Preview: Rás Dhun na nGall battle looms as top juniors pack field
James Curry in the Rás Dhun na nGall yellow jersey last year. This time the race is packed with top juniors and a great battle looms.
Following some excellent stages of the Rás last week in Donegal, all eyes will once again be on the county this weekend for Rás Dhun na nGall.
With the Belgian Project-Cycling Ulster and Cycling Leinster junior selections in the mix and a squad from NRPT-Titan Containers also racing they will all be sure to mix things up.
However, cycling in Donegal is booming right now and with the local knowledge of the course that those riders will have, the home challenging looks menacing.
One Ulster club man name that pops out is Ethan Downey. The Clann Eireann rider has taken some great wins this year already.
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His most recent was just last weekend at the Dunloy GP where he beat Conor Gallagher of Castlebar from a two-man breakaway situation.
And with some testing climbs awaiting the riders, including a summit finish on Glengesh on Monday, it will be interesting to see how Downey does.
Gallagher is also in the field this weekend is one to watch.
In the Belgium Project-Cycling Ulster Junior Team are: Caolem Mc Carter, Michael Mc Glynn, Padraig Rogan and Robbie Doherty.
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The Cycling Leinster junior team is made up of Conor McKeown, Cian May, Liam Hanley and Sean Murnane.
The NRPT-Magnet.ie squad has eight riders in the race. And if they were to get their hands on the yellow jersey they have a big numbers advantage.
The eight-man team is comprised of Aaron Doherty, Conor Halvey, Dillon Corkery, Eoghan McArdle Ruane, Eoghan McLaughlin, Eoghan McGee, Sean Kennedy and Shane Ryall.
The race gets underway with the traditional short sharp evening road race this evening, leaving Ardara and heading through Kilraine, Frosses and Ardaghey before returning to Ardara via Kilraine.
Saturday morning’s stage 2 sees the riders leave the Diamond in Ardara for a 2½ mile test. The first rider is off at 9am.
And at 3.30pm that day the riders leave Ardara again for a 57-mile road stage. It takes them on three laps of the Ardara-Glenties-Kilclooney circuit to finish back in Ardara.
Each lap will take around 45 minutes so it will be a very spectator-friendly stage.
The final stage, at lunchtime on Sunday, is by far the most difficult.
The riders race from Ardara through Ardaghey, Frosses, Glenties, Clooney and Ardara again before finishing on the famous Glengesh Pass.
June 2nd-4th: Rás Ras Dhun na nGall
2017 Provisional start list
1 Michael Brennan AAA Cycling
2 Michael McBride AAA Cycling
3 Adam Ward AAA Cycling
4 Andrew Hedley Ards CC
5 Gareth Murray Ards CC
6 Kyle Adams Ards CC
7 Robin Wilson Ards CC
8 Declan Maloney Ballina Cycling Club
9 Alistair Robinson Bann Wheelers CC
10 Bobby Kane Bann Wheelers CC
11 Colin McElderry Bann Wheelers CC
12 Robbie Mc Elderry Bann Wheelers CC
13 Mark Johnston Bann Wheelers CC
14 Michael Thompson Bann Wheelers CC
15 Caolem Mc Carter Belgium Project-Cycling Ulster Jun Dev
16 Michael Mc Glynn Belgium Project-Cycling Ulster Jun Dev
17 Padraig Rogan Belgium Project-Cycling Ulster Jun Dev
18 Robbie Doherty Belgium Project-Cycling Ulster Jun Dev
19 Calvin Moore Caldwell Cycles Omagh
20 Darren Murray Caldwell Cycles Omagh
21 Paul Caldwell Caldwell Cycles Omagh
22 Rodney orr Caldwell Cycles Omagh
23 Barry Russell Carn Wheelers
24 Dean Lockhart Carn Wheelers
25 Gerard Scullion Carn Wheelers
26 James Craig Gibson Carn Wheelers
27 Jonathan McConomy Carn Wheelers
28 Nigel Gibson Carn Wheelers
29 shea Gribbon Carn Wheelers
30 Tony O'Doherty Carn Wheelers
31 Conor Gallagher Castlebar Cycling Club
32 Jason Potter Castlebar Cycling Club
33 Killian Heery CKR Cycling Club
34 Seán Cosgrove CKR Cycling Club
35 Ethan Downey Clann Eireann CC
36 Eoin Maher Comeragh CC
37 Patrick Maher Comeragh CC
38 Conor McKeown Cycling Leinster Junior
39 Cian May Cycling Leinster Junior
40 Liam Hanley Cycling Leinster Junior
41 Sean Murnane Cycling Leinster Junior
42 Cathal Keane-Breslin DCU Cycling Club
43 Aaron Mc Bride Donegal Bay Cycling Club
44 Ronan Mc Cauley Donegal Bay Cycling Club
45 Noel Mc Dermott Errigal Cycling Club
46 Denis Doherty Four Masters CC
47 Keelan Carberry Four Masters CC
48 Kevin Doherty Four Masters CC
49 Mark McGinley Four Masters CC
50 Mitchell Mc laughlin Four Masters CC
51 Gavin O'Neill Foyle CC
52 Daniel Logue Foyle CC
53 Eamon Doherty Foyle CC
54 Simon Gill Foyle CC
55 Nathan Beard Gala CC
56 Shane Higgins Galway Bay CC
57 Conor Devlin Island Wheelers
58 Dean Burnside Island Wheelers
59 Matthew McAllister Island Wheelers
60 Kieran McGrory Lakeland
61 Kevin Sherlock Nenagh Cycling Club
62 Matthew Kennedy Nenagh Cycling Club
63 Mike Browne Nenagh Cycling Club
64 Conor McLoughlin Newry Wheelers CC
65 Gareth O Neill Newry Wheelers CC
66 Gary Henning Newry Wheelers CC
67 Kenny Bagnall Newry Wheelers CC
68 Mark Gordon Newry Wheelers CC
69 Mark McKinley Newry Wheelers CC
70 Rory Farrell Newry Wheelers CC
71 Peter Doggart North Down CC
72 Martin Bradley North West Cycling Club
73 Samuel Carmichael North West Cycling Club
74 Aaron Doherty NRPT
75 Conor Halvey NRPT
76 Dillon Corkery NRPT
77 Eoghan McArdle Ruane NRPT
78 Eoghan McLaughlin NRPT
79 Eoghan McGee NRPT
80 Sean Kennedy NRPT
81 Shane Ryall NRPT
82 Aaron Wiley Omagh Wheelers Cycling Club
83 Edmund Boyle Phoenix CC
84 Edward Kearney Phoenix CC
85 Ivor Hession Phoenix CC
86 Matt Mc Laughlin Phoenix CC
87 Aidan Collins Scott Orwell Wheelers Cycling Club
88 Manuel Fontan Garcia Scott Orwell Wheelers Cycling Club
89 Neal Hudson Scott Orwell Wheelers Cycling Club
90 Philippe Bourdarias Scott Orwell Wheelers Cycling Club
91 Aaron Hanthorn Shelbourne-Orchard CC
92 David Neill Shelbourne-Orchard CC
93 Glenn Dunwoody Shelbourne-Orchard CC
94 Mark Coleman Shelbourne-Orchard CC
95 James Kelly St Tiernans Cycling Club
96 Niko Harmanen St Tiernans Cycling Club
97 Thomas O'Brien Sundrive Track Team
98 Richard Gribbons Team Gerry McVeigh Cars
99 Gary McCullough Team Madigan C.C.
100 Michael Boal Team Madigan C.C.
101 Stephen Farr Team Madigan C.C.
102 Paul Vaughan Team Sportactive Racing
103 Peter Mc Gee Tir Chonaill Gap CC
104 Enda O'Halloran Yeats Country Cycling Club
105 Cormac Keeney FTT Oslo
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