With their rider and manager ejected from the Rás, Matteo Malucelli of the Italian Team IDEA 2010 ASD takes stage 3 of the Rás from Tipperary to Bearna (Photo: Paul Mohan - Sportsfile)
Just 24 hours after his team mate and Rás yellow jersey was thrown off the race, Matteo Malucelli of Team IDEA 2010 ASD claimed stage 3 into Bearna this afternoon.
Clearly smarting from the disqualification of stage 1 winner Franceso Reda for taking a tow off his team car after a puncture yesterday and the removal from the race of team manager Alberto Elli, the Italians raced the final today as if their lives depended on it.
With an early move by Daniel Stewart (Antrim Phoenix) and Robin Kelly (Mayo Coleman Electronics) mopped up, another group comprised mainly of county men went on the attack on the second half of the 156km trek from Tipperary to Bearna,.
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In that move were Morgan Smith (Team Subaru Albion), Roger Aiken (Louth Team Asea), Jimmy Janssens (Team 3M), Anthony Walsh (Cork Aquablue) and Sean McKenna (Cork Aquablue).
They battled as hard as they could but on wide roads into a tough breeze as they neared Beara the peloton got closer and closer.
Well inside the last 5km and it was Davide Vigano (Italy Team IDEA 2010 ASD) who jumped across to the leaders on his own.
And when they were all caught by the depleted peloton it was team mate Malucelli who landed the prize for the bruised but resilient squad.
Alex Frame (New Zealand National Team) was 2nd, with Andreas Hofer (Hrinkow Advarics Cycleangteam) in 3rd.
The top county rider on the day was former Rás yellow jersey Peter Hawkins.
He is riding for Down North-Graham Powerhouse Sport this week and was a very impressive 4th today.
There was no change overall, with Lukas Postlberger (Tirol Cycling Team) still leading and Ian Richardson (UCD CC) still top county rider.
Conor Dunne of the An Post-Chainreaction team leads the field through a railway crossing on the road from Tipperary to Bearna (Photo: Paul Mohan - Sportsfile)
How it unfolded
Faced with a start from Tipperary one hour earlier than planned because of the Royal visit to the Republic, the attacking was all out from the gun with talented Irish county rider Marc Potts (Down North-Graham Powerhouse Sport) in the thick of the action.
However, while he pulled clear twice very early on the stage the groups he was in were recaptured and it was left to two other county men to pull out the first clear lead of the day.
After around 40 minutes of racing Daniel Stewart (Antrim Phoenix) and Robin Kelly (Mayo Coleman Electronics) managed to shake off the peloton.
As the rain began to fall on the field and the leading pair raced through Newport with 35km completed, they had a gap of 30 seconds.
In the bunch behind, last year’s race winner Clemens Fankhauser (Hrinkow Advarics Cycleangteam) attacked after the two county men.
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However, he got caught in no man’s land. He never made it across and was soon caught by the peloton.
As the attacking continued off the front of the main failed, the leaders never built an advantage of more than 1:20 and with just over 50km completed they were caught.
Marc Potts tried his hand again shortly afterwards and was chased by a group that included Andreas Mueller (Hrinkow Advarics Cycleangteam), Norton Ellern(Team Subaru-Albion), Liam Holohan (Madison Genesis) and Ryan Mullen (An Post Chainreaction).
However, when they were all closed down by the main field, Potts went again and his aggression was to pull clear the main escape of the day.
He was first joined by Morgan Smith (Team Subaru Albion) and Roger Aiken (Louth Team Asea).
And as that trio got down to work a small group containing Jimmy Janssens (Team 3M), Anthony Walsh (Cork Aquablue) and Sean McKenna (Cork Aquablue) got across to them, making it six up front.
Into the west: The Rás riders make their way through Clarinbridge, Co Galway (Photo: Paul Mohan - Sportsfile)
Their lead shot out and with just under 70km covered they had 2:50 on the peloton. And just 10km later it had increased to 5:05.
At the cat 3 climb of Aylebaun after 87.5km, Aiken took maximum points over the top from Janssens, McKenna and Walsh.
After they had come off that descent they immediately began climbing the next cat 3 at Killanena; crested at 95km.
That was taken by Janssens from McKenna, Smith and Walsh.
And when the time checks came through with 120km completed, the gap had fallen to 3:10.
It continued to reduce all the way to the finish, only once growing again slightly with around 20km to go.
However, once the peloton really got moving behind, the escape’s chances of making it all the way looked doomed.
Just inside the last 4km and Davide Vigano (Italy Team IDEA 2010 ASD) jumped across to the leaders, who had dropped Aiken by now, and were just off the front of the depleted peloton.
But when they were all caught with just over 2km remaining, Vigano’s team mate on the under pressure Italian squad Matteo Malucelli sprinted in for the victory.
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