Stage 6 - Buncrana – Donegal, 167km     <Previous Stage>     <Next Stage>

TOUGH DAY FOR GB AS NEWTON CLINGS ON

The GB team had a long, grim attritional battle to keep Chris Newton in the leader’s jersey on the sixth stage of the FBD Milk Ras in Ireland. The 167km stage included three second category and one first category climbs and was always going to be an important day in the saddle: get through it and the final weekend would beckon; fail and there would be very little opportunity to win back any lost advantage.

Predictably, a break went away early on the stage, but it didn’t include any of the main threats to the overall standings. One rider in it was former race leader Tommy Evans, keen to make amends for a bad day on Thursday.

Back with the main field, the GB team found themselves under pressure as numerous attacks were launched. Team Manager John Herety had to send Steve Cummings, Paul Manning and Kieran Page to the front to keep things under control, chasing down the breaks, far earlier than he would have wished. These three did sterling service to protect Newton, but they had to sacrifice their own standings in the process as they tired before the penultimate climb.

From then on, Newton was on his own and had to fend off yet more attacks. Eventually the teams of Swede Tobias Lergard and Dane Ari Hojgaard began to help out as their positions overall also came under threat. Towards the end of the stage, Newton himself twice made bids to escape, in the company of Life Repair’s Tanner and Mark Lovatt respectively, and each time they were brought back just when they looked certain to succeed. Meanwhile, the action surrounding Newton had forced the pace up so much that the original breakaway group – who had been going strongly throughout - was nearly brought back.

In the end, Lovatt and Daniel Spence of Team HSBC escaped the Newton group to gain a few seconds, but the GB team could let out a sigh of relief as the yellow jersey remained in their possession for at least one more day. The stage itself was won by Jonas Holmkvist of the Bianchi Scandinavia team, who benefited from yet more misfortune for the Irish team when Tommy Evans pulled a foot out of a pedal when in control of the final sprint.

Tomorrow’s stage, with more climbs and tail winds, should be the final chance for major changes in the overall standings ahead of Sunday’s criterium, where, barring accidents, the competition leaders’ should be fairly safe.

1. Jonas Holmkvist (Swe) Bianchi Scandinavia 4.07.38 (40.03 km/h)
2. Thomas Evans (Irl) Ireland - Irish Sports Council
3. Thomas Lovkvist (Swe) Bianchi Scandinavia 0.01
4. Mark Lovatt (GBr) Life Repair Group 0.24
5. Daniel Spence (RSA) Team HSBC
6. Ciarán Power (Irl) Ireland - Irish Sports Council 0.28
7. Maxim Iglinskiv (Kaz) Kazakhstan
8. Eugene Moriaty (Irl) Meath Lee Strand Cycleways
9. Malcolm Elliott (GBr) London Irish Team Sdeals/Jbc
10. Chris Newton (GBr) Great Britain

11. Yanto Barker (GBr) Stena Line
12. Tobias Lergard (Swe) Bianchi Scandinavia
13. John Tanner (GBr) Life Repair Group
14. Andrey Medyannikov (Kaz) Kazakhstan
15. Paul Griffin (Irl) Dublin Iarnród Eireann
16. Patrick Moriaty (Irl) Dublin Skip
17. Roger Morgan (GBr) Team gbcycles.co.uk
18. Philip Finegan (Irl) Meath Lee Strand Cycleways
19. Ari Hojgaard (Den) Jylland-Fyn
20. Ian McLeod (RSA) Team HSBC

21. Tim Barry (Irl) Tipperary Dan Morrissey
22. Dave Worthington (GBr) Team gbcycles.co.uk
23. Andrew Donnellan (Irl) Ireland - Irish Sports Council
24. John Dempsey (Irl) Dublin Iarnród Eireann
25. Richard Eastham (GBr) primera-bournemouth
26. Brian Ahern (Irl) Kildare HirEquip
27. Michael Larsen (Den) Jylland-Fyn
28. Assan Bazayev (Kaz) Kazakhstan
29. Hamish Haynes (GBr) North West Division
30. Carl Henning Brondberg (Den) Jylland-Fyn
31. David Berkeley (NZl) Team gbcycles.co.uk
32. Vadin Gorbachevskiy (Kaz) Kazakhstan 0.57
33. David Peelo (Irl) Dublin Usher Insulations
34. Neil Smith (GBr) Lincoln 2.14
35. Laurent Estadieu (Fra) Cambridge Team Dataphonics 2.30
36. John Charlesworth (GBr) primera-bournemouth 2.36
37. Jamie Norfolk (GBr) Stena Line 6.17
38. Paul Manning (GBr) Great Britain 7.02
39. Joe Fenlon (Irl) Tipperary Dan Morrissey
40. Patrick Kohler (Ger) Rg Gutersloh/Neheim
41. John Horgan (Irl) Dublin Skip
42. Raymond Clarke (Irl) Meath Lee Strand Cycleways
43. Ritchie Cahill (Irl) Tipperary Dan Morrissey
44. Jeff Howes (RSA) Team HSBC
45. Feargal Kelly (Irl) Wicklow Sahara 10.25
46. David Tansey (Irl) Dublin Orwell
47. Scott McDonald (Irl) Dublin Orwell
48. Christopher Belsham (GBr) primera-bournemouth
49. Mark McLeavey (Irl) Dublin Skip
50. John Peppard (Irl) Dublin Iarnród Eireann

51. Tony Brady (Irl) Meath Donnelly Avonmore
52. Rob Enslin (RSA) Cambridge Team Dataphonics
53. Michael Mulcahy (Irl) Dublin Usher Insulations
54. Stephen O'Sullivan (Irl) Meath Lee Strand Cycleways
55. Gareth Jones (GBr) Energy Cycles Principia
56. Matt Melville (GBr) Cambridge Team Dataphonics
57. Laurence Roche (Irl) Kildare North
58. Mikael Segarsall (Swe) Bianchi Scandinavia
59. Cody Stevenson (Aus) Team Down Under
60. Brian Larsen (Den) Jylland-Fyn
61. Josh Beck (USA) Sportsbook.com
62. Gary Dodd (GBr) Team gbcycles.co.uk
63. Graham Briggs (GBr) Life Repair Group
64. Keith Gallagher (Irl) Kildare North
65. Brian Kenneally (Irl) Tipperary Dan Morrissey 11.25
66. Steve Cummings (GBr) Great Britain
67. Kevin Dawson (GBr) Life Repair Group
68. Frank O'Leary (Irl) Dublin Usher Insulations 11.51
69. Jaaron Poad (Aus) Team Down Under 18.41
70. Michael Devins (Irl) Mayo Galway Bay 20.23
71. Gary Sheehan (Irl) Kildare North
72. Derek Finnegan (Irl) Meath Donnelly Avonmore
73. Matt Svatek (USA) Sportsbook.com
74. Craig Sweetman (Irl) Meath Donnelly Avonmore
75. Lawrence Perera (USA) Sportsbook.com
76. Brian Stewart (GBr) Dublin Usher Insulations
77. Brian Harris (Irl) Wicklow Sahara
78. Edward O'Donoghue (Irl) Dublin Usher Insulations
79. Jonas Ljungblad (Swe) Bianchi Scandinavia
80. Kieran Page (GBr) Great Britain
81. Adrian Hedderman (Irl) Dublin Skip
82. Ben Greenwood (GBr) Life Repair Group
83. Tom Barras (GBr) Team Down Under
84. Paul Sheppard (GBr) Stena Line
85. Nick Kenwright (GBr) Bici Imports-CSN-Rudy Proj
86. Justin Hoy (GBr) Team gbcycles.co.uk
87. Keith O'Sullivan (Irl) Wicklow Sahara
88. Simon Kelly (Irl) Mayo Galway Bay
89. Colm Bracken (Irl) Dublin Iarnród Eireann 23.39
90. John Paul Hillard (Irl) Dublin Skip 23.40
91. Vincent Gleeson (Irl) Ireland - Irish Sports Council
92. Padraig Marrey (Irl) Mayo Galway Bay
93. Fintan McCormack (Irl) Kildare Newbridge 23.42
94. Adam Hodges Myerson (USA) Sportsbook.com
95. Matthew Yates (NZl) Team Down Under
96. Aidan Crowley (Irl) Meath Lee Strand Cycleways
97. Stephen Gibson (GBr) primera-bournemouth
98. Brian Lynch (Irl) Dublin Orwell 26.44
99. Martin Caddow (Irl) Dublin Orwell 27.33
100. Eamon Finn (Irl) Dublin Orwell 30.44
101. Greg Roche (GBr) Energy Cycles Principia 33.24
102. Kieran McMahon (Irl) Dublin Iarnród Eireann 37.34
103. John Wall (Irl) Kildare North
104. Aidan Reade (Irl) Mayo Galway Bay
105. Isaiah Adams (USA) Bici Imports-CSN-Rudy Proj 51.44
106. Tom Greene (Irl) Kildare Newbridge 52.21
107. Cathal Keane (Irl) Mayo Galway Bay 53.29
108. Sean Furley (Irl) London Irish Team Sdeals/Jbc 57.11
109. Derek Cunningham (Irl) Wicklow Sahara

General classification after stage 6
1. Chris Newton (GBr) Great Britain 23.52.09
2. Tobias Lergard (Swe) Bianchi Scandinavia 0.05
3. Ari Hojgaard (Den) Jylland-Fyn 0.12
4. Mark Lovatt (GBr) Life Repair Group 0.34
5. John Tanner (GBr) Life Repair Group 1.15
6. Hamish Haynes (GBr) North West Division
7. Ian McLeod (RSA) Team HSBC 2.09
8. Thomas Evans (Irl) Ireland - Irish Sports Council 5.05
9. Thomas Lovkvist (Swe) Bianchi Scandinavia 5.35
10. Assan Bazayev (Kaz) Kazakhstan 6.03

11. Patrick Moriaty (Irl) Dublin Skip
12. Jonas Holmkvist (Swe) Bianchi Scandinavia 6.59
13. Andrey Medyannikov (Kaz) Kazakhstan 7.12
14. Paul Griffin (Irl) Dublin Iarnród Eireann 7.24
15. Paul Manning (GBr) Great Britain 7.49
16. Yanto Barker (GBr) Stena Line 13.15
17. Eugene Moriaty (Irl) Meath Lee Strand Cycleways 14.32
18. Ciarán Power (Irl) Ireland - Irish Sports Council 16.48
19. Andrew Donnellan (Irl) Ireland - Irish Sports Council 17.22
20. Dave Worthington (GBr) Team gbcycles.co.uk 18.03
21. Steve Cummings (GBr) Great Britain 18.19
22. Daniel Spence (RSA) Team HSBC 20.22
23. Malcolm Elliott (GBr) London Irish Team Sdeals/Jbc 20.51
24. Neil Smith (GBr) Lincoln 21.54
25. Roger Morgan (GBr) Team gbcycles.co.uk 22.02
26. Brian Ahern (Irl) Kildare HirEquip 22.47
27. Maxim Iglinskiv (Kaz) Kazakhstan 23.55
28. Vadin Gorbachevskiy (Kaz) Kazakhstan 24.46
29. John Charlesworth (GBr) primera-bournemouth 25.04
30. Raymond Clarke (Irl) Meath Lee Strand Cycleways 25.20
31. Kieran Page (GBr) Great Britain 25.58
32. Ritchie Cahill (Irl) Tipperary Dan Morrissey 26.42
33. Patrick Kohler (Ger) Rg Gutersloh/Neheim 27.49
34. Joe Fenlon (Irl) Tipperary Dan Morrissey 29.30
35. Kevin Dawson (GBr) Life Repair Group 31.23
36. John Dempsey (Irl) Dublin Iarnród Eireann 31.43
37. Richard Eastham (GBr) primera-bournemouth 32.11
38. David Peelo (Irl) Dublin Usher Insulations 32.12
39. Keith Gallagher (Irl) Kildare North 32.48
40. Michael Mulcahy (Irl) Dublin Usher Insulations 32.53
41. Brian Larsen (Den) Jylland-Fyn 36.17
42. David Berkeley (NZl) Team gbcycles.co.uk 36.57
43. Carl Henning Brondberg (Den) Jylland-Fyn 37.17
44. Mikael Segarsall (Swe) Bianchi Scandinavia 37.22
45. Laurent Estadieu (Fra) Cambridge Team Dataphonics 37.36
46. Jeff Howes (RSA) Team HSBC 38.17
47. Jonas Ljungblad (Swe) Bianchi Scandinavia 39.25
48. Gary Dodd (GBr) Team gbcycles.co.uk 44.14
49. Christopher Belsham (GBr) primera-bournemouth 44.26
50. Gareth Jones (GBr) Energy Cycles Principia 45.41

51. Michael Larsen (Den) Jylland-Fyn 53.36
52. Cody Stevenson (Aus) Team Down Under 54.03
53. Jamie Norfolk (GBr) Stena Line 54.23
54. Philip Finegan (Irl) Meath Lee Strand Cycleways 55.41
55. Rob Enslin (RSA) Cambridge Team Dataphonics 59.09
56. Tim Barry (Irl) Tipperary Dan Morrissey 59.49
57. Stephen O'Sullivan (Irl) Meath Lee Strand Cycleways 1.00.21
58. John Horgan (Irl) Dublin Skip 1.01.49
59. Edward O'Donoghue (Irl) Dublin Usher Insulations 1.04.05
60. John Peppard (Irl) Dublin Iarnród Eireann 1.08.17
61. Brian Stewart (GBr) Dublin Usher Insulations 1.09.14
62. Brian Kenneally (Irl) Tipperary Dan Morrissey 1.11.49
63. Josh Beck (USA) Sportsbook.com 1.13.42
64. Lawrence Perera (USA) Sportsbook.com 1.15.36
65. Matt Melville (GBr) Cambridge Team Dataphonics 1.17.11
66. Graham Briggs (GBr) Life Repair Group 1.18.32
67. Matt Svatek (USA) Sportsbook.com 1.18.39
68. Jaaron Poad (Aus) Team Down Under 1.22.09
69. Simon Kelly (Irl) Mayo Galway Bay 1.23.38
70. Scott McDonald (Irl) Dublin Orwell 1.24.04
71. Kieran McMahon (Irl) Dublin Iarnród Eireann 1.26.25
72. Justin Hoy (GBr) Team gbcycles.co.uk 1.29.09
73. Tom Barras (GBr) Team Down Under 1.31.29
74. Adrian Hedderman (Irl) Dublin Skip 1.33.27
75. Nick Kenwright (GBr) Bici Imports-CSN-Rudy Proj 1.33.44
76. Ben Greenwood (GBr) Life Repair Group 1.34.00
77. Paul Sheppard (GBr) Stena Line 1.39.57
78. Frank O'Leary (Irl) Dublin Usher Insulations 1.44.33
79. Greg Roche (GBr) Energy Cycles Principia 1.46.13
80. Colm Bracken (Irl) Dublin Iarnród Eireann 1.47.11
81. Vincent Gleeson (Irl) Ireland - Irish Sports Council 1.48.28
82. Laurence Roche (Irl) Kildare North 1.48.56
83. Derek Finnegan (Irl) Meath Donnelly Avonmore 1.49.30
84. Tony Brady (Irl) Meath Donnelly Avonmore 1.50.36
85. Aidan Crowley (Irl) Meath Lee Strand Cycleways 1.55.03
86. Adam Hodges Myerson (USA) Sportsbook.com 1.56.54
87. John Paul Hillard (Irl) Dublin Skip 1.58.12
88. Mark McLeavey (Irl) Dublin Skip 1.58.48
89. Matthew Yates (NZl) Team Down Under 1.59.45
90. Craig Sweetman (Irl) Meath Donnelly Avonmore 2.00.34
91. Padraig Marrey (Irl) Mayo Galway Bay 2.02.05
92. Stephen Gibson (GBr) primera-bournemouth 2.04.10
93. Michael Devins (Irl) Mayo Galway Bay 2.07.49
94. Feargal Kelly (Irl) Wicklow Sahara 2.08.08
95. Brian Lynch (Irl) Dublin Orwell 2.15.48
96. Gary Sheehan (Irl) Kildare North 2.26.44
97. Tom Greene (Irl) Kildare Newbridge 2.32.07
98. Fintan McCormack (Irl) Kildare Newbridge 2.42.51
99. Brian Harris (Irl) Wicklow Sahara 2.47.18
100. David Tansey (Irl) Dublin Orwell 2.51.46
101. Aidan Reade (Irl) Mayo Galway Bay 2.53.41
102. Keith O'Sullivan (Irl) Wicklow Sahara 3.05.45
103. Eamon Finn (Irl) Dublin Orwell 3.11.30
104. Isaiah Adams (USA) Bici Imports-CSN-Rudy Proj 3.37.20
105. John Wall (Irl) Kildare North 3.41.08
106. Cathal Keane (Irl) Mayo Galway Bay 3.52.27
107. Derek Cunningham (Irl) Wicklow Sahara 3.56.27
108. Martin Caddow (Irl) Dublin Orwell 3.58.43
109. Sean Furley (Irl) London Irish Team Sdeals/Jbc 4.31.07

Points classification
1 Jonas Holmkvist (Swe) Bianchi Scandinavia 60 pts

5 Chris Newton (GBr) Great Britain 37

Mountains classification
1 Maxim Iglinskiv (Kaz) Kazakhstan 45 pts

6 Chris Newton (GBr) Great Britain 19

U23 classification
1 Thomas Lovkvist (Swe) Bianchi Scandinavia 23.57.44

5 Steve Cummings (GBr) Great Britain 12.44
9 Kieran Page (GBr) Great Britain 20.23

Teams classification
1 Sweden Bianchi Scandinavia 71.49.10
2 Kazakhstan 9.47
3 Great Britain 12.06