Rás Tailteann is one of the biggest events in Irish sport each year and is by far the biggest cycling race in the country. However, with the economy still in recovery mode, finding a sponsor is proving very challenging (Photo: Bryan Keane - Inpho)
Doubts about the future of Ireland’s only eight-day stage race, Rás Tailteann, are set to continue into the New Year.
Race director Eimear Dignam and her team had been planning to make a decision about the race in early to mid November.
That would have meant having a definitive scenario in place; a new sponsor and the race secured for 2019 or an official statement announcing the race would not take place next year.
However, that was pushed back another month, to early or mid December, as two possible new backers continued talks with Dignam and her crew.
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But with the end of the year now in sight, no decision has been made by the two possible sponsors.
And so the limbo the race has found itself in is set to continue into the first weeks of 2019.
As there is still a chance that either, or even both, of the companies currently in talks with the Rás could decide to back the race, the door is being kept open.
However, with the event due to be held in May, that window for putting everything in place is shortening and a decision will be required from the potential sponsors very soon.
An Post had backed the race for a decade but it ended all of its sponsorship deals in cycling in 2017.
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This year the Rás secured some smaller sponsors, but the race only went ahead because the organisers had built up a cash reserve.
But with that reserve having been spent on the 2018 edition, the race cannot be run this year without a sponsor.
Rás Tailteann has been run without interruption since 1953. However, it took many years to develop into the international eight-day event we now know.
The minimum cost of €280,000 to run the race last year absorbed every penny of the cash in reserve that was built up.
Dignam said it would be a “disaster” if the race did not go ahead next year, especially since it goes back to 1953.
She recently told stickybottle the team that puts on the Rás worked really well together under time and budgetary pressure last year; because of the lack of a title sponsor.
She believed that experience would stand to them again. But she said landing a sponsor was crucial.
While she was hopeful about the talks ongoing, she stressed nothing had been agreed.
It was also possible the negotiations may not achieve the result everyone wanted to keep the race on the road.
A race route has already been drawn up and the race organisers have kept in contact with international and domestic teams.
It means Dignam and her team have done a lot of work to ensure the 2019 edition is effectively ready to go if and when a sponsor is found.
However, the time frame for booking hotels and inviting international teams is now becoming critical.
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