Healion realises Rás dream
The biggest gallery of the week was treated to another exciting spectacle at the end of the 99-mile trip from Scarriff in the form of another explosive sprint. But this time Healion, who has been trying to win a stage in Irish cycling’s showpiece since finishing second to Ireland team-mate David McCann 10 years ago, had all the time in the world to savour the moment.
He was oozing confidence from the time the Britain Rahpa Condor team – defending Simon Richardson’s leadership – reeled in a leading group that had been driven along by Brian Kenneally (Meath Engraveit.ie/BDBC/Cycleways) to set up another bunch sprint.
The men who had been dominating the sprints all week assembled at the front – Nicholas Walker (Australia-Cinelli DownUnder), winner of back-to-back the stages the previous two days, and Jaan Kirsipuu (Norway Giant-Veolia), winner of four Tour de France stages, and Niko Eeckhout, who won Sunday’s opening stage, young Sam Bennett (Tipperary Dan Morrissey) was again wending his way up to challenge while Aidan Crowley and Healion were lurking just off the pace.
While the big guns glanced around at each other Healion grasped the nettle and his initiative took him into what turned out to be the best possible position.
Behind him Kirsipuu and Walker were locked in another titanic struggle for second place with the tough Estonian coming up trumps this time. Eeckhout finished fourth.
Sam Bennett added ninth to his sixth, seventh and eighth places from previous stages. Crowley finished 11th.
“I’m absolutely delighted – over the moon – it has been a long time coming,” Healion said. “There were some good sprinters there.”
Ireland team manager, Tommy Evans, who won the Rás himself in 1996 was beaming because he has been handed the task of getting a pursuit team to the Olympic Games in 2012 and Healion is an integral part of squad that failed narrowly to qualify for Beijing.
“That’s what we use those races for,” Healion said. “I had kind of given up on winning a stage in the Rás a long time ago but it is amazing what this race brings.”
The 30-year-old Dunboyne man reckons he inherited his strength from his late father, also Paul, who was an international athlete and represented Ireland in both the shot putt and hammer.
“All we are looking at now is qualifying for the Olympic Games in London in 2012 – that’s long term and short term is to get on the podium in the world cup races this season and do the world championships,” he said.
“We just want to do a respectable campaign in the worlds. We want to build up slowly because if you aim too high you have nothing to gain coming up to the Olympics.
“I think that’s happened certain sports going into the Olympics – maybe in athletics and where they have won world indoor championships and that and then there is too much pressure put on them.”
Simon Richardson goes into today’s 93-mile penultimate stage from Castlebar to Clara wearing the race leader’s yellow jersey after some brilliant defending by the Rapha Condor team that includes two previous winners – Chris Newton who has won it twice and the 2006 winner Kristian House.
Brian Kenneally (Meath Engraveit.ie/BDBC/Cycleways) was involved in the only serious break of the day which was started when Laurent Didier (Denmark Designa Kokken) and Ian Wilkinson (Britain Halfords Bike Hut) attacked the bunch 50k into the race and were joined by Kenneally, Peter Ronsse (Australia Cinelli-Down Under) and Espen Jogert (Norway Giant-Veolia).
Kenneally got a whiff of stage victory when they opened up of 2 mins 2 secs but that proved to be their highest point as the other members of the group eased back
The race ends in Skerries tomorrow.
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