Media Information: Rás na mBan
Women's International Stage Race
Team Ireland Lead Strong Home Challenge in Rás na mBan
Eve McCrystal (Garda CC), wearing the
green jersey of Kilkenny CC Best Irish Rider, tracks overall race
winner Elinor Barker (Team GB) in Rás na mBan 2017
National Road
Race Champion Eve McCrystal heads a strong Irish challenge in Rás na
mBan which gets under way in Kilkenny on Wednesday (September 5th).
McCrystal is
part of a strong quintet selected for the welcome reappearance of the
national team in the event for the first time in several years.
Having taken victory in the Kikenny CC Best Irish Rider
Classification in Kilkenny 12-months ago, McCrystal will be keen to
defend that status while going for a maiden stage success and a high
overall placing.
Included in
the Irish lineup are triple Irish National Road Race Champion Lydia
Boylan who has twice finished runner-up in her national stage race,
in 2011 and 2016, her European medal winning madison partner on the
track, Lydia Gurley, and two top home-based riders.
Eleventh last
year, Katharine Smyth has gone wheel to wheel with McCrystal for
success in national league competition over the past two seasons and
knows the event well having finished second in the Irish Rider
classification in the past.
The Team
Madigan rider will be representing the home racing scene alongside
star newcomer Áine Donegan, the converted triathlete from Orwell
Wheelers who has burst on the scene to great acclaim in 2018.
“It’s a powerful
combination of established Internationals and riders that have earned
selection via the domestic pathway with consistently strong
performances in the National League," says Cycling
Ireland National Performance Coach Neill Delahaye.
"It has
been a positive development this year working with the Road and
Women's Commission to incentivise the National League and provide
opportunity for selection to the strongest domestic riders while also
ensuring some of our most successful International riders are getting
the racing they need as they prepare for an intensive Olympic
qualification period.
There is
strength in depth and we will be aiming to be competitive every day
of this Ras. As always, the race is providing a fantastic racing
format over a challenging parcours. We are looking forward to getting
going!”
VC Éirú is a
new team made up of riders from the national track pursuit programme
and all bring good engines and varying levels of stage racing
experience to the event. Orla Walsh, Mia Griffin and Hilary Hughes
all rode and finished their debut Rás na mBan last year.
Griffin, from Glenmore County Kilkenny, will be the star turn for the
local fans.
Alice Sharpe’s
eye-catching performance in the European championship Road Race
recently and her eighth place finish in last year’s Rás na mBan
along with Kelly Murphy’s impressive European Championship
individual pursuit also help make this a team to watch.
The Leinster
Commission under the impetus of Brian Hammond have entered a Rás na
mBan team based on a season-long selection programme for which
there has been considerable competition.
Meath’s Fiona
Guihen is an experienced Rás na mBan rider having ridden with the
national team in the past. She’s joined by Jennifer Bates who made
her Rás na mBan debut with Leinster 12-months ago.
Máire Claffey, Aisling Flanagan and Sophie Loscher have all shown
impressive form on road and track this season and will relish the
opportunity to ride Rás na mBan in Leinster representative colours.
Scott Orwell
Wheelers have been stalwart supporters of Rás na mBan since its
inception and the Team manager and Rás na mBan veteran Orla Hendron
has recruited the many times capped international Lauren Creamer to
their lineup.
Breda Horan
and Ciara Ní Fhlathartaigh are strong local riders making their
Rás na mBan debuts while Tullamore guest rider Sinéad Molloy will be
riding her second Rás na mBan. The team’s fifth rider Monica Freiband
was forced to cry off with an injured wrist after crashing in last
Sunday’s Laragh Classic.
Team Verge
Sport have assembled a quality group of riders from Ireland’s
burgeoning road racing scene. Lyndsey Brice finished third in the
women’s race at the national criterium championships. Maeve Gallagher
from Swinford in County Mayo is a highly-rated up and coming rider
who has represented Ireland at the European Youth Olympics.
Leah Desmond,
Marcia Salvador from Portugal and Poland’s former junior
national squad member Agniezka Wozniak are all strong performers on
the local racing scene representing Cork clubs.
Tom Clogher’s
TC Racing squad has been the most active on the local and
international racing scene in recent years and he has assembled a
great mix of youth and experience for Kilkenny. Emma Desmond, Niamh
O’Donovan and Niamh O’Dwyer will benefit from the experience of Team
GB rider and former British National Series winner Nikki Juniper for
their Rás na mBan debuts.
There are
other Irish riders peppered around the bunch including County Clare’s
Imogen Cotter back to ride her second Rás na mBan with Team Regio
Noord Holland where she’ll be joined by Ellen McDermott who recorded
a top 25 finish 12 months ago.
The Shutt
Ridley RT from Britain have added Ballymena RC’s Laura Campbell and
AAA Cycling’s Clodagh Gallagher to their team for the five days and
six stages of racing around Kilkenny and surrounding counties in what
promises to be another great edition of Ireland’s premier bike race.
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About Rás na mBan
Rás na mBan
(it translates from gaelic as 'Women's Race' and is pronounced 'raws na mahn')
is Ireland's only women's international stage race. This premier
five-day event takes place from September 5th to 9th this year
and will again, for a third year, take in the beautiful scenery
of County Kilkenny. Top
international riders from Europe and beyond compete against the
best riders in Ireland for the coveted title.
Rás na mBan is Ireland's Top
International Stage Cycle Race for Women.
Based in Kilkenny, the event will
celebrate its 13th edition in 2018 when Ireland's top women racers do
battle against riders from the Australia, USA, continental Europe and
the UK in five days of racing in Ireland's Ancient East.
