Out to impress this weekend: Hassett takes the recent Clare Champs from Storan
By Brian Canty
At over 150 kilometres in length and climbing over 700 metres, Sunday’s Rás Clár looks set to be one of the toughest one-day races on the Irish cycling calendar this year.
The promoting club, Dolmen CC have never put on a race of this magnitude before and despite being in existence for just 10 years, race organiser Joe Saunders hopes the event will go well and will be a regular fixture on the sporting calendar.
Riders from the south and east have expressed an interest in coming to the race on Sunday but Saunders has this warning; it’s not going to be easy.
“It’s a good long hard race and at this time of the year, guys are looking for something tough before the Suir Valley. We don’t know what type of a field we’re going to get but we’re expecting a good few of the Munster strong guys to come. We’re also only two hours from Liffey Valley with the new road so we might get some of the Leinster guys as well.”
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The combined A1/A2 race will cover three laps, with a climb each time.
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“We had the Clare county championships recently on the same course and some of the guys were a bit surprised at how hard it was,” remarked Saunders.
“They’d know the road but never done it at race pace so it was quite tough they said.”
With a prize fund of €2,000 plus bonuses, the host club are hoping for a big attendance, attacking racing and a great spectacle throughout the circuit.
Dolmen CC chairman, Philip Colleran said: “We have been planning to reintroduce Rás Clár for some time now and are delighted with the support we have got from many quarters. We expect the top stars on the circuit to come to Clare to make a great spectacle.”
Coordinator of Clare Sports Partnership, John Sweeney sees the event as a hugely valuable addition to the cycling calendar in the county,
“The event reflects the huge upsurge in cycling here. The An Post Tour of the Burren is showcasing the county’s fantastic amenities for leisure cycling and now Rás Clár will show what we have to offer the leading lights of the racing community.”
The event is being made possible with the help of many local businesses that have supported the prize fund and general organisation.
There are only a couple of A1’s and A2’s in Clare at the moment, Jarlath Hassett and Mike Storan being the standout pair and they’ll look to put on a good performance. Storan underlined his good form by placing sixth in Fermoy last weekend but with Sean Lacey and the Dan Morrissey/Speedy Spokes unit also set to travel, the odds will be with them to take home the spoils.
Sign is from 11am at the Auburn lodge Hotel in Ennis and racing gets underway at 12.30pm.
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