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Rás Memories By Barry Meehan 2005
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| Barry Meehan |
Each year during the third week in May several towns in Ireland reverberate to the sound of Paddy Fitzsimons voice encouraging the people of the town to ‘ Give a big Templemore ( or eight other town names each year ) welcome to the Men of The Rás ‘.
‘ The Rás ‘ holds a mythical place in the hearts of all Irish cyclists along with much of the general public . It gets daily TV and radio coverage along with plenty of column inches of print and even has had an excellent book published about it .
So , what does it take for an ordinary cyclist to become ‘ a man of The Rás ?’
Well , two years ago I completed my first Rás and here is my story .
Having raced as a first cat for two years after turning senior I fell away from the sport as do many others at that age when travel and skirts and beer appear out of nowhere . Cycling , however is a bug which never leaves the system , as can be seen by the number of people who return to the sport in their thirties and forties . When we opened the shop in 1999 I would be tuned in every hour on the hour to Roy Willoughby to see how Ray and the lads were getting on , and that pattern continued for a number of years . Also there is a huge amount of ‘cycling chat ‘ each day in the shop . Even though I had competed in some good races I still felt a pang when the ‘Rás’ talk began . It was as if the Rás is what it takes for a boy cyclist to become a man cyclist . It is akin to a soldier who has been to war . No matter how much training or manoeuvres you take part in , it is only when you experience the battle for real that a deeper understanding sets in and you are never the same again . That for me is The Rás . More>>>
Under 23 National Champion And An Post Sean Kelly Professional Sam Bennett Takes Time To Chat With Two Young Fans Before The Start
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| Under 23 National Champion And An Post Sean Kelly Professional Sam Bennett Takes Time To Chat With Two Young Fans Before The Start |
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If You Like Wind And Rain, Ireland Is The Place To Be
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| Men of the Rás If you like wind and rain, Ireland is the place to be |
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Winning County Team & Riders 2011
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| The Carlow Dan Morrissey Team Winners Of The County Award 2011, L To R Tim Barry, Sean Lacey, Michael Fitzgerald, Joe Fenlon And Michael O'Reilly |
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2011 Gediminas Bagdonas An Post Sean Kelly Belgium Team Wins The First An Post Sponsored Rás
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| Gediminas Bagdonas (Lithuania) An Post Sean Kelly Team Winner Of The 2011 An Post Rás |
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An Post Rás 2011 Final Overall Results
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The Men Of The 2011 An Post Rás Stage 8 Kildare To Skerries
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| Gediminas Bagdonas An Post Sean Kelly Belgium With The George Plant Trophy After Winning The 2011 An Post Rás |
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| David McCann Wins Stage 8 Of The An Post Rás Into Skerries |
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Results Stage Eight Kildare To Skerrries 133 Kms. Plus General Classification
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An Post Rás Stage 7 Pictures Tramore To Kildare
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| Marytn Irvine Giant Kenda Asia Wins Stage 7 Tramore To Kildare |
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Results Stage Seven Tramore to Kildare 161 Kms
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