Stephen O'Sullivan said last week's flatter Rás route made for full-on racing on which county men made a huge impact. Seen here riding the race in 2008.
Route designer of the An Post Rás, Stephen O’Sullivan, believes his decision to opt for a flatter route this year has been vindicated following one of the most exciting editions of the race in recent times.
A veteran of the race himself with 21 Rásanna to his name, O’Sullivan said he knew the shorter, flatter stages have a tradition of being the most difficult.
He also expressed satisfaction at the performances of the home-based men.
“I’m delighted with how it went; it was full of action all week which is what we’d hoped for,” he said.
“From the first day there were big gaps, which was the idea. And it forced people to race which was great; it made for exciting racing all week.
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“I know from experience that some of the flatter, shorter stages have been some of the hardest and I think big, big hills end up neutralising the race.
“I think we proved you don’t need big hills to have a good race.
“Climbs tend to neutralise it; the leaders wait for the hill and a group of 20 go over the top, there’s a stalemate and it all comes back together.
“So I think to make it fair to the domestic riders - which is what the race is really about to me - we had to consider them.
“And I think at the end of the day, whether there’s a hill or not, you’ll get the same result.”
O’Sullivan with double Rás winner Philip Cassidy at the launch of Tom Daly’s book on the race a couple of years ago.
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Of the home challengers he said they really proved what they’re made of last week.
“Shaw had some immense rides and Bryan McCrystal too,” he said of the Team Asea duo.
McCrystal blasted up the road in a breakaway on stage 2 from Carlow to Tipperary; dropping his fellow escapees one by one before burying himself for home.
He hit the wall on the climb at Aherlow and was caught, but his performance was one of the best by a county man for many years.
Shaw, who nursed a fractured shoulder through the Rás, was second on stages 6 and 7 and 3rd on stage 8.
But O’Sullivan said plenty of others also impressed him during the week.
“Robin Kelly was up the road nearly every day as was Simon Ryan and Ian Richardson. It was fantastic.
“The Rás is great from that perspective; it always throws a relatively obscure guy into the limelight and Ian Richardson was certainly that guy this week.
“I think we got more out of the Irish riders this year.
“There were a few guys challenging GC and I know Damien will be disappointed not to have won a stage.
“But along with Ian they were the men of the week for me.”
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