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McCann And Olympic-Bound Irvine To Lead Taiwan-RTS Racing Team In An Post Rás
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| David McCann Rás Winner 2004 |
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| Martyn Irvine Olympic-Bound |
Days after he sealed his qualification for the Olympic Games by finishing seventh at the track world championships in Melbourne, Ireland’s Martyn Irvine has been confirmed as part of a strong Taiwan – RTS Racing team for the An Post Rás.
The 26 year old will join up with another accomplished Irish rider, past Rás winner David McCann, who over a long career has been one of Ireland’s best international competitors.
The team will be completed by the 28 year old Scottish climber Alex Coutts, who won the Tour of Thailand in 2008, plus the Taiwanese duo Chang Wei Yi and Huang Chin Lung.
“Stage wins will be the first priority,” said multiple national champion McCann, who won the overall title in 2004 and who has taken multiple stage wins in the race. “I’m not sure if the team would be able to defend the jersey. But if it works out to be able to go for the overall, then why not?”
Irvine has focused largely on track racing in recent years, this dedication leading to his qualification for the London Olympics in the multi-event Omnium discipline, but has also clocked up important road results. He won stage seven in last year’s An Post Rás with a superb solo attack, and has also been national criterium champion for the past two years. More>>>
German And Dutch Teams Add To Strong International Lineup For An Post Rás
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| Michael Vingerling Koga Holland |
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| Kai Exner Germany Bike Aid |
With a month and a half remaining before the start of the 2012 An Post Rás, the Germany Bike Aid cycling team and the Netherlands Koga cycling team have been confirmed as the third and fourth of the international squads for this year’s race.
Both will be making their debuts in the world-ranked event, and are determined to post strong showings in the eight-day race.
The German Bike Aid team will be led by the all-rounder Christian Poth and the sprinter Marius Prünte. The latter won five races last year and clocked up thirty top ten placings; he was also the regional champion of Nordrhein-Westfalen and finished sixteenth in German Road Championship 2011.
Poth is an all-rounder who won the Köln-Schuld-Frechen in 2010. They will be joined by nineteen year old Kai Exner, who in the past finished second and third in the German junior time trial championship, former GP Ostergaaard Lux winner Matthias Schnapka and the climber Timo Schäfer, a multiple regional champion in road race and cyclo cross.
“The goal of the team for An Post Rás is to be aggressive, to put our riders in breakaway groups and to take high placings in at least one stage,” said Schäfer, a rider who also has a role as the team's co-ordinator. More>>>
Ambitious Czech Republic AC Sparta Praha Team Returns To An Past Rás
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| Ondrej Pavek. |
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| Rostislav Krotky |
Two years after the Czech rider Jan Barta placed a fine third overall in the race, a squad from that country will line out in this year’s An Post Rás with big ambitions.
The AC Sparta Praha has confirmed both its participation and its likely lineup for the world-ranked race, and will draw on its own previous knowledge of the event.
In 2007 several of its riders took top ten placings on stages, including third place finishes on stages one, four and seven by Petr Pucelik, Tomas Hruby and Ondrej Pavek. Josef Soukup was also fourth in the final leg of the race.
Of those, Pavek will return this year, as will Rostislav Krotky, who was third on a stage in 2005.
General manager Zdenek Rubas is clear that they and the rest of the all-Czech five-man team will be ambitious in their approach. More>>>
Ambitious New Zealand Team Confirmed For An Post Rás
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| Taylor Gunman |
Having achieved considerable success in the 2011 An Post Rás, New Zealand will return this May targeting aggressive performances and stage victories in the Irish world-ranked event.
The country’s national team has split in two with some of those who competed in the event last year focusing completely on the London Olympics. As a result they will be on a different race programme, meaning that New Zealand’s promising under 23 competitors will be those who will travel to Ireland with ambition.
“We love the An Post Ras, having had terrific experiences and success at this race. We are privileged to get the invite,” states New Zealand’s Olympic team manager Stephen Connell.
“The team did well last year with Aaron Gate in the white jersey and Shane Archbold in the green and a stage win with Myron Simpson. They are part of the Olympic squad this year and will be part of a road programme based in Belgium and France.
“With those focusing on the Games, this time round we will be sending some of the New Zealand young guns to the Rás.” More>>>
Gediminas Bagdonas (Lithuania) An Post Sean Kelly Team
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| Gediminas Bagdonas (Lithuania) An Post Sean Kelly Will He Return For Back To Back Victories |
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60th Edition Of The An Post Rás Sets Demanding ChallengeFor Riders
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| Philip Cassidy, Colm Christle, Sé O'Hanlon, Gene Mangan, An Post Proffessional Sam Bennett, An Post Chief Executive Donal Connell & Mick Murphy Displaying Some Jerseys Of Bygone Years |
GPO,Dublin, 26thJanuary: The 2012 An Post Rás route, the sixtieth anniversary of the race, was announced this morning at the GPO. Laying out a battleground that features 28 categorised climbs, including three of the hardest and best-known ascents in the country, the race looks certain to provide riders with a challenging eight days of racing.
A number of ‘Rás legends’ including ‘Iron Man’ Mick Murphy, four times winner Sé O’Hanlon and the first ever winner of the race, Colm Christle, joined rising Irish star Sam Bennett at the GPO today to celebrate the launch of the 60th edition of the Rás.
Rás organiser Dermot Dignam believes the 2012 An Post Rás is going to be one of the toughest in years.
“It is going to be the most challenging course in recent memory,” said Dignam “This is Stephen’s (cyclist Stephen O’Sullivan) second year to design the route and he has really planned a very hard eight days of racing” More>>>
Dawson's (Rás) Geek Bumper Quiz
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| To Enter : www.anpostras.com |
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