Evans wins sprint into Roscrea

TOMMY EVANS, riding for the Irish Sports Council team, got the FBD Milk Rás off to a flying start yesterday when he won a two man sprint for stage victory with the young Dane, Ari Hojgaard, into Roscrea and claimed the first yellow jersey of this year’s showpiece.

It was a spectacular finish to what was a tough opening stage from Dublin that incorporated a visit to The Cut, high in the Slievebloom Mountains where Maxim Inglinskiv from Kazakhstan led the peloton a merry dance into a ferocious headwind to claim the first polka dot jersey of the race.

In fact much of yesterday's racing centred around the 22 year old Kazakhstan rider who sprinted away once the peloton left the main road for the climb and took the KOH and Hot Spot points 33 seconds clear of everybody else.