McCann wins FBD Milk Ras

Murphy and Gunn’s Malcolm Elliott may have taken the stage win in a Phoenix Park sprint finish, but the spoils went to Belfast amateur David McCann as he claimed his first ever FBD Milk Rás title this evening, crossing the finish in the main field.

Murphy and Gunn’s Malcolm Elliott may have taken the stage win in a Phoenix Park sprint finish, but the spoils went to Belfast amateur David McCann as he claimed his first ever FBD Milk Rás title yesterday evening, crossing the finish in the main field.

Thornton’s Recycling rider’s previous best was a second place in the 1996 race, but two stage wins in the past week, including Saturday’s breakway win from Carrick-on-Suir to Tullow saw him lead the overall classification by 36 seconds ahead of yesterday's’s eighth and final stage in Dublin.

Second-placed Slovenian Valter Bonca, who would have become only the third rider in the race’s history to lead from start to finish, looked set on his runners-up position from the start as the Irish riders enjoyed their day in the sun.

The circuit race saw Meath Lee Strand’s Mark Cassidy, Galway’s Colm Bracken and Daniel Lynch of the Cork Kanturk Credit Union team fight out the top placings on the prime laps of the Park course, with Lynch’s twin brother Denis also heading the field for a time.

Mikael Segarsall of the Scandinavia Bianchi Nordic team led with three laps to go but when eventually back bunched, the 40km win went to Elliott, with the Englishman holding onto the green jersey.

The first Irish rider home was Paul Healion of the Dublin Usher IRC, but with McCann avoiding a small crash involving three riders on the line, the 31-year-old saw victory and a second Irish win in three years, following Ciaran Powers’ success in 2002.