Kittel wins again as Giro departs pink Ireland

The Giro left Northern Ireland yesterday after two and a half days of rain and roads lined with thousands of spectators and crossed the border into the south for a few more hours racing before the predicted sprint finish in Dublin. Marcel Kittel won, of course, and did so on his birthday proving that after Svein Tuft on his birthday, Friday, that perhaps birthday boys in this Giro are in for some good fortune.

Not so much the Irishmen however, following Dan Martins disaster on Friday. And there was Nicolas Roche puncturing in the final ten kilometres of the run in to Dublin just as the bunch had caught the days break and were gearing up the sprint trains for the gallop. Roche could have been left behind to lose crucial time but managed to get back on. Perhaps after all the luck of the Irish is beginning to turn just as they get set to leave those shores for sunny Italy.

Yesterday's finish in Dublin was the first time a Grand Tour stage had finished there since 12 July 1998 when the first stage of that years Tour de France finished in Phoenix Park. The stage was won by Tom Steeles that day, following Chris Boardman's prologue time-trial victory the day before and a day later into Cork when Ján Svorada would win the final Grand Tour stage on the island before this weekends Giro. The result: Kittel (with two) has now won more Grand Tour stages on the island of Ireland than anyone else!

And what an effort he had to get that second win. He got caught up through the twisting corners in the final kilometre and looked to be too far back in the line and when Sky's Ben Swift burst past leadout man Edvald Boasson Hagen and past Italian sprinter Elia Viviani it looked like the Brits would trump the Irish with a win on their soil, but suddenly the big German closed a ten metre gap in the space of 100 metres, coming a fraction of a wheel past Swift right on the line. After 187 km of racing Kittel was at the front for a mere ten centimetres ... but it was the ten centimetres that mattered.

Tomorrow they will rest ... or better put, travel. While doing so they will try dry themselves out before resuming on Tuesday in the very southern part of Italy. The weather will be better then and the racing as intense, but the local Italian fans will have to go a long way to match the numbers, the atmosphere and the colour put out by the locals here this weekend in Northern and Southern Ireland.

Result

1. Marcel Kittel (Giant-Shimano), 187 km in 4-28-43

2. Ben Swift (Team Sky) + s.t.

3. Elia Viviani (Cannondale) + s.t.

4. Davide Appollonio (AG2R La Mondiale) + s.t.

5. Nacer Bouhanni (FDJ.fr) + s.t.

6. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Sky) all at s.t.


Overall as they leave Ireland

1. Michael Matthews (Orica Greenedge) in 10-06-37

2. Alessandro Petacchi (Omega Pharma QuickStep) + 8 sec

3. Daniel Oss (BMC) + 10 sec

4. Luke Durbridge (Orica Greenedge) + 14 sec

5. Ivan Santaromita (Orica Greenedge) + s.t.

6. Svein Tuft (Orica Greenedge) + s.t.