Sondre Hurum led the King of the Mountains competition at the Ras for two days in 2012 and will be looking forward to the hillier stages towards the end of this year's race.
By Gerard Cromwell
Two more international teams were today announced for this year’s An Post Rás, with the Norwegian Continental team Motiv3 Pro Cycling and the Canadian national team added to the line up of the eight-day race.
The Norway Motiv3 Pro Cycling team is a third division, or Continental team, and will include Sondre Linstad Hurum who led the King of the Mountains classification for a couple of days in the 2012 edition.
Former cross country mountain bike champion urned road sprinter, Frans Leonard Markaskar also joins all-rounders Anders Kristoffersen and Niklas Akvik, plus the 2012 national junior team time trial champion Sivert Fandrem on the squad.
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“We will travel to the An Post Rás to race in a very aggressive way,” said Motiv3’s directeur sportif Fred Arne Enger.
“We will be focusing on stage wins and the mountains jersey. We took part in the race two years ago and held the mountains jersey for two days.
"We were also second on one stage. We are very excited to return and hope that we can add colour to the race.”
The Canadian national team includes Rémi Pelletier-Roy, who finished fourth overall last year, just forty seconds off overall winner Marcin Bialablocki of UK Youth.
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The squad also includes former Junior Tour of Ireland winner Stuart Wight, current Canadian Under-23 champion Alex Cataford, 2013 Canada Games medallist Matteo Dal Cin and the experienced Nic Hamilton.
“Following last year’s performances at the Rás, we will be looking for some stage wins as well as getting on that final podium,” said national team manager Luc Arseneau.
“Rémi just won the season opening Delray Twilight Criterium in Florida and Matteo won a stage at the Tucson Bicycle Classic.
“The An Post Rás team will have two programmes in April. Some will be racing in Belgium, while others will stay in America to ride the Tour of Gila. In early May, they all will meet in California to ride the Los Angeles Velodrome before going across the ocean to Ireland.”
The addition of the two teams brings the number of international teams declared thus far to six, including the previously announced Tirol Cycling from Austria, the Kuota Pro Team from Germany plus the Belgian and New Zealand squads.
“Norway Motiv3 Pro Cycling and the Canadian national team both mean business and should be very powerful additions to the line-up,” said race director Tony Campbell.
“The fact that both teams will include riders who previously raced here is very important. They will have the experience needed to master the tactics of what is a very complex, and unpredictable event. I fully expect them to battle it out for both stage wins and the final yellow jersey.”
The 2.2 ranked eight day Rás will begin in Dunboyne on Sunday May 18th and feature stage end finishes in Roscommon, Lisdoonvarna, Charleville, Cahirciveen, Clonakilty, Carrick on Suir, Baltinglass and Skerries.
Canada's Stuart Wight was a winner of the Junior Tour of Ireland with the Hot Tubes team a few years back. Can he become one of the few riders ever to pull off the double when he tackles the Rás in May?
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