Not content with taking the stage 2a TT win and yellow jersey this morning at the UCI Nations Cup stage race in Czech Republic, the Irish team has taken a top five placing in the afternoon, 2b road stage, with Max Fitzgerald.
The dual track and road international, who laid down a marker with a sprint victory on the Junior Tour of Ireland last year, claimed 5th place in the big bunch gallop into Terezín this afternoon, in a field comprised of national teams featuring the best junior talent from all over the world.
Though Fitzgerald has already produced evidence he can mix it on the track, and has also performed very well on the home scene, that marks is first international result on road and is a placing he can take a lot of confidence from.
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The 58.1km stage, on which Team Ireland were defending Murphy's yellow jersey, saw Italy's Alessio Magagnotti taken the victory ahead of Filip Smørås of Norway, Noah Lindholm Møller Andersen of Denmark and Mattia Agostinacchio of Italy.
Fitzgerald was next, in 5th place, having handled himself very well on the run-in, with the aid of his team mates, and then been able to produce a kick with the quality required to put him in the mix at this level.
Murphy appears to have finished in the bunch today, though the provisional race results suggests he may have lost the jersey to Michiel Mouris, the Dutch and European junior TT champion who Murphy beat to stage victory this morning by one second in the 8.8km test.
More to come.
