Dawson takes centre stage

KEVIN DAWSON (Lancaster Life Repair Group) succeeded where team mate, Mark Lovatt, failed so narrowly the previous day when he rode into Letterkenny to win yesterday’s fourth stage of the FBD Milk Ras which took the riders 107 miles from Ballina in persistent if not torrential rain.

“I did it for Mark (Lovatt). He was so unfortunate yesterday,” the stage winner insisted. “But this was my kind of day ­ dirty and rough. I did not enjoy it but it did not bother me.”

For the hundreds who braved the elements to view the finish there was plenty of drama as the remnants of the breakaway group who dominated the second half of the race struggled up the hill to the line. It was only 300m long but it seemed more like 300 miles.