Wetterhall braced for tough day of climbing

RACE leader Alexander Wetterhall (Team Sprocket Pro) is bracing himself for another tough day of climbing as today’s penultimate stage of the FBD Insurance Rás takes the riders into the Wicklow Mountains.

The Swedish professional time trial champion — his first professional stage race was in the Tour of Ireland two years ago — snatched the yellow jersey from Dan Craven in amazing circumstances when he caught the Rapha Condor Sharp team off guard on Wednesday, then defended his eight- second lead on the top of Seskin Hill on Thursday and was still eight seconds clear of the Austrian, Josef Kugler, after another spectacular defence from Carrick-on-Suir to Gorey yesterday.

John Degenkolb (Germany Thuringer Energie) won Stage Six in a two-man sprint with the former leader, Dan Craven, who clawed 50 seconds back from Wetterhall and declared the Rapha Condor team wants the yellow jersey back before the race ends in Skerries tomorrow.