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Bulgarian Riders Aiming For Podium In FBD Insurance Rás
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| Martin Grashev Bulgaria In The White Jersey 2008 |
The strong Bulgarian quintet selected for the squad will join previously-announced teams Germany Kuota Indeland, Denmark Designa Křkken and Austria Arbo KTM Junkers for the prestigious international event, which begins in Kilcullen on May 17th and ends eight days later in Skerries.
Four of the five riders on the team competed in last year’s race, and will be bigger threats this time round as a result of that experience. Martin Grashev was second in the best young rider classification as well as fifth on stage two, while Bogdan Stoytchev was third on stage four.
Also returning are Georgi Georgiev and Spas Gyurov, national champions for road race and stage race respectively. The team is completed by the 2008 Tour of Bulgaria winner Ivaylo Gabrovski, who also scooped the 1.2-ranked GP Sharm El Sheikh in February of this year.
“Our goals in 2009 are to have a rider place in the top three of the final general classification, take a stage win, win the white jersey for best young rider and finish as one of the top six teams,” said team manager Georgi Stefanov. More>>>
Former Olympic & World Champion To Head German Kuota-Indeland Team For FBD Insurance Rás
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| Luke Roberts Kuota Indeland Germany Olympic And World Champion |
2004 Olympic team pursuit champion Luke Roberts is one of five strong riders who have been confirmed as representing the Germany Kuota-Indeland team in next month’s FBD Insurance Rás.
The Australian is a hugely experienced track competitor, having also won several world championships plus a Commonwealth Games title in that discipline.
32 year old Roberts has also had a strong career on the road, riding with the top-ranked Team CSC for three seasons. He has taken individual stages in the Drei Länder Tour, the Giro del Capo, Rheinland-Pfalz Rundfahrt and the Tour of Normandie and, together with his CSC squad, won team time trials in the Eindhoven ProTour event plus the Tour of the Mediterranean.
In 2007 he was runner-up on stage two of the Tour of Britain and finished third overall, while two years earlier he was seventh on a stage of the Tour de France. He is likely to be one of the strongest competitors in this year’s event and will be closely watched by the other teams. More>>>
First Ever AustrianTeam Confirmed For FBD Insurance Rás
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| Hannes Grundliner KTM Junkers |
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| Jan Barta KTM Junkers |
One week after the Danish-registered Designa Křkken team was announced as heading to the race, another strong overseas squad has been confirmed as taking part in this year’s FBD Insurance Rás. The Continental (pro)-level Team Arbo KTM Junkers will line out in the prestigious 2.2-ranked Irish tour in May aiming for an impressive showing in the eight-day event.
The team will be led by the 24 year old Czech Jan Barta, a past national under 23 road race champion who took two victories in Austrian events last season. Also on the team are Michael Singer (22), a multiple Austrian road and track championship medallist, Robert Gaszmayr (24), Josef Kugler (24) plus Hannes Gründlinger (31) who previously competed for several seasons with the Elk Haus – Simplon team.
“Barta is our captain, and will play a big role in the general classification,” said the team in a statement. “Singer is a track rider in the national team of Austria, Gaszmayr is a team player with important functions in the race and Kugler has won the bronze medal in the military world championships with the Austrian National team 2006.” More>>>
Strong Danish Team Confirmed For FBD Insurance Rás
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| Mads Christensen |
With less than two months to go until the start of the race, the first team has been announced for the FBD Insurance Rás.
The strong Danish Continental (pro) squad Designa Křkken is heading to Ireland prior to the May 17th beginning of the race, and is expected to play a big part in the outcome of the event.
Mads Christensen (24) is one of the big guns on the Danish Designa Křkken squad, and will chase success in Ireland four years after he finished third behind Kanstantsin Siutsou (Belarus) and Thomas Dekker (Netherlands) in the world under 23 championship in Verona.
The other two riders have gone on to top pro careers with Team Columbia and Silence Lotto respectively; however, following seasons with the Quick Step and Barloworld squads, Christensen stopped cycling in mid-2007 and took a year off. He returned, remotivated, in 2008 and won two stages plus the overall classification of the U6 Cycle Tour Tidaholm in Sweden. More>>>
Gruelling FBD Insurance Rás Route Puts Emphasis On Endurance
Some of cycling’s most exciting young riders will clash with experienced stage race competitors in the 57th edition of the FBD Insurance Rás, running from May 17th until May 24th this year. A tough, tactically-demanding route has today been unveiled by the organisers for the UCI 2.2-ranked event. It will be a serious test to endurance with three of those stages being longer than 175 kilometres.
Starting in Kilcullen and travelling clockwise through fifteen counties, the gruelling 1289 kilometre route will see the riders slug it out over twenty categorised climbs. Stages will finish in Wexford, Cobh, Cahirciveen, Killorglin, Scariff, Castlebar and Clara, while Skerries is once again the setting for the big finale of the race. Massive crowds are once again expected there, cheering on the international field after another gripping, suspense-filled eight days of racing.
“Stamina will win the 2009 FBD Insurance RÁS” claims Race Organiser Dermot Dignam “while the route includes something for everyone – the sprinters are catered for, the mountains are there for the climbers. But when the final accolade is presented in Skerries it’ll be to the rider with the greatest stamina. The long gruelling stages are where the valuable seconds will be gained and that’s where strength and ability will count most”. More>>>
FBD Insurance Rás On International Calendar Again In 2009
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| Adrian Taheny Director Markrting & Sales FBD Insurance Plc. |
The FBD INSURANCE RÁS will once again play an important role in world cycling when it gets underway in a little over five months time, from the 17th to the 24th of May. For the ninth year in a row the big Irish 8 day international cycle race will feature on the world controlling body Union Cycliste Internationale’s prestigious Calendar of International Events. This entitles the race to award much sought after qualifying points for the world cycling championships which in 2009 will take place in Mendrisio in Switzerland.
The continued success of this internationally acclaimed event is due in no small measure to the financial backing by FBD Insurance. Now in its 26th year of sponsorship, one of the longest running sports sponsorship in the country, the race has developed into an important player on the world cycling stage. The FBD Insurance RÁS also receives funding from the Irish Sports Council. More>>>
"The Rás" By Jim Traynor
Jim Traynor's Book " The Rás" may be purchased on line directly from the publisher at:
http://www.choicepublishing.ie/index_files/jimtraynor.htm
It is also possible to purchase the book from Cycling Ireland Office. A phone call to arrange collection is necessary. Telephone 01- 8551522 More>>>
Book Launch " The Rás" By The Late Jim Traynor
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| Philip Cassidy, Adrian Taheny & Eanom Byrne At The Launch Of "The Rás" Book Bt The Late Jim Traynor |
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Book Launch "The Rás A Day By Day Diary Of Irelands Great Bike Race" By The Late Jim Traynor
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| "The Rás A Day By Day Diary Of Irelands Great Bike Race" |
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