Gediminas Bagdonas wins second stage and Shane Archbold takes overall lead in 2011 An Post Ras
An Post Sean Kelly team’s Gediminas Bagdonas won the second stage of 2011 An Post Ras on Monday May 23. Shane Archbold of the New Zealand National team took overall leader’s yellow jersey.
The race started in Portumna and finished at Kilrush. Gediminas cover the distance of 164 kilometres in 4 hours, 54 minutes and 18 seconds.
Previously, Bagdonas won the fourth stage of Tour of Antwerp in 2010 and also won Memorial Philippe Van Coningsloo race in 2009.
After winning stage the 25-year-old said, "It was a long day with a very strong wind. The whole team worked and helped me - in the last 30 kilometres I attacked and worked with the others. At the end I waited for the sprint, and today I was the quickest.
I'm very happy!"
The race leader, Shane Archbold, was in second place with the same timing of Bagdonas. Stuart Shaw finished third while Ronan McLaughlin was in fifth spot with 1 minute and 23 seconds adrift.
The group of international four riders, including Shane Archbold of New Zealand National Team, Stuart Shaw of Australia Drapac Cycling, Anatoliy Pakhusov of Ukraine ISD–Lampre and Lithuanian Bagdonas entered the seaside town earlier in the race.
All of them put good effort in the race, but Gediminas Bagdonas was in good form and with the help of his team in the last few kilometres, he crossed the finish-line ahead of the other riders.
Shane Archbold of the New Zealand National team took overall lead with the timing of 8 hours, 42 minutes and 11 seconds. Stage winner Gediminas Bagdonas was in second place with same timing of Shane. Stuart Shaw finished third with the difference of 4 seconds.
Archbold said, "I got second in the World Omnium Championships in March and coming into this, I've just been trying to get the road form up. I've done a lot of training and didn't get any results, so I'm happy to get a result here today, and to wear yellow
is a pretty big achievement."
Yesterday's race leader, Dean Downing of Britain Rapha team, was in fifth place with 1 minute and 17 seconds behind Shane. Marytn Irvine was the first attacker who went clear in the race and won the King of Mountains jersey.
The next stage starts in Kilrush and end in Castleisland. All riders will cover a distance of 175 kilometres.
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