MARTIN DONNELLY JUNIOR TOUR 2007 - Stage 3

Newport - Achill - Newport

M DONNELLY JUNIOR TOUR: STAGE 3 REPORT By Tommy Campbell Irish Independent, Evening Herald, Sunday Independent Jul 12, 2007,   Just when it looked as though the visiting competitors would take a haul of the silver wear in the M. Donnelly Junior Tour! Up pops Munster competitors Sam Bennett of the Dan Morrissey/Carrick Wheelers CC and Denis Dunworth formerly of the Killorglin Credit Union CC, but, now based in France to lift the siege on behalf of the Stena-Ireland team. Today, as early as the first 10kms of racing on the stage which started and finished in Castlebar, via Achill the dye was cast in favour of the lead group who went clear, never to be headed after another 100kms of racing. Not many of the entourage associated with the M. Donnelly Junior Tour would have realised that going through Newport that the town is primarily geared for the angling community. The town is dominated by a huge arched bridge that once carried the railway linking Westport to Achill Island. The railway line was built following a public outcry in the 1850's when a boat crowded with migrant workers sailing from Achill to Westport floundered in Clew Bay. Included in the group of twelve who dictated the pace from early on, three members of the BC West Midlands (Tom Martin, Dominic Jeff, Kieran Frend), Tempo BMV Veldhoven (Bennson Ruan and Niek van Geffen), Usher-Moy/VC la Pomme (Lucas Rinaldi Julian Albouy), Dave Raynor (Sam Webster), Stena-Ireland (Denis Dunworth, Sam Bennett), South Africa (Dane Antil) and Kanturk Credit Union CC (Anthony Lynch. This group moved along in unison and very early on they were wafting up in the ground whilst the bunch meandered along in the glorious sunshine. In all probability they thought as did the bunch that they would tick over and eventually move up the gears and bring the pack together again. Obviously they assumed wrongly that the hard won garments would not be taken away after Wednesday's tough stage in which they rightly earned them. But, their well laid plans were beginning to falter as they raced onto Achill Sound. The advantage was with the dozen ahead and the stop go tactics of the bunch was beginning to show the cracks. The half way point was at the KOM prime and the advantage was just short of four minutes (and to cap it all they failed to see the beauty of the area courtesy of the bright sunshine). On the homeward stretch, the gap did come down to two minutes plus, but no cohesive effort it drifted back to four minutes plus at the line. The Dutch Junior Niek van Geffen was first across the line ahead of Julien Albouy from the Usher-Moy/VC la Pomme with the Irish duo Sam Bennett and Denis Dunworth of the Stena-Ireland team in third and fourth place. The Carrick-on-Suir Junior, Sam Bennett is only five seconds in arrears of the overall standings. The overall leader is Sam Webster from Otley in Yorkshire who has aspirations to join the paid ranks eventually. The podium after stage 3, Sam Webster is in yellow - Picture by Seamus Shortall M. Donnelly Junior Tour, stage 3 Castlebar/Newport/Achill Island/Newport/Castlebar, 110kms. Details: 1 Niek van Geffen (Tempo BMV Veldhoven), 2hrs.55mins.52secs; 2 J. Albouy (Usher-Moy/VC la Pomme), same time; 3 S. Bennett (Stena-Ireland), st; 4 D. Dunworth (Stena-Ireland), st; 5 S. Webster (Dave Raynor), st; 6 K .Frend (BC West Midlands), st; 7 B. Ruan (Tempo MBV Veldhoven), st; 8 L. Rinald (VC la Pomme), st; 9 D. Jelf (BC West Midlands), st; 10 T. Martin (BC West Midlands), st. Overall after three stages 1 Webster, 5.52.23; 2 Bennett, @5; 3 van Geffen, @10; 4 Dunworth, @24; 5 Albouy, @25; 6 Ruan, @28; 7 Martin, @30; 8 Frend, @37; 9 Jelf, @38; 10 Rinaldi, @39. First Year Junior: Bennett. Points: van Geffen. Mountains: S. van Leijen (Tempo BMV Veldhoven.