Victorious last year in Tramore, Marcin Bialoblocki (Britain Node4 Girodana) clocked up the second An Post Rás victory of his career when he was best on Sunday’s opening stage of the 1.2-ranked race.
The Polish rider, who was second to Russ Downing last weekend in the Lincoln GP, outsprinted breakaway companions Jacob Nielsen (Denmark Blue Water), Nicolas Baldo (Switzerland Atlas Jakroo) and 2009 race winner Simon Richardson (Britain IG Sigma Sport) in the finishing city of Kilkenny, three hundred metres from its historic castle.
“I wasn’t expecting a break, I was going to save my legs for the next days,” said a satisfied Bialoblocki afterwards. “But I got clear in the move, we rode well together and we were able to stay away.”
The opening 147 kilometre stage from Dunboyne was one where countless riders and groups tried to get clear, but it was only in the last ten kilometres when the winning move snapped the elastic. The peloton chased hard but was still six seconds behind the winner at the finish, with Roy Eefting (Netherlands Koga), last year’s race winner Gedimias Bagdonas (An Post Grant Thornton Sean Kelly) and top Irish rider Peter Hawkins (Britain IG Sigma Sport) quickest of that bunch in fifth, sixth and seventh place.
Returning to the An Post team after a contract with the Geox team fell through, Bagdonas has been in very good form this year and is determined to win the race again. He won two intermediate sprints earlier in the day and after the time bonuses were calculated, sits fourth overall, ten seconds back.
Irish rider Philip Lavery took the first intermediate sprint at the Hill of Allen (km 54.1), beating Hawkins and Richard Lang (Britain Rapha Condor Sharp), and that bonus put him sixth overall at the end of the stage. He’s also in the white jersey as best young rider, joining his Node4 Giordana team-mates Bialoblocki and mountains leader David Clarke on the podium.
“I’m pretty happy. We have taken almost every jersey, the yellow jersey and the stage win. If you had asked us that at the start of the day, we would have taken that, so we are pretty happy,” he said.
“We don’t have any illusions about how the rest of the week might go. We will take today as a bonus…the pressure is off now, we don’t need to do anything more in the race, but in reality it would be nice. We will take each day as it comes from here on in.”
After he and Bagdonas won those intermediate sprints at the Hill of Allen and Ballylynan (km 94.5), five riders clipped away and opened a decent lead. Nicolas Baldo (Switzerland Atlas Jakroo), Thomas Rostollan (France AVC Aix en Provence), Dan Craven (Britain IG Sigma Sport), Clarke and Christopher Stevenson (Britain UK Youth Cycling) opened a gap of over half a minute; Sam Bennett (An Post Grant Thornton Sean Kelly) tried to bridge alone but was caught.
Baldo was first to the summit of the third category climb of Farnon’s Hill (km 102); twenty kilometres later the move was caught, then Bagdonas beat Clarke to the top of the second category Glenmagoo (km 122).
Then, after more unsuccessful attacks, the winning move hatched inside the final ten kilometres. Jacob Nielsen (Denmark Blue Water), Nicolas Baldo (Switzerland Atlas Jakroo), former race winner Simon Richardson (Britain IG Sigma Sport) and Marcin Bialoblocki (Britain Node4 Girodana) got a gap, went nearly half a minute clear, and hung on to the line where the Polish rider proved quickest.
He’s pleased to wear yellow but knows there’s a long way before the finish next Sunday in Skerries. “It is great to have the yellow jersey but for sure is a very hard race and there are still seven days to go,” he said.
The An Post Rás continues today with a 158 kilometre stage from Kilkenny to Gort. It has two Post Office sprints and five category three climbs.
An Post Rás (2.2) Stage 1, Dunboyne to Kilkenny:
1, Marcin Bialoblocki (Britain Node4 Girodana) 147 kilometres in 3 hours 9 mins 4 secs
2, Jacob Nielsen (Denmark Blue Water) same time
3, Nicolas Baldo (Switzerland Atlas Jakroo) at 2 secs
4, Simon Richardson (Britain IG Sigma Sport) same time
5, Roy Eefting (Netherlands Koga Cycling) at 6 secs
6, Gediminas Bagdonas (Belgium An Post Grant Thornton Sean Kelly)
7, Peter Hawkins (Britain IG Sigma Sport)
8, Cameron Karwowski (New Zealand National Team)
9, Mark Sehested Pedersen (Denmark Blue Water Cycling)
10, Ben Grenda (Britain Rapha Condor) all same time
11, Remi Sarreboubee (France AVC Aix En Provence)
12, Marcel Aregger (Switzerland Atlas Jakroo)
13, Pieter Bulling (New Zealand National Team)
14, Wouter Sybrandy (Britain Team IG - Sigma Sport)
15, Pirmin Lang (Switzerland Atlas Jakroo)
Primes:
Hot spot sprint at Hill of Allen (km 54.1):
1, Philip Lavery (Node4 Giordana) 3 seconds
2, Peter Hawkins (Britain Team IG Sigma Sport) 2
3, Richard Lang (Britain Rapha Condor Sharp) 1
An Post Hotspot sprint at Ballynan (km 94.5)
1, Gediminas Bagdonas (Belgium An Post Sean Kelly) 3 secs
2, Remi Sarreboubee (France AVC Aix En Provence) 2
3, Martin Hunal (Czech Republic AC Sparta Praha) 1
KOM category 3 at Farnons Hill (km 102):
1, David Clarke (Britain Node4 Giordana) 5 pts
2, Nicolas Baldo (Switzerland Atlas Jakroo) 4
3, Christopher Stephenson (Britain UK Youth Cycling) 3
4, Dan Craven (Britain Team IG - Sigma Sport) 1
KOM category 2 at Glenmagoo (km 122):
1, Gediminas Bagdonas (Belgium An Post Grant Thornton Sean Kelly) 10 pts
2, David Clarke (Britain Node4 Giordana) 8
3, Martin Hunal (Czech Republic AC Sparta Praha) 6
4, Christopher Stevenson (Britan UK Youth Cycling) 4
5, Dan Craven (Britain Team IG Sigma Sport) 3
6, Nicolas Baldo (Switzerland Atlas Jakroo) 1
An Post Hotspot sprint at Glenmagoo (km 122):
1, Gediminas Bagdonas (Belgium An Post Grant Thornton Sean Kelly) 3 secs
2, David Clarke (Britain Node4 Giordana) 2
3, Martin Hunal (Czech Republic AC Sparta Praha) 1
Cuchulainn Crystal county rider:
1, Aaron Buggle (Carlow Dan Morrissey Speedy Spokes) 3 hours 9 mins 10 secs
International team:
1, Denmark Blue Water Cycling, 9 hours 27 mins 24 secs
2, Britain Node4 Giordana, same time
3, Britain Team IG – Sigma Sport, at 2 secs
4, Switzerland Atlas Jakroo, same time
5, Czech Republic AC Spart, at 6 secs
County team:
1, Carlow Dan Morrissey Speedy Spokes, 9 hours 27 mins 30 secs
2, Meath Dunboyne DID Electrical
3, Dublin West Eurocycles
4, Tipperary DMG Visit Nenagh
5, Dublin South UCD, all same time
General classification after stage 1:
1, Marcin Bialoblocki (Britain Node4 Girodana) 3 hours 8 mins 54 secs
2, Jacob Nielsen (Denmark Blue Water) at 4 secs
3, Nicolas Baldo (Switzerland Atlas Jakroo) at 8 secs
4, Gediminas Bagdonas (Belgium An Post Grant Thornton Sean Kelly) at 10 secs
5, Simon Richardson (Britain IG Sigma Sport) at 12 secs
6, Philip Lavery (Britain Node4 Giordana) at 13 secs
7, Peter Hawkins (Britain IG Sigma Sport) at 14 secs
8, Remi Sarreboubee (France AVC Aix en Provence)
9, Martin Hunal (Czech Republic AC Sparta Praha)
10, David Clarke (Britain Node4 Giordana) all same time
11, Richard Lang (Britain Rapha Condor Sharp) at 15 secs
12, Roy Eefting (Netherlands Koga Cycling) at 16 secs
13, Cameron Karwowski (New Zealand National Team)
14, Mark Sehested Pedersen (Denmark Blue Water Cycling)
15, Ben Grenda (Britain Rapha Condor Sharp) all same time
Irish Sports Council Under 23:
1, Philip Lavery (Britain Node4 Giordana) 3 hours 9 mins 7 secs
2, Cameron Karwowski (New Zealand National Team) at 3 secs
3, Mark Sehested Pedersen (Denmark Blue Water Cycling) same
CI Category 2:
1, Simon Ryan (Tipperary DMG Visit Nenagh) 3 hours 9 mins 10 secs
2, Sean McFadden (Antrim Chain Reaction Cycles)
3, Eoghan Considine (Galway Black Rose) both same time
Fitz Cycles county rider:
1, Aaron Buggle (Carlow Dan Morrissey Speedy Spokes) 3 hours 9 mins 10 secs
2, Simon Ryan (Tipperary DMG Visit Nenagh)
3, Daniel Clifford (Meath Dunboyne DID Electrical)
Post office sprints:
1, Marcin Bialoblocki (Britain Node4 Giordana Racing) 15
2, Jacob Nielsen (Denmark Blue Water Cycling) 14
3, Nicolas Baldo (Switzerland Atlas Jakroo) 13
4, Simon Richardson (Britain Team IG - Sigma Sport) 12
5, Roy Eefting (Netherlands Koga Cycling) 11
One4All Bikes4Work King of the Mountains:
1, David Clarke (Britain Node4 Giordana Racing) 13 pts
2, Gediminas Bagdonas (Belgium An Post Sean Kelly) 10
3, Christopher Stevenson (Britain UK Youth Cycling) 7
4, Martin Hunal (Czech Republic AC Sparta Praha) 6
5, Nicolas Baldo (Switzerland Atlas Jakroo) 5
International team overall:
1, Denmark Blue Water, 9 hours 27 mins 24 secs
2, Britain Node4 Giordana, same time
3, Britain Team IG – Sigma Sport, at 2 secs
4, Switzerland Atlas Jakroo, same time
5, Czech Republic AC Sparta, at 6 secs
County team overall:
1, Carlow Dan Morrissey Speedy Spokes, 9 hours 27 mins 30 secs
2, Meath Dunboyne DID Electrical
3, Dublin West Eurocycles
4, Tipperary DMG Visit Nenagh
5, Dublin South UCD, all same time