Ireland’s biggest cycling race, the FBD Insurance Rás, will visit Galway next week (Tuesday and Wednesday ) on is third and fourth stages.
This year’s eight-day international cycle race takes starts on Sunday with teams all over the world, including countries as far away as Australia and Japan, represented. And this year’s event will include a stopover in Oughterard at the end of Tuesday’s third stage.
Locals will be keen to see Ireland’s top cyclists in action, and the former world number one cyclist Sean Kelly is urging the locals in Galway to support his An Post Sean Kelly team.
“The Rás is a race which the team love coming back to Ireland for. We get a huge amount of local support in the many towns along the route every year. We have a bunch of talented young riders in the academy so this is a big chance for them to show how good they are. Hopefully everyone will come out and support the team as they finish up in Oughterard on Tuesday and then start up there again the following morning.”
The An Post sponsored Seán Kelly team, based at the Seán Kelly Academy in Belgium, will feature three Irishmen – Mark Cassidy from Meath, David O’Loughlin from Mayo, Connor McConvey from Belfast which gives the side a combination of youth and experience.
O’Loughlin, who won the King of the Mountains jersey last year, also has three top five Rás finishes to his name and is a multiple stage winner. Cassidy, a former under 23 Irish champion, is also a stage winner and held the yellow jersey for a stage in ‘08. Belfast native McConvey is the least experienced of the trio, having switched from mountain biking to road racing at the start of the season.
Stage three of the Rás starts in Carrick-On-Shannon, travelling through Frenchpark, Castlerea, Ballinlough, Ballyhaunis, Claremorris, Hollymount, Ballinrobe, Neale, Cong, Clonbur, Finny, Gowlaun Maum, Maam Cross, before finishing in Oughterard. Stage four starts up again in Oughterard the next day, with the riders travelling through Moycullen, Galway, Oranmore, Clarenbridge, Kilcolgan, Ardrahan, Gort and into Clare on the way towards the finish of the 169k stage in Tipperary.
