Skerries, Ireland (May 27, 2007) Dominique Rollin of the Kodak Gallery Pro Cycling Team presented by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company briefly held the overall lead on the road in the final stage of the FBD Insurance Ras. A week of hard racing took its toll on Rollin, however and he was overtaken in the final kilometers of the 8-stage race finishing 8th overall with three stage wins. Jesse Anthony finished Stage-8 with the race winner securing his 4th place overall placing. Today’s strong finish placed the team 3rd in the international overall team classification. Rollin won the overall points competition, capping a spectacular performance by the Kodak Gallery Pro Cycling Team, presented by Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

The final day of the Ras began with 16 riders within two minutes of the overall lead and a nervous anticipation in the air that was palpable. As the riders set off from Newcastle, Northern Ireland on their way to the suburbs of Dublin, rumors of gale force winds, hale and driving rain circulated among the teams and race organizers. From the start, the race favorites were very active. It wasn’t long before David McCann of the Irish National Team rode off the front of the field with two other riders.

As McCann’s advantage grew to nearly two minutes, Kodak Gallery rider, Dominique Rollin launched off the front of the field in pursuit of the leaders with dual stage winner Martin Ojavee of the Czech Republic. Determined to minimize his effort, Ojavee drafted Rollin forcing him to do the lion’s share of the work to bridge to the leaders. In an impressive demonstration of strength and determination, Rollin succeeded in catching McCann and his two breakaway partners. Not long thereafter, Rollin and McCann dropped the others and set off to win the stage on their own. At the time, Rollin held a 1:40 gap on the field containing the Yellow Jersey making him the leader on the road by a minute.

The anticipated weather never materialized. What did materialize was a strong, steady tailwind from the north. This did not help the efforts of McCann and Rollin who began losing their advantage on the large, exposed roads. As the pair approached the 10 kilometer finishing circuit in Skerries, Rollin hit the wall and began to fade. McCann’s advantage on the field began to drop, setting the stage for other riders to bridge to him.

As the race completed the first of three finishing circuits, Irishman Brain Kenneally closed down the gap and went clear of the leaders. After opening a gap solo, Kenneally’s lead was steadily narrowed by the rapidly closing field. In the end, Kenneally survived off the front by only a few meters. His stage win was hugely popular with the thousands of spectators who gathered to see the return of the Ras to Dublin.  Rollin’s efforts throughout the week and day caught up with him as he finished slightly over a minute behind the lead group.

Looking back on the week, team director Kurt Stockton was thrilled, “We had a great week in Ireland. The guys finished very strong and improved every day. That’s important. Our riders  exceeded all expectations – we came in hoping for a stage win and we got three and placed very well in the overall. Our riders showed they were clearly the strongest team in the race. Most importantly, it was great preparation for the events that are coming up in the USA.”

Team Highlights 2007 FBD Insurance Ras

• 3rd Place International Overall Team Classification
• Green Jersey for Overall Points Leader – Dominique Rollin
• 4th Place in Individual General Classification – Jesse Anthony
• Three stage wins - Dominique Rollin
• Two days in Race Leader’s Yellow Jersey – Jesse Anthony
• Team simultaneously held best Young Rider, KOM, Points and Yellow Jerseys
• 2nd in Best Young Rider – Jesse Anthony
• 2nd in King of the Mountains

Final Individual General Classification

• Jesse Anthony - 4th
• Dominique Rollin - 8th
• Mark Walters - 19th
• Ben Raby - 41st
• Josh Thornton - DNF (Crashed on his head, but has no lasting side effects – we’ll confirm with his wife next week!)