Isle of Man's Rowen Baker takes first yellow and green jerseys after decisive move over Old Pallas in Ras Tailteann

Rowen Baker of the Isle of Man won the 162km first stage from Portlaoise to Kilmallock by sprinting home at the head of a four-man breakaway. He escaped with Ewan Mackie, Adam Lewis, and Danylo Riwnyj as the race approached the final climb at Old Pallas after 120km. A fast chase reduced the gap from a maximum of 1 minute 30 seconds, but the quartet still finished with 46 seconds to spare over Tim Shoreman and a large chase group. Baker credited his attack over the top of the third-category climbs and the team’s work through to the finish. Odhran Doogan was best Irish, while Lewis took the King of the Mountains jersey with a one-point lead. Baker also leads the overall standings by four seconds.

"Rowen Baker of the Isle of Man took the opening stage and the first yellow jersey of the race leader in this year's Rás Tailteann when he sprinted home at the head of a four-man breakaway group into Kilmallock today on the 162km first stage from Portlaoise."

"Baker went clear, with Connacht Racing's Ewan Mackie, Adam Lewis (APS Pro Cycling) and Danylo Riwnyj (Foran) as the race approached the final climb of the day at Old Pallas after 120km of racing. Despite a frantic chase from behind that brought their advantage down from a maximum lead of a minute and a half, the quartet crossed the line with 46 seconds to spare over fifth-placed Tim Shoreman of the British Wheelbase team and a 50-strong chase group."

""It's not quite how I expected it to go," said a delighted Baker afterwards. "It went flat out up the two third-cat climbs in the middle and I managed to attack over the top and got into the break of four. We just worked through all the way to the finish and managed to hold the gap. I just about got the sprint to the line.""

"Fourth-placed Lewis did enough over the four categorised climbs of the day at Ballacolla, Borrisoleigh, Dolla, Bollingbrook and Old Pallas to put himself into the Irish Independent King of the Mountains' jersey with a lead of just one point over Liam Crowley of the Irish national team. As well as taking the first points classification green jersey of the race, Baker leads the Rás overall by four seconds from Riwnyj, with Mackie third, one second back and Lewis at a nine-second deficit."

Read at Irish Independent