Delighted Newton claims Rás title

CHRIS NEWTON (Great Britain), runner-up to Ciaran Power 12 months earlier, may not have been in race-winning form coming into this year’s FBD Milk Rás, but the world points champion could not hide his excitement as he left Dublin with the overall title last evening after a dramatic week.

After the dreadful weather of the past seven days, he claimed the final yellow jersey of the race in glorious sunshine in the Phoenix Park where American Adam Hodges Myerson won the coveted final stage in a ferocious sprint with the former professional Malcolm Elliott.

It was a fitting finale to a spectacular week's racing, mostly dominated by the weather.

On Saturday, Power, who went into the race as the defending champion, won his second Rás stage into Oldcastle. He'd gone into the race having won the overall title twice without having won a single stage.

He crossed the line 16 seconds ahead of Patrick Kohlr from Germany with the Australian Jaaron Poad third.

None of the breakaway group were a threat to the overall classification as the Great Britain team controlled the race from the top of the bunch so Newton's lead was never threatened.

That was the situation from the time he took custody of the race leader's yellow jersey on the Mamore Gap on Thursday and yesterday he wore it around the finishing circuit in the Phoenix Park, where he was never out of the top six riders.

Even when they went out on the final lap he was close to the front. Malcolm Elliott, a former points winner in the Tour of Spain and runner-up in the Nissan International Classic, appeared poised to snatch victory in the bunch finish, but it was Adam Hodges Myerson who stole the march, aided and abetted by his big USA Sportsbool.com team-mate, Matt Svatek, who rode the whole race, including the notorious Mamore climb, on a 45 ring for a bet.

Newton, who said that after winning three stages and finishing second overall last year, he'd set his mind on winning the race but he did not think it would happen this year.

"During the week John (Herety) called us together and asked us if we were really interested in winning the race.

"There had been a lot of banter and we were just trying to keep our minds off the weather. We discussed it with him and everything changed after that," he said. "It is a unique race and a very difficult race to win."

Power put the finishing touches to the week by finishing third in the sprint ahead of Listowel man Eugene Moriarty (Meath Lee Strand Cycleways).

Tomorrow, Power heads back to the US to join the Navigators for the national championships and, while his overall ambitions ended in the Donegal Mountains, he was pleased with the week.

"Two stage wins and third today I have to be happy with that," he said. "And Tommy (Evans) had a stage win and would have had two but for the fact that his foot slipped out of the pedal.

"So, overall, we can regard it as a good week."

Eddie O'Donoghue and Ray Clarke from Clonmel were up again yesterday and Paddy Moriarty (Dublin Skip) fulfilled his ambition when he finished 10th overall with Tommy Evans (Ireland, Irish Sports Council) the only Irishman ahead of him in eighth place.

Paul Griffin from Tralee, riding for Dublin Iarnród Eireann, was the next Irish rider in 13th position. Power finished 15th.