28 May 2011

New Zealand pair retain jerseys in Tour of Ireland

11:57 am on 28 May 2011

The New Zealand cyclists Shane Archbold and Aaron Gate have retained their grip on two leader's jerseys with two days remaining in the Tour of Ireland.

Archbold, 10th in the 172-kilometre sixth stage to Tramore on Ireland's southern coast, has now claimed the outright lead in the sprinters' points jersey while team-mate Aaron Gate, 18th in the peloton, remains the clear leader in the overall classification for under-23 riders.

They are part of the BikeNZ's under-23 endurance track squad competing in Europe as preparation for next year's campaign towards the London Olympics.

Sunday's penultimate stage heads back north towards Dublin covering 161 kilometres with category one and category climbs in an undulating day to Kildare.

The eight-day race includes 185 riders from 12 international teams along with a host of British and Irish teams battling over 1247 kilometres with 28 categorised climbs.