Cycling Ireland has confirmed an Irish National Team, with a mix of youth and experience, is lining out in the An Post Rás next month. It will be managed by former race winner, ex pro and thee time Olympian David McCann, above.
Cycling Ireland has confirmed that an Irish national team will compete in the An Post Rás after a break of five years.
The line-up will be named in coming weeks, with the federation saying it would be mainly U23 riders with a road captain.
A similar scenario was put into play at the recent Kerry Group Rás Mumhan where Irish team member Chris McGlinchey took victory riding for a development line-up but with the experienced Ian Richardson in the team.
The Rás team will be managed by former race winner David McCann.
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Its participation was signalled by Cycling Ireland president Ciaran McKenna, though confirmation has come in the form of a statement by the federation today, Tuesday.
McKenna prioritised having an Irish team in the national tour during his campaign when running for president against Denis Toomey and McKenna’s push for an Irish team in the race has now been successful.
He told stickybottle in an interview immediately after winning the election: “I’d like to see an Irish team in the Rás; it’s our national flagship stage race and I’d like to see a national team in that.
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“It’s a good few years now since there was a team and we should have one in it.
“I was shocked to hear Mark Dowling got his first green jersey at almost 30. This is because we haven’t spent (money on road teams) in 10 years."
Cycling Ireland technical director Brian Nugent said he was delighted to see the green jerseys of Ireland returning to the Rás after a break since 2011.
“It’s great to be in a position to enter a talented Irish team in the Rás again,” he said.
“The Rás is a particularly special event, being a combination of fulltime professional riders mixing with national and domestic riders.
“It’s a great development opportunity for these guys to go through the Rás with an experienced winner as their manager.”
Rás director Tony Campbell said he was looking forward to having an Irish team in the eight-day race next month.
“I’m pleased to see an Irish Team in the Rás again, especially seeing as the team giving an opportunity to young riders again,” he said.
“It will be a great experience for these riders, and there shouldn’t be too much pressure placed on them for results.”
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