Marcin Bialoblocki in yellow at last year's An Post Ras. He will defend his title in the colours of the Velosure Giordana team next month.
By Gerard Cromwell
Polish rider Marcin Bialoblocki will defend his An Post Ras title when the race goes to the start line in Dunboyne on May 18th, it was announced today.
Last year’s winner will lead the Velosure Giordana squad in next month’s race and while the five man team is yet to be selected, Bialablocki will likely be joined by 2012 Tour of the North winner James Moss and Steve Lampier, who finished 17th overall in last year’s Tour of Britain.
The British squad will be managed by former Tour of Spain green jersey winnner Malcolm Elliott.
“The riders will ride the Tour du Loir et Cher in France this month as preparation, plus all the major one day events in the UK,” says Elliott. “The big goal is clearly for Marcin to repeat last year’s overall victory.”
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Another British team announced today is the Madison Genesis squad of Irish duo Peter Hawkins and Dominic Jelfs and British strongman Liam Holohan.
Hawkins wore the the yellow jersey of race leader after stage two last year but crashed out the following day, breaking a collarbone in the process.
The Belfast man will be looking to consolidate his early form of 2014 and has the potential to be there or thereabouts if he gets a clean run this time around.
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“With Pete and Liam we have riders that have the capabilities to both win stages and the overall,” says team manager Roger Hammond. “We will go there to try and settle unfinished business left over for Pete from last year.
“He is very motivated to perform on home roads, and to prove to selectors he is a candidate for the Commonwealth Games road race later in the year.”
Will Pete Hawkins be good enough for a longer stint in yellow at this year's An Post Ras?
The third British team confirmed today is the NFTO team of Josh Hunt, James Lowsley Williams and Hugh Wilson.
Hunt and Williams are no strangers to the Ras, having ridden for the UK Youth team of overall winner Bialoblocki last year, while former Team Sky rider Russell Downing and his brother Dean are also part of the squad, although they have yet to be confirmed starters.
“All the riders are solid UK pros, young riders with good futures ahead of them,” says team manager Becky Frewing.
“The team have had a long winter’s training, including camps in Mallorca and Australia for some. The British Cycling Elite Road Series will allow some good preparation beforehand, with three road races in the run up to the Rás and we will be looking for the overall win and will target certain days for individual stage victories.”
An Post Ras Director Tony Campbell believes the three British outfits will have a strong influence on the outcome of this year’s race.
“With riders such as last year’s winner Marcin Bialoblocki, former race leader Peter Hawkins and others, these are three important teams,” he says.
“Several of them have ridden the race before and will have gained a lot from that. They know the terrain, the tactics and the aggressive style of racing which characterises the An Post Rás, and will add to the action in just over six weeks’ time. I think they’ll definitely leave their mark.”
The NFTO squad prepared for the season in Majorca earlier in the year.
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