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Five Strong Britiah Teams Aim For An Post Rás Success
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| Peter Hawkins I.G. Sigma Sport |
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| Philip Lavery Node4 Giordana Racing |
Winning British squads from two previous editions of the An Post Rŕs will race as a strong set of UK registered teams travelling to Ireland for next month’s race.
The Rapha Condor Sharp team, 2009 victors with Simon Richardson are returning and targeting success. So too are the UK Youth Pro Cycling squad, which helped Alexander Wetterhall to success in 2010 (then titled Team Sprocket).
They are joined by the Node 4-Giordana Racing team, IG Sigma Sport and Metaltek-Scott. Together the five squads will be amongst the strongest in the race, and will play a major part in shaping the final outcome.
The Rapha Condor Sharp team will be led by John Herety, a former professional who has guided several riders to Rás victories. UK-based Irish rider Felix English will be one of his five riders. English recently won the final stage of the Tour of the North and is psyched to ride well in his first edition of the top Irish event.
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| Stephen Halpin Metaltk- Scott |
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| Felix English Rapha Condor Sharp |
Luke Grivell-Mellor, who took the Under 23 classification of the Tour of North, will also be part of the team, as well Richard Handley, Mike Cuming and Christopher Jennings.
“It is my intention to bring a young team, which is all part of a change of focus for the Rapha Condor Sharp Team in 2012,” said Herety, who will be one of the most experienced managers in the race. “We will be targeting the Irish Sports Council U23 White Jersey Competition.”
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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>>>
Race Rules & Regulations 2012
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Race Rules & Regulations 2012 PDF Version
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Race Information
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Race Information PDF Version
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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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