FDB Insurance RAS Stage 4. Defending Yellow

I’m trying to think if I have been on a team where we were defending a leader’s jersey, but can’t recall right now, probably because I’m smashed from today’s brutal 5th stage. Yes, that means I’m delayed by a day on my reports. Truth is, it’s been hard to find the energy after the tough days. Yesterdays stage 4 was a tough one, seems as though the Irish have been kicking up the speed higher and higher as the stages add up. We were well prepared though and battled the numerous attacks from the get go, rather good considering there is only five of us. At one point I found myself in a breakaway with GC contenders that was gaining time quickly, K. Stockton quickly told me to wait for the field and join my teammates to chase them down. Of course, one has those selfish thoughts of thinking hey this breakaway will stick. But cycling is a team sport. I returned to the field and we settled in to a strong chase to shut off the opportunity of a dangerous break. Soon after regaining control, 5 riders went off on the attack but were not too serious on GC. We maintained a tempo to the finish. At the 20km mark, as we were reaching the Atlantic coast we drove the pace hard and started splitting the field to bits, (a good feeling). In the process we captured the breakaway with 5km to go and set Dom Rollin for a 2nd place stage finish, securing his point jersey a bit more and keeping Jesse safely in Yellow. The run into the finish was amazing. In the last 20km the roads were rolling and twisty, cutting through the rugged terrain of Ireland’s Northern coast. This certainly made things easier mentally setting tempo, rather than being on some mega U.S. highway.