Nicolas Roche and Michael O'Loughlin have had a very strong few days in Abu Dhabi.
Nicolas Roche (Team Sky) has taken his best result of the season, finishing 2nd overall in the Tour Abu Dhabi after the final stage today came down to the expected bunch sprint.
That final stage 4 took the riders over a 143km course starting and finishing in Abu Dhabi, with Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) claiming victory from Italians Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek-Segafredo) and Elia Viviani (Team Sky).
After taking 2nd place on the queen stage yesterday and having moved himself into 2nd overall behind stage winner Tanel Kangert of Astana, Roche today finished in 21st place just 6 seconds down Cavendish.
Small time gaps appeared in the dash to the line, but race leader and eventual outright winner Kangert was live to that threat.
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O'Loughlin, third in line, in the breakaway yesterday. They would be caught but it was still a great ride by the teenager.
He started the day some 21 seconds ahead of Roche after riding away from him and beating him by 17 seconds on the summit finish yesterday.
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They took 1st and 2nd on the stage, with Kangert adding four seconds to his advantage over Roche thanks to a time bonus, after both had proven too strong for everyone else in the escape.
And today Kangert finished just two places behind Roche and on the same time as the Irishman meaning there were no changes to the overall; Kangert taking the win and Roche finishing 2nd.
For Roche, it was a repeat of his ride in the Tour de Yorkshire in the early part of the season where he was also 2nd overall.
Cavendish takes the final stage to bring the race to a close earlier today as night fell (well, had fallen - Ed)
On that occasion it was stage 3 that proved decisive, with Thomas Voeckler (Direct Energie) winning it from Roche and taking the outright win.
Also in Abu Dhabi in recent days, young Michael O’Loughlin really shined when he rode clear in a very strong breakaway before the real climbing started on yesterday’s stage.
At just 19 years old, his taking his place in a breakaway at this level in his first year out of the juniors was a great sign for his future.
Today the Carrick-on-Suir man riding for Team Wiggins came home in 50th place just 20 seconds down.
And he ended the race, one that feature some testing climbing as well as pan flat desert terrain with crosswinds, in a very respectable 36th of the 102 finishers.
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