CYCLING

Gate, Gough prominent among Kiwi riders at An Post RAS Tour of Ireland

By Sports Media NZ

New Zealand riders Aaron Gate and Regan Gough were prominent in a demanding fifth stage of the An Post RAS Tour of Ireland.

The riders are part of the Cycling New Zealand endurance track squad who are using the tour as part of their preparations towards the Rio Olympics.

Both were in the peloton that finished just behind the breakaway group of six riders in the 148 km stage to Conakilty, along the southern coast of Ireland on a tough day with five categorised climbs.

Gate, competing for his An Post Chain Reaction professional team, retained his lead in the points classification while Gough is the best of the New Zealand team in 20^th overall on general classification and fifth in the young rider category with three stages remaining.

Several breakaway attempts proved fruitless today until a group of 10, dominated by Irish riders, broke clear before the final climb. The peloton hauled back most of the two minute advantage to catch four of the lead bunch coming into Conakilty, but the remaining six held on to fight for the win, taken by Dutchman Wouter Mol, a former winner of the Tour of Qatar.


Action from stage five of the An Post RAS Tour of Ireland. Photo © Inpho Photography

Gate, Gough and Hayden Roulston rode strongly in the peloton with Nick Kergozou and Dylan Kennett well back and Piet Bulling retired after feeling unwell.

Tomorrow’s sixth stage covers 159km and three categorised climbs as the field skirts around Cork to finish on the south east coast at Dungarvan before heading north for the traditional finish in Skerries near Dublin on Monday (NZ time).

Results: An Post RAS, stage 5 (Sneem to Conakilty, 148km): Wouter Mol (NED) 3:26:54, 1; Troels Vinther (DEN) same time, 2; Eoin Morton (IRL) st, 3.
New Zealand riders: Aaron Gate (An Post Chain Reaction) at 27s, 10; Regan Gough (NZL) st, 11; Taylor Gunman (Madison Genesis) st, 26; Hayden Roulston (NZL) @ 40s, 35; Nick Kergozou (NZL) at 1:53, 73; Dylan Kennett @31:04, 155;
General classification after 5 stages: Clemens Fankhouser (AUT) 17:39:56, 1; Matthew Holmes (GBR) at 2s, 2; Damien Shaw (IRE) st, 3; Jai Hindley (AUS) at 3s, 4; Aaron Gate (NZL) at 5s, 5. Also: Gunman at 19s, 13; Gough at 1:11, 20; Roulston at 3:19, 28; Kennett at 32.22, 86; Kergozou st, 87; Bulling dnf.

Website: www.cyclingnewzealand.nz