The Mayo Centra team will be the only Connacht team in the 2014 An Post Ras. The once amateur race has seen more professional teams enter over the last five years, and it is only a few years away from being a fully professional event.
The premier cycling event will be racing through Ireland from May 18 to 25 with Galway and Mayo riders joining forces to enter a team made up of five riders along with three support crew. The Mayo Centra team is made up of Padraig Marry, Derek Joyce, Sean McInerney, Paddy Clarke, Paul Brady, and Pat Coyne. The team have trained as professionally as possible for an amateur outfit, with each covering more than 10,000km of training since November, and they have taken on the biggest Irish domestic races over the winter and spring. The team are delighted to have Centra as the main sponsor and they will again don the blue and yellow colours of the Centra supermarket chain. Gary Higgins and Paul Keenan with Centra shops in Enniscrone, Kilkelly, and Labane, are huge supporters of cycling and are delighted to support the Connacht riders’ bid in this prestigious Irish event. The Carlton Hotel Group is sponsoring accommodation for a number of stages, as well as Doolin Cottages for the Lisdonnava stage. Champion Systems UK will sponsor the race cycle clothing and Insigina Plus will supply leisure wear for the eight person team. Marrey Bikes Ballinrobe will again provide the much needed sports nutrition and equipment to the team. Follow the team’s progress at http://www.facebook.com/TheroadtotheRAS.
