Heroic McLaughlin foiled by Pedersen

A victory by Danish sprinter Mark Pedersen of the Blue Water Cycling team on stage four of the An Post Rás was overshadowed by an epic ride by An Post Sean Kelly rider Ronan McLaughlin yesterday.

The Donegal cyclist spent almost 70km out front alone before being caught 100m from the finish line in Bundoran.

Five years after the Rás last visited his home county, and just a day after crashing out and losing over three minutes on stage three, McLaughlin set about achieving his lifelong dream of a stage victory as soon as the flag dropped in Westport yesterday.