Rás director Tony Campbell said the race can no longer have groups 25 minutes down because the Garda won’t tolerate it (Photo: Brendan Slattery)
The organisers of the An Post Rás and Cycling Ireland have agreed to block riders from upgrading to A2 so they can be eligible for the eight-day race in May.
Rás race director Tony Campbell said last year after entry to the race was restricted to A2 riders or higher, some in the lower categories were upgrading to A2 so they could ride the race.
Campbell was concerned “competitors in this year’s race will be of sufficiently high standard” and has reached agreement with Cycling Ireland on how this can be ensured.
“Last year A3 and A4 riders were upgrading to A2 in order to ride the Rás, but hadn’t shown themselves in races,” Campbell said in a statement.
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“They simply were not of the necessary standard. We want to stop that this year.
“I’ve spoken to Cycling Ireland about it and they have agreed that no rider will be able to walk into the office and request an upgrade in order to satisfy the requirements to get into the Rás.”
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The statement added “those on the start line in May will have had to have fully earned the right” to be there.
“Guys will not get into the Rás unless they earn the points to be capable of riding around it,” Campbell warned.
“Between here and the end of March, they have to be riding races; competing in them and collecting points.”
Campbell insisted the race remained one in which the presence of county riders was valued. However, he added work needed to be done to ensure those Irish amateur riders reached the start line with the necessary physical condition.
“With the rolling road closures, the police simply cannot cover bunches 25 minutes down the road,” he said of the race that will take place this year from May 22nd to 29th.
Meanwhile, the An Post-Chainreaction team gets its European season underway on Sunday in the one-day French race GP d’Ouverture La Marseillaise (UCI 1.1).
Irish duo, Jack Wilson and Connor McConvey will ride the event.
The team will then turn its attention to the five-day road race Etoile de Bessèges (UCI 2.1), from February 3rd to 7th.
Details of the An Post-Chainreaction team’s plans were contained in the same press statement as the An Post Rás’s agreement with Cycling Ireland to ensure only genuine A2 riders start that race.
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