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Junior Tour Reports

Peter Purfield 2004

MARTIN DONNELLY JUNIOR TOUR 2004 - Stage 3

THUR 5TH AUGUST Waterford - Dungarvan & Back 57 MILES

SPONS0RED BY I.V.C.A.

By Tommy Campbell
Aug 8, 2004,

They looked invincible as they won back to back stages of the M Donnelly Junior Tour and the supreme confidence of the Dutch team was in the air, but literally they came back to earth with a bang yesterday when the overall was wrestled from them.

Ian Stannard

It took a young English first year junior, Ian Stannard from Milton Keynes, that brought reality into the event. Last year’s M Donnelly Junior Tour was all about Kai Reus and it looked as though the pattern was re-emerging yet again when the proceedings were opened with Thjis van Amerongen and Arjen de Batt winning the opening two stages.

Ian Stannard who lists his hobby as ‘dance music’ certainly made the move of the day when he went ahead in a group of 12 shortly after Shandon (30 miles).

Up to that juncture their had been several attempts on the course which brought the participants from the Waterford start via Tramore, Dungarvan with the finish on the outskirts of Waterford approximately 55 miles in distance.
Initially, a group of eight including the stage winner Robert Gesink from Holland moved ahead shortly after the start. When the lead steadily started to increase their was an injection of pace which saw the bunch stretched out in one long line with one aim of nullifying the lead group which was eventually ended on the approach to Tramore. Unfortunately the Green points jersey Geneal Conte from France and Andrew Tennant from BC West Midlands were involved with a slight altercation with a vehicle which ended their involvement in this year’s JT.

On a rolling course which included some little distinct hills there was a shelling out of a number of participants who were lacking in the climbing department. Still there was no lacking of activity at the head of the race but the overnight race leader Arjen de Batt was conspicuous by his absence. All during the forays out front, he was the one who was just content to observe matters from virtually the rere of the main bunch.

Also, he lacked the conviction that the best part of defence of the race leader’s jersey was a form of attack. Ian Stannard from Milton Keynes in England, a regular with the Great Britain Squad has taken over as race leader of the M Donnelly Junior Tour after yesterday’s stage which took the competitors on the scenic route Waterford - Tramore - Dungarvan - Waterford, not that they had anytime for taken into the scenery.

The stage was indeed a hectic affair with action from the start and it was evident that the overnight leader Argen de Baat was not savouring the thought of a 55-mile stage with a start and finish in Waterford. He literally failed to make an impression on the stage, with the exception of a foray forward, which livened up the bunch on the approach to the climb at the ‘Pike’ (33 miles) outside Dungarvan.

Race Leader Arjen de Batt during today's stage

The 12 man winning breakaway group

Whilst he may have the boat, unfortunately for him, but at least he had a number of team mates up front. The bunch had failed to react to a group of 12 who had gone ahead just before Shandon (30 miles) and their advantage was see-sawing as there were sporadic efforts to peg them back.

The final sprint

In the end it came down to a sprint between the break on the outskirts of Waterford with Robert Geskin getting the verdict. Safely in that group also was Ian Stannard who had a better accumulative time for the three stages and he goes into the race leaders jersey for today’s stage around Carrick-on-Suir, which because of its terrain may alter the leaderboard, yet again.

Stage Three, Martin Donnelly Junior Tour/55 miles.

1 Robert Geskin (Holland), 2hrs.5mins.5secs;
2 J. van Heerdan (South Africa), same time;
3 P. Williams (BC. North West), st;
4 R. Muscat (Belgium), st;
5 D. Martin (Great Britain), st;
6 F. Wierstra (Holland), st.

Overall after three stages:
1 I. Stannard (Great Britain), 4.25.56;
2 Williams, @8secs;
3 H. Pieter (South Africa), @10secs;
4 T. van Amerongen (Holland), @1.9;
5 Martin, @1.12;
6 Geskin, @1.16;

Points: Muscat.

Mountains: Geskin.

Team: Holland.

Some pictures of Stage 3 Waterford to Dungarvan and back (via the Coast Road) taken by Peter Purfield..