Cycling FBD Milk Rás One glance at Tommy Evans yesterday afternoon said everything about the severity of the stage. Shivering uncontrollably in sodden clothing, his face a tinge of blue, the FBD Milk Rás leader was a sorry sight at the podium presentation in Clifden.
Rain, hail, gusting gales, and 117 miles of racing had assaulted the riders throughout day two, and while Evans gamely answered questions, you knew a warm shower was the first thing on his mind. "That was the hardest day I can ever remember on this race," he said. It was absolutely horrible out there. Really, really cold."
Retaining the yellow jersey warmed his spirits a little, but there was no mistaking that it was a tough kind of day for every rider in the race.
At the stage start in Roscrea there was little hint of the malevolent conditions in store. Racing started from the drop of the flag, with Evans' Ireland team-mates Ciarán Power and David O'Loughlin, plus Dublin Skip's Paddy Moriarty amongst those trying to go clear. Brought back by the main field, their aggression sparked off a constant stream of attacks and set the scene for a most difficult day.
Twenty four miles into the stage, a four-man group forged clear and opened up the first significant advantage, with the Great Britain team's Steve Cummings and previous yellow jersey wearer Mark Lovatt (Lancaster Life Repair) the biggest threats.
O'Loughlin and Australian professional David Harrigan succeeded in bridging across, but despite the later reinforcements of nine riders the group was eventually reeled in. The strongmen continued to apply the pressure on the wide, windswept roads to Galway, lining out the bunch and causing constant splits on the way.
It was a day of attack and counter-attack, constant change and fluctuation at the head of the field. Big dangers such as 2001 winner Paul Manning and his GB team-mate Chris Newton, second last year, continually tried to get clear, but sooner or later the other contenders got back on terms and a regrouping took place.
The elastic was finally broken when an attack containing John Tanner (Lancaster Life Repair) and the impressive Mayo-Galway Bay rider Simon Kelly acted as the catalyst for a 29-rider breakaway . All the main contenders were there, but those behind would never get back on terms; the first real shake-up of the race was taking place.
A split in this front group briefly left Evans in arrears, but a gusty ride into a block headwind - plus freezing deluges of hail and rain - brought his yellow jersey towards the front once more. Power dropped back to help his Ireland team-mate close the final gap, only for other riders to successfully get back on terms and leave 26 at the head of affairs.
The weather was becoming more and more atrocious, and stiff winds prevented solo attacks by Tanner, Power and then Newton from sticking. That paved the way for a big sprint finish where the Swedish threat Jonas Holmkvist outpaced Kazakh Assan Bazayev and the rest of the group. Keith Gallagher was best of the home riders, with Power, Kelly and Paul Griffin next home. Moriarty (12th), O'Loughlin (13th ) and Evans (18th) also finished in the same time, leaving Irish hopes intact and Evans in yellow once more.
"The plan today was not to defend the jersey as such but to keep as many of the Ireland team at the front as was possible," said Evans. "There was a danger when the front group split towards the end, but I closed a big gap with one of the riders from Kazakhstan. Ciarán (Power) came back for me when I got close, so that was a help." A happy Ireland manager Frankie Campbell said: "It is too early in the race to think about defending the jersey, but things worked out well and team morale is strong."
In total, 24 riders finished in the same time as Holmkvist with London Irish rider Rory Wyley four and a half minutes back and the rest of the field much further in arrears. Yesterday's torrid day has narrowed the list of potential winners. Today's 90-mile leg to Ballina may thin things out even more.
