Downey dreams big as Rás takes sudden turn

The An Post Rás saw one of its most dramatic days in recent memory unfold on the road from Cahersiveen to Clonakilty yesterday when the yellow jersey lost over eight minutes — and a new set of contenders emerged.

The race has been quite a tumultuous affair so far, with umpteen crashes and a bout of the winter vomiting bug wiping out a considerable number of the peloton — but with five of the eight stages down, a clearer picture of who will win is now apparent.

Clemens Fankhauser (Austria Tirol Cycling Team), who started second overall yesterday and had a significant gap of 1:55 to make up, was in the day’s winning 11-man escape and now leads the race. From an Irish perspective, Sean Downey of the An Post Chain Reaction team rocketed up the overall standings and is now just 58 seconds down in eighth.