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Three Strong Irish Teams To Lead Home Hopes In FBD Insurance Rás
Kristian House Winner 06
Chris Newton Winner 03 & 05
A star-studded field of 140 riders from Ireland, Iran, France, Germany, Bulgaria, Holland, Poland, Norway, the Isle of Man and Britain will face the starter when the FBD INSURANCE RÁS 8 Day International Cycle Race gets underway from Navan on Sunday (18th May). Poland and the Netherlands are represented by their Beijing Olympics bound squads while twice RÁS winner Ciarán Power will lead Team Pezula, one of the two Irish pro teams in the race. 2004 winner David McCann heads a very strong Irish national team consisting of Paul Griffin, Roger Aiken, Michael Concannon and Robin Seymour.

The British challenge is packed with riders of the highest order. The powerful British pro team Stena Rapha-Condor ReCycling.co.uk includes former World Track Champion and twice RÁS winner Chris Newton and 2006 RÁS winner Kristian House. Simon Richardson heads a second British pro team,
David McCann Winner 04
Ciaran Power Winner 98 &02
Plowman Craven. The Isle of Man and three regional squads complete the power of Britain.

While the strongest challenge to an Irish win will come from Poland, Britain, and the Netherlands the Bulgarians, Norwegians and French teams field riders well capable of taking number one spot when the eight days of racing ends in Skerries on Sunday week. Morten Hegreberg riding with the Norwegian pro team Sparebanken Vest finished 3rd overall in 2005 and again a year later only 12 seconds adrift from winner Kristian House. His team wasn’t in last year’s race but his form this season and experience ensures another top placing for the big Norwegian More>>>


Launch Of FBD Insurance Rás 2008
Roberta Rowat & Stephen Halpin Of Dublin McNally Swords At The Press Reception To Launch The 2008 FBD Insurance Rás
More>>>


Irish Sports Council Supports FBD Insurance RÁS.
Tony Martin Germany Winner Of The White Jersey 2007
Once again this year the Irish Sports Council’s financial support for the FBD Insurance RÁS will be acknowledged with the presentation each day of the Irish Sports Council White Jersey to the leading young rider in the Best Young Rider Classification.

One of the most coveted awards for young riders in any major tour the white jersey of Best Young Rider singles the winner out as having the potential to go all the way in the tough sport of professional and world cycling.

Commenting on Irish Sports Council financial support for the race Chief Executive, John Treacy, said "I am pleased the Irish Sports Council is associated with the recognition of young talent in such a tough international event as the FBD Insurance RÁS." He also praised FBD Insurance for its continuing support for Irish sport

Top British professional team, Plowman Craven, voted Britain’s favourite team in a recent poll in Cycling Weekly magazine, joins Team Stena Rapha-Condor/Recycling in spearheading a very strong British challenge in this year’s race. Just back from a very successful campaign in the United States Plowman Craven has the firepower to make its debut in the RÁS a winning one. The team will be led by Simon Richardson and includes Alex Higham, Tom Barras, Craig MacClean and Evan Oliphant
More>>>


Polish Olympic Team For FBD Insurance Rás
Przemyslaw Niemec
The strength and experience of the international opposition in the FBD INSURANCE RÁS moves up a few notches with the news that Poland will be represented by its powerful Beijing Olympics team. Poland now joins Iran, Bulgaria, Germany, France, Netherlands, Norway and Britain in providing fierce competition for the Irish national team, two Irish pro teams and eleven county squads when the big 8 day international race gets underway from Navan in two weeks time.

Przemyslaw Niemiec, Rafal Ratajczyk, Wojciech Dybel, Jaroslaw Dabrowski and B³a¿ej Janiaczyk will travel to Ireland for the May 18 start in Navan and are expected to present an extremely strong challenge for stage victories and overall honours.

Niemiec is, at 28, the oldest member of the Polish lineup. He has ridden with the Amore & Vita and Miche teams, and has taken a number of impressive results in that time. His wins include stages in the Giro del Trentino (2005) and Route du Sud (2006), and a stage victory plus the overall classification in the 2005 Tour of Slovenia. Each are prestigious 2.1-ranked events. More>>>


Former WinnersTo Lead Stena Line Rapha Condor ReCycling Team In FBD Insurance Rás
Chris Newton
Kristian House
Further boosting the high quality of this year’s field, past race victors Chris Newton and Kristian House will return for another FBD INSURANCE RÁS campaign and spearhead a very strong Britain Team Stena Rapha Condor Recycling.co.uk squad in the big 8 day international cycle race which starts in Navan in a little over two weeks time.
Newton, winner in 2003 and 2005, and 2006 champion House will be joined by Dean Downing, Rob Partridge and either Ryan Bonser or Dale Appleby, with the final place being determined closer to the event. They all have the potential to play a very big part in the outcome of the 2.2-ranked event.
The squad will be backed by Stena Ferry Line for the race, and team manager John Herety is determined to give them a good return. “The team would like to once again thank Stena for their sponsorship during the RÁS,” he stated. “We hope to be able to show off their brand along with those of our other sponsors by winning stages and getting involved with some aggressive racing More>>>


Orange Squad To Crush Rivals In FBD Insurance Rás
Jenning Huizenga
Returning after a strong showing last year, the line-up of the Dutch national team for the FBD INSURANCE RÁS has been announced. The 2008 selection has a distinct track racing background and, as proven by the British and Recycling.co.uk teams in the past, will have a related turn of speed which could really shake up the eight day world ranked race.

Robert Slippens
Making the announcement Race Organiser Dermot Dignam said “I’m really pleased the Dutch are returning again this year, they are a great cycling nation, and with the experience gained last year will be favourites to defeat the pro teams from Iran, Norway, Ireland and Britain, and also the powerful amateur squads from Bulgaria, France and Germany and of course the best of our own county riders”

The squad will be led by Jenning Huizenga, who last month took silver in the individual pursuit at the track world championships in Manchester. The 24 year old was also runner up in the same discipline at the Los Angeles World Cup, and is expected to be one of the front runners for a pursuit medal at this summer’s Olympic Games. More>>>


Hegreberg Leads Norwegian Charge In FBD Insurance Rás
Morton Hegerberg Wins Stage 7 Wicklow 2005
Past race animator Morten Hegreberg will lead a very strong Norway Sparebanken Vest team in this year’s FBD Insurance Rás, which gets underway in just over five weeks time in Navan.

The 30 year old has an excellent history in the race, having won stages in 2005 and 2006 and also finishing third overall on both occasions. He was the points winner two years ago, and in 2005 finished level on points to Malcolm Elliott. However he was ultimately placed second on countback in that classification.

The Norway Sparebanken Vest squad has itself impressed collectively, winning the teams classification in 2006 and taking second place one year earlier. That group strength and tactical ability marks it out as a certainty to play a big part in shaping this year’s race. More>>>


Germany For FBD Insurance Rás
Rene Birkenfield
Germany is the latest country to be added to the list of international teams due to take part in this year’s FBD INSURANCE RÁS when the big 8 day cycle race gets underway from Navan on Sunday 18th May. Already the Iranian pro Team Azad and Bulgaria’s amateur squad Team Nessebar have confirmed their participation, in both cases the first ever appearance in an Irish cycling event. At least three other countries are expected to declare for the world-ranked Irish national tour in the coming weeks.

The five man German Stevens Racing Team will be led by the very experienced René Birkenfeld and includes nineteen year old Ole Quast, one of the rising young stars of German cycling. The other three riders are Johannes Sickmüller, Sascha Wagner and Yannik Teidt.

Following the start in Navan the race will take in stage finishes in Ballinamore, Claremorris, Lisdoonvarna, Tralee, Skibbereen, Clonmel, and Roundwood with the final stage on Sunday 25th May running from Newbridge to Skerries. More>>>


Bulgaria For FBD Insurance Rás
Team Nessebar Bulgaria
Bulgaria for the first time ever will be represented in the FBD INSURANCE RÁS when the big 8 day international cycle race gets underway from Navan on Sunday 18th May. Georgi Stefanov, Manager of the powerful amateur Team Nessebar has confirmed his top five riders will take on the cream of Irish cycling and teams from at least seven other countries in a determined bid to place team captain, Georgi Georgiev, in number one position when the race finishes in Skerries on Sunday 25th May.
Race Organiser Dermot Dignam welcomed the news saying “I’m absolutely delighted that Bulgaria is to join France and Iran in the already declared bracket, Team Nessebar is a very strong amateur squad that will help to create a fiercely competitive environment between pro and amateur teams in this year’s race” More>>>


Top French Team For FBD Insurance Rás
Julien Antomarchi
The elite French VC La Pomme-Marseille cycling team has confirmed it will be in the line-up when this year’s FBD Insurance RÁS gets underway from Navan on the 18th May. Following the news last week that Iran will be represented by a very strong pro team, the announcement by the French team is an indication of the mix of teams likely in the big Irish 8 day international race.

The VC La Pomme-Marseille team has in the past been the amateur club for Irish riders Mark Scanlon, Philip Deignan, Nicolas Roche and Daniel Martin, each of whom who went on to high-level professional contracts thanks to strong seasons with the Marseilles-based line-up.

The FBD Insurance Rás selection consists of five riders all in their early twenties and all bidding for pro contracts over the next year or two. The line-up is Julien Antomarchi, Yoann Bagot, Mathieu Delaroziere, Mathieu Fabry and David Tanner. More>>>


Last Updated: Mar 23rd, 2024 - 19:01:53

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