Team Garmin-Chipotle took a seven-man squad to this year's Tour of Ireland.
- David Millar
- Dan Martin
- Magnus Backstedt
- Julian Dean
- Martijn Maaskant
- Trent Lowe
- Chris Sutton
Since the Tour of Ireland is relatively flat, it was thought that it would likely be a race for the sprinters, thus, it seemed that Garmin-Chipotle would be looking to support Julian Dean and Magnus Backstedt, in an attempt to get stage wins and to finish high in the overall classification.
Stage 1: Dublin to Waterford
Things went mostly according to plan on the opening 192km. The stage came down to a bunch sprint, with both Magnus and Julian near the front. However, neither could compare with Mark Cavendish who is having a phenomenal year with Team Columbia. Julian Dean finished second in the stage, but fell into third in the GC due to earlier time bonuses.
Stage 2: Thurles to Loughrea
A bad day overall for Garmin-Chipotle as both Chris Sutton and Dan Martin dropped out of the race for health reasons. Still, Julian Dean did managed to pick up some time bonuses and moved into second place overall in the general classification.
Stage 3: Ballinrobe to Galway
Despite the 200km length and three categorized climbs, the stage once again came down to a bunched sprint. It was another win for Cavendish, with Julian Dean taking third and holding on to his 2nd place overall.
Stage 4: Limmerick to Dingle
With a category one climb in the middle of the stage, Garmin-Chipotle went on the attack. First Magnus and Martijn lead a breakaway that forced Team Columbia to turn up the speed to bring them back. When they did, David Millar lead a major attack up the climb which finally broke Cavendish off the back. With a strong finish, it looked like Julian Dean would take over the race lead, however, once the time bonuses were calculated, he was still in second overall, two seconds behind the leader.
Stage 5: Killarney to Cork
The final stage ended with one of the most difficult routes in Pro Cycling, five circuits around Cork, including five ascents of St. Patrick's Hill - a 25% gradient. Once the race reached the hill, it quickly became a battle of attrition. Although Garmin- Chipotle gave everything they had to keep Julian Dean at the front, they just couldn't compete with the power of Team Columbia, which won the stage and the general classification. With riders dropping like flies in their attempt to get up St. Patrick's hill, only two Garmin-Chipotle boys would actually finish the race: Julian Dean who took 3rd overall and Trent Lowe who finished 29th.
Conclusion: Although it may not have been quite the race that Garmin-Chipotle hoped for - the results were good. Julian Dean managed to get a 3rd place podium spot and the team put on a good show, battling with Team Columbia all the way.
