Rás glory as brilliant Baldo basks in ‘incredible week’

Last year’s overall winner Gediminas Bagdonas (An Post) out-galloped a large bunch into Skerries yesterday to take victory at the end of stage eight of the An Post Rás as overnight leader, Frenchman Nicolas Baldo, finished safely in the main field to bring the final yellow jersey home to France.

Baldo’s Swiss-based Atlas Personal professional team have been in command at this Rás ever since his teammate Pirmin Lang took over in yellow on Monday having won stage two into Gort. Lang lost his place at the top of the General Classification three days later but happily for the Swiss squad, it was teammate Baldo who took over in Buncrana.

After an audacious stage win the following day, when he rode away from the rest of the race while wearing the yellow jersey into Killybegs, Baldo’s squad ensured a 13 second deficit to second placed Thomas Rostollan (Aix En Provence) was as close as anyone got to him for the remainder of the Rás.