There were plenty of riders off the front on today's Rás stage 4, but as these three well known Irish riders tell us, nothing quite prepares you for your first ride in the race (Photo: Paul Mohan - Sportsfile)
The county riders have always played a huge part in making the Rás the iconic race it has become.
And even when it’s their first time competing they’ve never been afraid to get stuck in.
Here, three riders give their accounts of their debut in The Big One.
Timmy Barry – Top Irish road rider and international
“My first Rás in 2000 took us along the quays to O’Connell Street in Dublin and I remember there being an English stag party standing outside a pub.
“They threw pint glasses into the bunch which caused panic when they smashed on the road.
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“A bit of a fight broke out between a few riders and the drunken stags and I ended up starting the stage with a shiner!
“Our team van broke down a few times that week so I had my dinner wrapped in a bed sheet in Mitchelstown as our bags with our gear only arrived after the meal.”
Brian Ahern – Former Junior Tour winner
“I did my first one in 2001 and though I’d raced before, nothing can really prepares you for the sheer intensity of the Rás.
“And it’s hard to imagine the kind of suffering that you put your body through unless you’ve ridden it.
“The highlight of the week for me was being in a five-rider breakaway for 50 kilometres on stage 6 from Skibbereen to Dungarvan alongside Mark Scanlon when I managed to win a cat 3 prime.
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“Another highlight was seeing the posters that my west Cork relations had stuck up high on telegraph poles.”
Colm Bracken – Over 100 career wins
“My first Rás was in 1985 at the age of 18. I picked a tough one to start with as there was a great Russian team with Nikolai Kosaikov winning it overall.
“It was a baptism of fire as panic would set in the bunch when it lined out and you hung on as best you could.
“From being a junior the year before; I had no experience of this. And the rain… there was so much rain.
“I remember a stage in Kerry was only 88 miles long but it went over a lot of rough climbs which were all new to me and it was so tough in the wet weather.
“We had to cycle back to the digs in the rain and dinner that night was a tiny portion in a fancy restaurant that didn't understand cyclists!
“Near the end of the Rás I had pins and needles in my knees and hands from the racing but I was determined to finish.
“And in the criterium around O'Connell Street I surprised myself by being one of only about 30 to finish in the bunch.
“The only time I saw the Russians that week was on the second last stage to the Phoenix Park and the three domestiques were on the front with very basic old fashioned bikes with steel handlebars and stems.
“The winner Kosiakov had ridden the Giro d'Italia and had a lovely Colnago.
“Afterwards I was tired for the rest of the season, but better for it in the following years.”
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