Of the four Irish riders in the Holdsworth Pro Cycling team this year, two have been named today in its line-up for the Rás next month. And Sean McKenna, above, is one of those. Damien Shaw is the other and the rest of the team has yet to be named for the Irish race (Photo: Sean Rowe)
McKenna, Shaw in Holdsworth Pro Cycling team for Rás
Two of the four Irish riders in the UK Holdsworth Pro Cycling team have been named in the squad’s line-up for the Rás.
Damien Shaw and Sean McKenna have both been selected. And because the full selection is not yet named, Conn McDunphy and Dermot Trulock may yet get the nod to ride their home tour.
Both McKenna and Shaw have good records in the Rás, but ones they will definitely be looking to improve on as neither is yet to win a stage.
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Shaw was 2nd on two stages of the Rás and 3rd on another in 2015; the same season he won the national championships. And he was fifth overall in the race for the past two years.
McKenna was 4th in the mountains classification last year and 15th overall. And both he and Shaw are potential stage, and overall, winners of the race if things went their way.
“Sean has had a good start to the 2018 season, winning races in Ireland, while Damien always has great form in May,” said sports director Dean Downing.
“Perhaps one of our Italian sprinters will be on the team, along with one of the young Irish U23 riders," he added in reference to McDunphy and Trulock.
“It’s a tough decision to choose just five riders. But hopefully we will have a few surprises up our sleeves with our international riders.”
Damien Shaw, leading, is in the Holdsworth Pro cycling team selection for the Rás (Photo:SeanRowe)
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The team will limber up for the Rás at the Tour de Yorkshire; Holdsworth Pro Cycling’s home race. And Downing is hopeful the team can do well when it comes to Ireland.
“The Rás is such a hard race to control as it’s a small team of five riders,” he said. “But we will go in with stage win ambitions.
“(We want) to place riders in the big breaks on the queen stages in this year’s race. We will have no leaders, just five lads working hard together each stage.”
As well as Holdsworth Pro Cycling confirming its participation in the race, USA CCB Velotooler Cycling Team is also returning.
It has ridden the race for the past two seasons; riding aggressively and placing Jacob Sitler in second into Buncrana last year.
This year’s line-up includes multiple road and cyclocross national team member Spencer Petrov. He is picked with Jefferson Cup road race winner Thomas Humpreys,
Healthy Newtown road race winner Gabe Mendez also rides as does Purgatory road race winner John Harris. And the former American masters world champion Tim Mitchel is also on his way for the race.
“Most of our riders are in university in the USA. So they have been doing some collegiate racing, as well as the Clif Bar Velotooler Cup spring series in New England,” said team sports director Arnie Mostowy.
“In the weeks leading up to the Rás, we will do a number of pro kermesse races in Belgium. And (we’ll ride) several one-day UCI races including the Ronde van Overijssel and Profronde van Noord-Holland in the Netherlands.
“The Rás is very difficult to predict or control for a targeted GC ride with the parcours, small team size, and unpredictable racing dynamic.
“We will be focusing more on stage results with the goal of placing one of our three U23 riders high on the U23 GC.”
Race director Eimear Dignam said the two teams confirmed today would really add to the racing next month.
“Damien Shaw and Sean McKenna have done plenty of strong riding in the past and will help write the story of this year’s race,” she said.
“We are looking forward to seeing the Holdsworth Pro Racing team line out and chasing results over the eight days.
“The same for the USA CCB Velotooler Cycling Team. It has learned a lot about the event over the past two years. (It) will line out this time ready to challenge for stage wins and more.”
The race gets underway from Drogheda on May 20th. And before finishing the following weekend there will be 1,168.7km, 34 categorised climbs and stage finishes in Athlone, Tipperary, Listowel, Glengariff, Mitchelstown, Carlow, Naas and Skerries.
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