The Irish domestic season gets underway this weekend when the Ned Flanagan Memorial in Co Kildare gives riders their first opportunity to gauge their form against the opposition after the long off season.
The race, won last year by Robin Kelly, is a 70km mainly flat affair over one big loop which starts and finishes in Monasterevin. It is open to A1/A2/A3/A4 riders and will be run in a handicapped format.
If there are sufficient numbers to split the A1 and A2 riders, the race will get underway with four groups. But if not, the A1s and A2s will form one scratch group that will chase separate A3 and A4 bunches.
Last year the handicapping did not prove to be overly generous, with many of the scratch men making contact with most of the riders in the groups ahead after less than 30 minutes of racing.
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The promoting club Newbridge CC tell us the gaps will be a bit bigger this year, but will not be decided upon until the handicappers assess the turn out from each category on Sunday.
Irrespective of the numbers and gaps, it seems a racing certainty that at least some of the scratch riders will get on terms early enough to make things pretty difficult for those they overhaul and that the prizes for the first six across the line will go to the scratch men.
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However, with further prizes on offer for the first five unplaced A3s and also the first five unplaced A4s, there will be plenty to race for right through the field.
The race is in memory of Ned Flanagan who won stages in the 1966 and 1967 Rásanna and played a huge part assisting his brother Paddy in winning the event outright in 1960, 1964 and again a remarkable eleven years later in 1975.
Start time for the race on Sunday is 11.45am, outside the Bell Yard Pub in Monasterevin.
The race route is one 70km loop and will travel from Monasterevin to Ballybrittas, clipping the outskirts of Portlaoise on to Stradbally and Athy, then back through Kilberry with a prime at Flanagan’s Rest, Kildangan, turning for Kildare via Kildangan Stud and at Sillott the outskirts of Kildare turning back to Monasterevin for the finish at the Bell Yard Pub on the main street at around 2pm. There is also a Rehab leisure cycle that will follow the race route.
Sign on for both events at the Bell Yard, Monasterevin, will close at 11.30am.
The leisure spin will leave Monasterevin at 12.15pm and will travel the same route as the race.
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