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Stage End Organisers
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Padraig Marrey Rás Storey
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| Padraig Marrey Mayo |
Padraig Marrey the Ballinrobe Co. Mayo Postman man is one of the unsung heroes of Irish cycling and his passion for the sport knows no bounds.
He’s had a staggering career, with 12 Rásanna to his name. But a health scare last year has meant he will never race the country’s most arduous event again
The Ballinrobe man never had the distinction of winning a stage – though he came close on several occasions. But his love for the race is deep-rooted.
Here, he tells about his first Rás as a fresh-faced teenager… More>>>
New Standard For An Post Rás 2014
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| Valyer Bonca Slovenia In The Yellow Jersey Of Race Leader And David McCann Ireland Thornton Recycling In The Green Jersey Of Points Leader On Corrabut Gap Co. Carlow On The Way To The Stage Finish In Tullow 2004 |
Competition for ranking points will be at an all-time high when the 2014 cycle racing gets underway in a few months following a ruling by An Post Rás working committee that Category 3 riders must attain Category 2 status to be eligible for inclusion in the big 8 day international race in May.
Commenting on the ruling Race Organiser Tony Campbell said as the standard of racing in An Post Rás is constantly on the rise it’s important this is reflected in domestic racing, he also stated “with the huge number of races in the early part of the season it should well be in the reach of riders aspiring to take part in an 8 day international race to achieve sufficient points to move up to Category 2”.
Next year’s An Post Rás will take place from 18th to 25th May. The route is expected to be announced in January.
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Celtic Challenge
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| At The Formation Meeting For The Celtic Challenge John Horgan, Benoît Larroque, Alain Baniel, Tony Campbell & Eddie Dawson |
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John Dempsey's Rás 2013
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| John Dempsey Tipperary Iverk Produce Gives A Day To Day Account Of His 2013 An Post Rás |
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Richard Handley's Rás 2013
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| Richard Handley |
Richard Handley went into this year’s An Post Rás Tailteann as Rapha Condor JLT’s team leader. Handley has consistently shown excellent form this year, taking several early victories and, after finishing an excellent 5th in the 2012 Rás, held realistic ambitions of a podium place.
The Rás though, perhaps more than any other of the races that the Rapha Condor JLT team will take part in, is an unpredictable and uncontrollable beast. The field is made up of 5 man teams, and the competition and terrain is savage at best.
Looking back over his race, Richard takes us through his week in Ireland with the Men in Black, and describes the ups and downs of vying for victory in the fabled Rás. More>>>
Men Of The Rás In The Tour de France 2013
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| John Dempsey |
All of us in Ireland know that the Rás is by far the most important race in the world and everything else is a mere warm up to it or a cool down afterwards. Some ex riders of the race may insist that the lap of France that is happening at the moment is a little bit more important
All joking aside the Rás has always being a proving ground for some of the world’s best amateur riders and it’s a buzz for the county riders to be sitting at home on the sofa watching these guys in the tour and turning to the missus for the 100th time and saying to her “did I tell you about the time I bet him in the sprint for 50th coming into Scarriff in 08??”
So which of this year’s tour men learned there trade racing around Ireland in a May gone by?
By far the two most well know are Tony Martin who won the race in 2007 and Mark Cavendish who rode for the British national under 23 team in 2004.
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James Moss Reflects On The Recent An Post Rás
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| James Moss IG Sigma Sport |
“The long-running Irish stage race, known simply as the RAS to everyone involved in cycling, is one of the highlights of the year to many people, me included. It is a superbly organised event, on fantastic roads throughout Ireland with eight days of uncontrollable, aggressive racing. Perfect.
As IG Sigma Sport were going there with arguably one of the strongest teams in the race, we were all really looking forward to getting stuck in and getting some results notched up. If I was to say the race was pretty much a disaster for the five of us, I am pretty sure all but one rider would agree.
Problems began very early in stage one when Pete Williams became very ill after eating something that did not agree with him at all. Somehow he got through the 160k stage but, without going into the grim details, was in no state to get through the second stage without much food inside him. One rider down. More>>>
The Rás
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| Tom Southam |
The An Post Rás Tailteann, or simply ‘The Rás’, as it is known, is a race to be enjoyed many years after it has been completed, when the pain and suffering of the event has been turned by time into a happy memory of the toughest of times.
The Rás, an eight-day pro-am stage race that takes place in Ireland each May, has been held annually without interruption since 1953, and is considered by many to be Ireland’s most important stage race. The Rás is in many ways unique, its UCI status, and Ireland’s close proximity to the UK, means that the race attracts a number of British and European Continental teams. But its strong Irish heritage also means that the field is made up of a mixture of professional teams and Irish county teams.
The county teams (who have their own overall classification to race for) are made up of perhaps the most determined club level riders on the planet, whose approach to finding themselves up against full time professionals is not to lay down but instead to attack, whenever and wherever they can. It's the inclusion of these county riders that makes the Rás what it is. It’s these riders, not the professionals, that change the bike race from just another tough European stage race with the tiresome routine of doomed, two-man breakaways slowly being reeled in. Instead, the inclusion of the county riders acts to democratise the race, make it unpredictable, and much, much harder.
From the county riders perspective too, the race is difficult, but perhaps in a different way to the many professional riders. Ultan Coyle, long-time designer for Rapha and also the current British 24 hour Time Trial Champion, is one such rider who, despite little experience on the road, has leapt at the opportunity to take part in this year's Rás. His story is one of many happily unconventional ones that make this great race what it is. More>>>
Marcin Bialoblocki UK Youth Wins The 2013 An Post Rás
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| Marcin Bialoblocki Britain UK Youth Pro Cycling Winner Of The 2013 An Post Rás |
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