A flatter An Post Rás means breakaways have a better chance, a fact that should favour the county rider who is able to master the wind, says Eoin Morton (Photo: Pawel Sadowski – Shutterstills.com)
Top domestic rider Damien Shaw has said the flatter Rás route and the experience he has gained in recent years can hopefully help him to pull off a big result in May.
And fellow county rider Eoin Morton said he believes crosswinds may prove more crucial than ever in breaking up the field in this year's race.
Then riding for Aquablue, Shaw was 4th on stage 3 into Charleville last year when the breakaway he was in made it all the way.
“It is so much more than just being able to have your fitness levels and ride your bike fast,” he said of getting results in the May eight-day.
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“You have to be able to use your head as well. The Rás has taught me that in the last two years.”
Shaw works as a fireman and said it is a challenge to try to find enough time to put in the necessary training to get ready for the race.
However, committing to doing the An Post Rás has in the past helped give him the motivation to knuckle down to the necessary training.
Damien Shaw is a very strong rider and, now with Team ASEA, he is one of a small number of county men with a genuine chance of a Rás stage win (Photo: Marian Lamb – Cycling Ulster)
He’s clear that the dedication and sacrifices are worthwhile.
“I really enjoy it and it is a great week for cycling, for domestic riders and for the whole country that has any sort of interest in cycling,” he said at the launch this week of the 2015 route.
Also at that media day was UCD CC’s Morton and his team mate of last year Sean McKenna.
Morton will be starting his third An Post Rás in May and while he accepted that some departures from his UCD team were a disappointment, he felt the squad would once again be a force in 2015.
“It still has five A1s so we still have a really, really strong domestic team,” he said.
“I think we will have a bright future this year.”
Like Shaw, he too was enthusiastic about the new route, believing it will make things more equal between the various teams.
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Sean McKenna, who has moved from UCD to Aquablue over the winter, has modest Rás goals for this year but is definitely one to keep an eye on.
But Morton was frank that crosswinds could be a danger.
“There are going to be a lot of narrow roads out in the west,” he said.
“That is going to be the big feature, and obviously the weather is going to play a huge factor as it is so exposed.”
He felt the likelihood of complex tactics will require riders to remain mentally sharp as well as physically fresh.
It would be important to learn quickly how to cope with the wind-buffeted stages.
“The pro riders know how to ride these races. So hopefully we get a pretty quick crash course in how to ride races like that.
“I think a lot of breaks are going to make it. There will be big breakaways coming to the finish, a couple of bunch sprints.
Morton says while some strong men have departed UCD, he still believes it will be a force this year.
“Gravity is not going to take as much of a toll this year as it usually does for the county riders," he said of the absence of any cat 1 climbs.
“So I think you can see a lot more country riders getting to the finish of stages and trying to roll big results.
“I think it could be a big Rás this year for them.”
McKenna is younger and will be riding his first edition of the race.
He was more guarded about his ambitions, saying that riding the race in 2015 was more about laying foundations for future years.
“It will be very cool to get this year in and hopefully learn a bit,” he said.
“I am not expecting much, just to get around. If I do that and learn a thing or two, that is the main aim.”
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