Tour of Ireland 2008 - 2

Fredrik Ericsson (Pezula) raced alone for many kilometres and gained over five minutes on the pack before he was caught with eight kilometres to go.

Next to go for glory was Kristian House (Rapha/Condor/Recycling.co.uk), but he was chased hard by Team Columbia and the race came down to a mass sprint finish won by Mark Cavendish (Team Columbia).

Cavendish said afterward that he was a little tired and had to rely on the strength of his team to win. He also said each win lessened the disappointment of not winning a medal in Beijing.

The Rapha/Condor/Recycling.co.uk team suffered badly in the final kilometres when both Simon Holt and Dale Appleby wrecked their bikes after they were bought down in a big crash.

1 Mark Cavendish Team Columbia 3.57.55
2 Michael Van Staeyen Rabobank Continental
3 Maximiliano Richeze Ariel CSF Group Navigare
4 Kenny De Haes Topsport Vlaanderen
5 Russel Downing Pinarello Racing Team
6 Alexander Kristoff Joker / Bianchi
7 Zakkari Dempster Southaustralia.com / AIS
8 Ciarán Power Pezula Racing
9 Boy Van Poppel Rabobank Continental
10 Nikolas Maes Topsport Vlaanderen
11 Malcolm Elliott Pinarello Racing Team
12 Mauro Abel Richeze CSF Group Navigare
13 Emile Abraham Team Type 1
14 Dean Downing Rapha Condor / Recycling.co.uk
15 Joachim Bøhler Joker / Bianchi
16 Juan Van Heerden Team MTN
17 Juan Francisco Xacobeo Galicia
18 Valery Kobzarenko Team Type 1
19 Julian Dean Team Garmin/Chipotle p/b H30
20 Daniel Lloyd An Post / M. Donnelly / Grant Thornton / Sean Kelly Team
21 Ruben Bongiorno CSF Group Navigare
22 Moises Aldape Chavez Team Type 1
23 Michael Barry Team Columbia
24 Magnus Backstedt Team Garmin/Chipotle p/b H30
25 Francesco Tomei CSF Group Navigare
26 Massimo Graziato Tinkoff Credit Systems
27 Martijn Maaskant Team Garmin/Chipotle p/b H30
28 Thomas Murray Pinarello Racing Team
29 Simon Clarke Southaustralia.com / AIS
30 Luca Mazzanti Tinkoff Credit Systems
31 Gonzalo Rabuñal Ríos Xacobeo Galicia
32 Delio Fernández Cruz Xacobeo Galicia
33 Wesley Sulzberger Southaustralia.com / AIS
34 David McCann Nationalmannschaft Irland
35 Mark Cassidy An Post / M. Donnelly / Grant Thornton / Sean Kelly Team
36 Lars Petter Nordhaug Joker / Bianchi
37 Alexandr Surutkovych Team Type 1
38 Serguei Klimov Tinkoff Credit Systems
39 Kevin Evans Team MTN
40 Stephen Gallagher An Post / M. Donnelly / Grant Thornton / Sean Kelly Team
41 Alexander Gottfried Tinkoff Credit Systems
42 Thomas Rabou Rabobank Continental
43 Kurt Hovelijnck Topsport Vlaanderen
44 Ilya Chernetskiy Tinkoff Credit Systems
45 Dan Fleeman An Post / M. Donnelly / Grant Thornton / Sean Kelly Team
46 David George Team MTN
47 Ramon Sinkeldam Rabobank Continental
48 Maarten Neyens Topsport Vlaanderen
49 Joeri Adams Rabobank Continental
50 Bart Aernouts Rabobank Continental
51 Kenny Lisabeth An Post / M. Donnelly / Grant Thornton / Sean Kelly Team
52 Matthew Wilson Team Type 1
53 Johnny Walker Southaustralia.com / AIS
54 Roger Aiken Nationalmannschaft Irland
55 Adam Semple Southaustralia.com / AIS
56 Ramón Troncoso Xacobeo Galicia
57 Adam Hansen Team Columbia
58 Thomas Berkhout Rabobank Continental
59 Marco Pinotti Team Columbia
60 Ben Greenwood Rapha Condor / Recycling.co.uk
61 Kristian House Rapha Condor / Recycling.co.uk
62 Robert Partridge Rapha Condor / Recycling.co.uk
63 Travis Meyer Southaustralia.com / AIS
64 Matthew Kipling Pinarello Racing Team
65 Stephen O'Sullivan Nationalmannschaft Irland
66 Kieran Page Pezula Racing
67 David O'Loughlin Pezula Racing
68 Fabio Calabria Team Type 1
69 Paidi O'Brien An Post / M. Donnelly / Grant Thornton / Sean Kelly Team
70 Matteo Priamo CSF Group Navigare
71 Graham Briggs Rapha Condor / Recycling.co.uk
72 Frederick Nolf Topsport Vlaanderen
73 Svein Vold Joker / Bianchi
74 Bernhard Eisel Team Columbia 1.2
75 Frederik Wilmann Joker / Bianchi 1.36
76 Cameron Jennings Pezula Racing
77 Johan Coenen Topsport Vlaanderen
78 David Millar Team Garmin/Chipotle p/b H30
79 Peter Williams Pinarello Racing Team
80 Paul Healion Nationalmannschaft Irland
81 Simon Holt Rapha Condor / Recycling.co.uk
82 Alex Wetterhall Pezula Racing 3.04
83 Filippo Savini CSF Group Navigare
84 Martyn Irvine Pezula Racing
85 Miceal Concannon Nationalmannschaft Irland
86 Alejandro Paleo Mosquera Xacobeo Galicia
87 Sven Renders Topsport Vlaanderen
88 Sean Lacey Nationalmannschaft Irland
89 Trent Lowe Team Garmin/Chipotle p/b H30
90 Benny De Schrooder An Post / M. Donnelly / Grant Thornton / Sean Kelly Team
91 Andrew Roche Pinarello Racing Team
92 Lee Davis Pinarello Racing Team
93 Jay Thomson Team MTN
94 Neil MacDonald Team MTN
95 Stian Sommerseth Joker / Bianchi
96 Dale Appleby Rapha Condor / Recycling.co.uk
97 Morris Possoni Team Columbia 4.15
98 Paul Griffen Nationalmannschaft Irland 5.19
99 Bernardo Riccio Tinkoff Credit Systems
100 David Abal Diego Xacobeo Galicia 8.5
101 Alberto Fernandez Xacobeo Galicia
102 Matthew King Southaustralia.com / AIS
103 Fredrik Ericsson Pezula Racing
104 Frantisek Rabon Team Columbia 10.28
105 Ingar Stokstad Joker / Bianchi 11.18

General Classification
1 Mark Cavendish Team Columbia 8.57.52
2 Julian Dean Team Garmin/Chipotle p/b H30 0.13
3 Alexander Kristoff Joker / Bianchi 0.14
4 Maximiliano Richeze (Arg) CSF Group Navigare 0.19
5 Matthew Wilson Team Type 1 0.2
6 Juan Van Heerden Team MTN 0.22
7 Russel Downing Pinarello Racing Team 0.23
8 Boy Van Poppel Rabobank Continental
9 Zakkari Dempster Southaustralia.com / AIS
10 Nikolas Maes Topsport Vlaanderen
11 Dean Downing Rapha Condor / Recycling.co.uk
12 Ciarán Power Pezula Racing
13 Malcolm Elliott Pinarello Racing Team
14 Juan Francisco Xacobeo Galicia
15 Valery Kobzarenko Team Type 1
16 Moises Aldape Chavez Team Type 1
17 Daniel Lloyd An Post / M. Donnelly / Grant Thornton / Sean Kelly Team
18 Massimo Graziato Tinkoff Credit Systems
19 Magnus Backstedt Team Garmin/Chipotle p/b H30
20 Kurt Hovelijnck Topsport Vlaanderen
21 Simon Clarke Southaustralia.com / AIS
22 Gonzalo Rabuñal Xacobeo Galicia
23 Thomas Murray Pinarello Racing Team
24 Delio Fernández Xacobeo Galicia
25 Michael Barry Team Columbia
26 Francesco Tomei CSF Group Navigare
27 Luca Mazzanti Tinkoff Credit Systems
28 Alexander Gottfried Tinkoff Credit Systems
29 Ramon Sinkeldam Rabobank Continental
30 Serguei Klimov Tinkoff Credit Systems
31 Stephen Gallagher An Post / M. Donnelly / Grant Thornton / Sean Kelly Team
32 Lars Petter Nordhaug Joker / Bianchi
33 Kristian House Rapha Condor / Recycling.co.uk
34 Bart Aernouts Rabobank Continental
35 Adam Hansen Team Columbia
36 Wesley Sulzberger Southaustralia.com / AIS
37 Mark Cassidy An Post / M. Donnelly / Grant Thornton / Sean Kelly Team
38 Kevin Evans Team MTN
39 Johnny Walker Southaustralia.com / AIS
40 Cameron Jennings Pezula Racing
41 Adam Semple Southaustralia.com / AIS
42 Robert Partridge Rapha Condor / Recycling.co.uk
43 Joeri Adams Rabobank Continental
44 Dan Fleeman An Post / M. Donnelly / Grant Thornton / Sean Kelly Team
45 Roger Aiken Nationalmannschaft Irland
46 Ilya Chernetskiy Tinkoff Credit Systems
47 Frederick Nolf Topsport Vlaanderen
48 Marco Pinotti Team Columbia
49 Dale Appleby Rapha Condor / Recycling.co.uk
50 Ben Greenwood Rapha Condor / Recycling.co.uk
51 Johan Coenen Topsport Vlaanderen
52 Matteo Priamo CSF Group Navigare
53 Trent Lowe Team Garmin/Chipotle p/b H30
54 David Millar Team Garmin/Chipotle p/b H30
55 Thomas Rabou Rabobank Continental 45
56 Thomas Berkhout Rabobank Continental
57 Ruben Bongiorno CSF Group Navigare 51
58 Travis Meyer Southaustralia.com / AIS 1.13
59 David McCann Nationalmannschaft Irland 1.56
60 Frederik Wilmann Joker / Bianchi 1.59
61 Benny De Schrooder An Post / M. Donnelly / Grant Thornton / Sean Kelly Team
62 Sven Renders Topsport Vlaanderen
63 Neil MacDonald Team MTN
64 Stian Sommerseth Joker / Bianchi 3.4
65 Filippo Savini CSF Group Navigare 4.2
66 Morris Possoni Team Columbia 4.38
67 Michael Van Staeyen Rabobank Continental 9.57
68 Joachim Bøhler Joker / Bianchi 10.01
69 Kenny De Haes Topsport Vlaanderen 10.03
70 Emile Abraham Team Type 1
71 Mauro Abel Richeze CSF Group Navigare
72 Martijn Maaskant Team Garmin/Chipotle p/b H30
73 Maarten Neyens Topsport Vlaanderen
74 Alexandr Surutkovych Team Type 1
75 Fabio Calabria Team Type 1
76 Kieran Page Pezula Racing
77 Paidi O'Brien An Post / M. Donnelly / Grant Thornton / Sean Kelly Team
78 Peter Williams Pinarello Racing Team
79 Svein Vold Joker / Bianchi
80 Simon Holt Rapha Condor / Recycling.co.uk
81 Frantisek Rabon Team Columbia 11.04
82 Bernhard Eisel Team Columbia 11.23
83 Kenny Lisabeth An Post / M. Donnelly / Grant Thornton / Sean Kelly Team
84 Ramón Troncoso Xacobeo Galicia
85 Matthew Kipling Pinarello Racing Team
86 Graham Briggs Rapha Condor / Recycling.co.uk
87 Alejandro Paleo Xacobeo Galicia 13.07
88 Jay Thomson Team MTN
89 Andrew Roche Pinarello Racing Team
90 David O'Loughlin Pezula Racing 13.34
91 Paul Healion Nationalmannschaft Irland
92 Sean Lacey Nationalmannschaft Irland
93 Alex Wetterhall Pezula Racing 15.02
94 Paul Griffen Nationalmannschaft Irland 15.22
95 Martyn Irvine Pezula Racing 16.35
96 Miceal Concannon Nationalmannschaft Irland 16.38
97 Fredrik Ericsson Pezula Racing 18.44
98 Alberto Fernandez Xacobeo Galicia 18.53
99 Bernardo Riccio Tinkoff Credit Systems
100 Matthew King Southaustralia.com / AIS 21.44
101 David Abal Xacobeo Galicia 22.24
102 Ingar Stokstad Joker / Bianchi 24.52
103 David George Team MTN 25.1
104 Stephen O'Sullivan Nationalmannschaft Irland 25.13
105 Lee Davis Pinarello Racing Team 30.42

Points
1 Mark Cavendish Team Columbia 37 Punkte
2 Alexander Kristoff Joker / Bianchi 32
3 Julian Dean Team Garmin/Chipotle p/b H30 21
11 Dean Downing Rapha Condor / Recycling.co.uk 13

Mountains
1 Matthew Wilson Team Type 1 39 Punkte
2 Travis Meyer Southaustralia.com / AIS 21
3 David George Team MTN 13

Teams
1 Topsport Vlaanderen 26.54.45
2 CSF Group Navigare
3 Pinarello CandiTV
4 Rapha Condor Recycling.co.uk
5 Garmin Chipotle H30
6 Rabobank Continental
7 Team Type 1 Cycling Team
8 Team Columbia
9 Joker Bianchi Team
10 Karpin Galicia Cycling Team

Stages
Stage 1: Dublin to Waterford, 192km - Wednesday 27th August
Stage 2: Thurles to Loughrea, 158km – Thursday 28th August
Stage 3: Ballinrobe – Galway, 201km – Friday 29th August
Stage 4: Limerick to Dingle, 186km – Saturday 30th August
Stage 5: Killarney to Cork, 155km - Sunday 31st August

Website - www.tourofireland.ie