MARTIN DONNELLY JUNIOR TOUR 2005 - Stage 5
Castlebar to Windy Gap
BRITISH
WIN STAGE, DUTCH TAKE YELLOW
By Tommy Campbell, Pictures Peter Purfield
Jul 16, 2005,
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In the Mall in
Castlebar is a former chapel whose foundation stone was laid by John
Wesley in 1785. Michael Davitt founded the epoch making Land League in
the Imperial Hotel on the 16th of August 1879.
Joey Bestebreurje from Antwerp simply out manoeuvred the opposition to
move ahead in the standings to the top of the leader board and now has a
comfortable lead on his closest challengers to land the spoils of
victory in the 28th edition of the Junior Tour.
Even before yesterday's start, there was surprise that stage two winner,
Maurice O'Brien of the Kanturk Credit Union CC had pulled out. Prior to
the event, questions were being asked, why, O'Brien was an absentee from
the Irish team, but Irish team manager, Martin O'Loughlin, revealed all.
"It was never the intention that Maurice would finish the tour. He
is off to Italy next week."
The penultimate stage of the Martin Donnelly Junior Tour turned out to
be a real cracker yesterday with the top six on general classification
all delicately balanced for a make or break effort to win the event
outright.
Overnight leader, Adam Armstrong held pole position, but the real threat
was from the Dutch pair of Willem Schwaner, Joey Bestebreurje and of
course Martin Munroe who was dislodged from the top placing on Friday
evening. Both representing Ireland, but with different agendas which was
plain to see from last Thursday's tactics on the stage into Cong and
renewed again on Friday.
The roads that the JT has criss-crossed Co. Mayo in the last five days
were relatively hard and yesterday it was no different, but the sting in
the tail came at the very end when the competitors had to ascend the
'Windy Gap' after 68 miles of a hard slog with the wind not often in
their favour.
The route took the Martin Donnelly competitors through, Newport,
Mulranny, Ballycroy, Bangor Erris, Bellacorick, Crossmolina, Lahardane
to the finish on the 'Windy Gap', which was unique. Say! A touch of the
Tour de France finishes in the mountains and it is not beyond the bounds
of possibility that someday at least a couple of these youngsters may
experience action in the TdF.
From the outset of the stage start, there were several forays out front,
but they all came to nothing, because of the vigilance of the Irish team
in particular who were misfortunate to lose the services of Fergus Keogh
who was a non-starter. Despite this set back the Irish team were
represented when the main break developed on the road between Mulranny
and Ballycroy.
A regular in the breaks all week was Urban Monks of the Down team was
included with Shaun Rock of Ireland, David Mulholland of Ulster, South
Africans, Wouter Staats and Frank J. van Vuuren, The Dutch trio of
Michael Robinson, Jooste Henning and the danger man Joey Bestebreurje
and the British Cycling pair, Jonathan Bellis of (NW) and Adam Kenway
(WM).
The 10-man group quickly set into a pattern of racing and opened a fair
time gap. Unfortunately, Henning, Rock, Staats and Mulholland lost their
place at the top of the race and slipped out of contention. The lead
group now had the advantage and as such they caused a big reshuffle of
the leader board. Sensing this, Munroe and Armstrong made very effort to
nullify the lead along with others who also saw their advantage on GC
being eroded, but on the day it was not to be.
Going through Crossmolina the advantage was over two minutes, but in the
end it was whittled back to 40 seconds, but by then the dye had been
cast for Armstrong and Co.
At the start of the climb Bellis made what proved to be his moment of
glory when he clipped off the front and the summit he had a 19 second
advantage on the new leader of the JT Bestebreurje. Interestingly Bellis
crashed out of the race in Tramore last year and has more or less set
his stall out to win a stage in the in this years JT.
Today's stage is relatively flat and should cause no problems in
particular to Bestebreurje who has a strong team.
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| Jonathan
Bellis of the British Cycling NW team won the mountain top
finish at Windy Gap today |
Martin Donnelly Junior Tour
Stage 5-Castlebar/Windy Gap, 68 miles (sponsored by Leinster Cycling)
1 Jonathan Bellis (British Cycling NW), 2hrs.57mins.02secs;
2 J. Bestebreurtje (BMV Veldhoven), @19secs;
3 P. Henning (BMV Veldhoven), same time;
4 D. Dyllan (Wales), @27secs;
5 R. McLoughlin (McNally Swords), same time;
6 A. Bonser (British Cycling NW), @34;
7 S. Sowela (South Africa), same time;
8 T. Diggle (British Cycling NW), @39;
9 W. Schwaner (BMV Veldhoven), same time;
10 C. Cassidy (Navan/Avonmore CC), st.
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| The
Podium after stage 5 |
Overall after 5 stages:
1 Bestebreurtje, 10.53.46;
2 Schwaner, @14secs;
3 Cassidy, @17;
4 A. Armstrong (Ireland), @21;
5 Diggle, @32;
6 Bellis, same time;
7 Munroe, @51;
8 M. Murray (Ulster), @1.16;
9 R. McLoughlin (McNally Swords), @1.24;
10 U. Monks, (Down), @1.35.
Points: Bestebreirtje.
Mountains: D. Minne (South Africa).
1st Year Junior: Diggle.
Team: BMV Veldhoven.
Download
full results in PDF format c/o Seamus Shortall (RapidResults)
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| Armstrong
leading the bunch early on |
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| The
two leaders with 400 meters uphill to the finish |
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| The
breakaway with the new race leader wearing the green jersey here |
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| Armstrong
finishing |
PICTURES
OF THE STAGE
Stage 5 starts in Castlebar with an
109Km stage around County Mayo finishing at Windy-Gap a mountain top
pass just north of Castlebar.
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| The
official start at Lough Lannagh in Castlebar |
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| The
bunch is together during the first 5km |
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| Two
riders attack and get a small gap |
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| A
couple more rides try cross to the leaders |
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| The
bunch in chase passing through Newport |
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| Now
4 riders in the leading group, and a chasing group in between
the bunch. However all these riders are brought back and the
bunch is all-together at 30Km |
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| Then
a new break practically falls of the front and quickly opens a
large gap |
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| There
is no organised chase in the bunch, just individual riders
trying to cross the gap to the leaders |
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| The
break is screaming, all but the Team Ireland rider are riding
through |
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| The
break is now 1.32 ahead of the bunch with the yellow jersey |
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| The
bunch is still loosing time, now 2mins 10secs |
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| Sean
Rock of Team Ireland has dropped out of the break to help the
yellow jersey |
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| Things
are not looking good for Adam Armstrong on his first day in the
leaders jersey |
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| The
break with everybody working |
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| Ciaran
Cassidy of Navan brings his team up to limit his losses |
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| As
they approach the final climb to the finish the bunch have
pulled the breakaway back to 52secs |
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| As
they climb to the mountain top finish, the bunch is in sight,
Jonathan Bellis of the British Cycling NW team attacks |
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| Bellis
is joined by Joey Bestebreurtje of BMV Veldhoven with 1Km to go |
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| Bellis
goes ahead, Bestebreurtje is still in 2nd (out of sight) and the
Yellow Jersey is coming up fast |
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| A
great win for Jonathan Bellis (British Cycling NW) |
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| Joey
Bestebreurtje (BMV Veldhoven) takes 2nd |
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| Yellow
jersey Adam Armstrong comes in 40secs down, some achievement
considering he was 2.15 down at one stage |
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| The
stage result - 2nd Joey Bestebreurtje, 1st Jonathan Bellis, 3rd
Peter Henning |
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| The
Podium after stage 5 - Yellow Jersey: Joey Bestebreirtje,
Points: J Bestebreirtje, 2nd C Cassidy, Mountains: D. Minne, 1st
Year Junior: T Diggle. |
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