O’Loughlin hits top gear to close the gap on Bonca
The crowds lining the hill to the finish were treated to some exciting riding as O'Loughlin, who went into the 94-mile stage from Millstreet with a deficit of 22 seconds on the Eastern European is now just three seconds off the leader.
The 26-year-old Mayo man had been away for all of 80 miles in a three-man group that was completed by the Yorkshire Murphy & Gunn riders Mark Lovett and John Tanner.
After a series of attacks the break was eventually engineered by O'Loughlin's Ireland team mate, Eugene Moriarty who escaped with John Tanner after 13 miles.
They were joined by O'Loughlin and Mark Lovett and, with Kerry's Moriarty at the front, they opened a lead of 2:15 at Mallow when, with his work completed, the Listowel man dropped back to join the main bunch.
Now the three riders went to work and, afterwards, O'Loughlin was full of praise for both Tanner and Lovett.
"You could not have had better guys to go out in front with. It was a long, hard day but they rode very honestly for every minute," he said.
Through Lismore and Cappoquin the lead grew and on the approach to The Pike the trio were 3:02 ahead and looking good.
Behind them the Slovenians were desperately attempting to fashion a chase, with the Kazakhstan team eventually leading the charge.
At Mahon Bridge, 13 miles from the finish, the lead had been reduced to 2:10 and just a mile later it was down to an astonishing 1:34 but it still appeared as if O'Loughlin could capture the yellow jersey.
With eight miles remaining, the Irish trio were holding 1:24 ahead but then tragedy struck when Mark Lovett punctured and they lost their momentum.
"It was very unfortunate for Mark that he punctured because he would have had a great chance of winning the stage," O'Loughlin said.
"But I decided to keep going and do everything I could to take the jersey and, I must admit, I thought I had it."
O'Loughlin, cheered on by the crowds, powered his way up the climb but it was the seasoned pro, Bonca, who reduced the deficit to 19 seconds and clings onto the leader's jersey by three seconds.
David McCann was on his wheel for the climb to take third place.
"I could see him on the hill and he appeared to be going well. He certainly was not dying and to be up there all day and then climb so well was just unreal," McCann said.
"Three days ago I felt that the Kazakhstan team and not the Slovenians or ourselves would decide the outcome of this race and that is the way it is working out. Today the Slovenians were chasing but the gap was still going up and up but suddenly the Kazakhstan riders went to the front and started driving it. It is difficult to figure out why they did it as they had nobody up in general classification."
Brian Ahern who finished second on Thursday's stage into Millstreet was taken to hospital yesterday with a broken collarbone. He crashed heavily when his mussette became entangled in his front wheel at the feed station outside Lismore.
The top of the general classification sheet was altered yesterday as David O'Loughlin at 3 seconds and David McCann at 23 seconds move up into second and third places while the Scandinavian rider, Petter Renang, who was in second position since the first day, signed on yesterday but did not start the stage to leave Dermot Nally (Galway) fourth @ 59 secs, Malcolm Elliott (Yorkshire Murphy & Gunn fifth @ 1:08 and Denis Lynch (Ireland Thorntons Recycling) sixth @ 1:10.
If Bonca should survive today's 92 mile stage to Tullow and tomorrow's circuit finish in the Phoenix Park, then he will be the first rider to lead from start to finish since Alexander Gysiatnikov of Russia. Only the great Shay O'Hanlon did it before that three times in the 60's.
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