Bennett lauded as Bagdonas stays in yellow

RACE LEADER Gediminas Bagdonas (Belgium An Post/Sean Kelly) thanked Irish team-mate Sam Bennett for helping him hang on to the yellow jersey by the slender margin of 32 seconds as the sixth stage of the An Post Rás ended in Tramore yesterday after an action-packed 104-mile trip from Blarney.

With no serious obstacles to negotiate, it was expected to be a respite day for a peloton battered by gales, rain and a brief visit to the Kerry mountains during the week but a succession of attacks decimated the field and an uphill finish left the riders gasping at the top of the main street.

Stage victory went to Marcin Bialobkcki, the Polish member of the Britain Motorpoint team, who finished with the Ukrainian, Anatoliy Pakhtusov, just five seconds behind.