The Rás start list is always liable to change in the run up to the race despite the pro teams naming their line-ups early. One of Ireland's best ever riders has been added to the Madison Genesis squad for the race; Martyn Irvine (Photo: Stephen McMahon)
Having been in great form on the road for a couple of months, Martyn Irvine romped away with the Shay Elliott Memorial in Co Wicklow last weekend.
He attacked the breakaway just before the main climb of the day at Glenmalure and time trialled his way to the finish to win by several minutes.
A former world champion on the track, Irvine has been riding on the road in the colours of the Madison Genesis team this year.
They are a UK-based Continental level squad. They did not name Irvine in their original line-up for the Rás.
Advertisement
However, his decision to ride more on the road in recent months and his clear form ahead of the Rás mean the team has now included him in its line-up for the race starting on Sunday.
Martyn Irvine takes stage 7 of the 2011 Rás from Tramore to Kildare while riding for Asia Giant Kenda (Photo: Lorraine O'Sullivan - Inpho)
Irvine won stage 7 of the 2011 Rás while racing with the Giant-Asia team.
“I think it was always on my mind to come back this year,” he said.
“The Elliott ride opened the door for me to get on the team.
Related News
“I’ve been training well and watching my power numbers creep up in recent weeks.
“I went in wanting to win the Elliott, not just wanting to do good training in it. I went on the climb; it was then or never.
Make no mistake, Irvine is the real deal on the road and not just on the track, where he has won a world title, three Worlds medals in total and been victorious at the UCI World Cup.
“I thought I’d attack before all the messing around started. It worked well for me.”
A veteran of four editions of the Rás, he last competed in 2012 but had been focussing mainly on the track beforehand and so was not as sharp as he would otherwise have been.
His British team mate Erick Rowsell will likely be the team’s designated general classification leader after his eighth place against World Tour riders in the recent Tour de Yorkshire.
Irvine will ride in support of him if a realistic tilt at the yellow jersey is on the cards.
However, with the form he is clearly in, the world class track rider he has become since he last rode this race and the terrain next week very much to his liking, he may well be one of the key men of the race.
Topics
