 2010 ASD, and 3rd placed Pierrick of the Canadian National Team (Photo: Ramsey Cardy - Sportsfile)