Ciarán Power rolls back the years in An Post Rás

Taco van der Hoorn of the Dutch Join-S de Rijke squad won yesterday’s opening stage of the An Post Rás on a day that saw 40-year old ex-Irish Olympian Ciarán Power roll back the years and barrel in for a mighty result of his own.

While Van der Hoorn (22) deserves much of the plaudits for attacking the peloton inside the final 15 kilometres and holding on all the way to the line in Multyfarnham, Co. Westmeath, Power was 16th and took the blue jersey as best county rider.

The Waterford man has won the race twice in the past (1998 and 2002) but retired at the end of 2008, only to make a comeback in last year in order to lose weight.