Rás Tailteann

Rás Tailteann (pronounced [ˈɾˠaːsˠ ˈt̪ˠalʲtʲənˠ], "Tailteann Race"), known for sponsorship reasons as the An Post Rás or the Rás for short, was an annual 8-day international cycling stage race, held in Ireland in May. Around Ireland, the race is referred to as The Rás. By naming the race Rás Tailteann the original organisers, members of the National Cycling Association (NCA), were associating the cycle race with the Tailteann Games, a Gaelic festival in early medieval Ireland.

Rás Tailteann
Race details
Datelate May
RegionIreland
Nickname(s)The Rás
DisciplineRoad
CompetitionUCI Europe Tour 2.2
TypeStage race
OrganiserCumann Rás Tailteann
Race directorEimear Dignam
Web sitewww.anpostras.ie
History
First edition1953 (1953)
Editions66 (as of 2018)
First winner Colm Christle (IRL)
Most wins Sé O Hanlon (IRL) (4 wins)
Most recent Luuc Bugter (NED)
Zbigniew Głowaty, pictured after winning the 1963 Rás

The event was founded by Joe Christle in 1953[1] and was organised under the rules of the National Cycling Association (NCA). At that time competitive cycling in Ireland was deeply divided between three cycling organisations, the NCA, Cumann Rothaiochta na hÉireann (CRÉ) and the Northern Ireland Cycling Federation (NICF). The Rás Tailteann was the biggest race that the NCA organised each year.

As a result of a Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) motion, the NCA was banned from international races and all teams affiliated with the UCI were banned from competing in races organised by the NCA. Therefore, only teams that were not affiliated with the UCI or who were willing to take the chance of serving a suspension for competing in the Rás Tailteann competed in the Rás Tailteann. During this time the NCA cyclists achieved prominence in the Rás with Gene Mangan, Sé O'Hanlon and Paddy Flanagan being several legends of the race. Mangan won only one Rás but featured in the race throughout the 1960s and early-1970s winning a total of 12 stages while O'Hanlon won the race four times and won 24 stages. Flanagan won the Rás three times and had 11 stage wins.

The NCA and the CRÉ together with NICF began unification talks in the late 1960s and early 1970s. As a result, a CRÉ team which included Pat McQuaid, Kieron McQuaid Peter Morton and Peter Doyle was able to enter the race in 1974. Doyle won the race and the McQuaids won two stages each. The first Rás open to the two associations CRÉ and the NICF was in 1979 and enabled Stephen Roche to compete the event as part of the Ireland team. Roche won the event.

The race developed into a much sought after event by professional and amateur teams from many parts of the world. As part of the elite international calendar it was eligible to award qualifying points that are required for participation in Olympic Games and the UCI Road World Championships.

The first edition was held in 1953 as a two-day event but quickly developed into a week-long event. It ran every year, uninterrupted, until 2018. Following Cumann Rás Tailteann's failure to find a new principal sponsor for the race, it was announced in February 2019 that there would be no Rás that year.[2]

The race was a UCI 2.2 event.

History

The official name of the race has been changed many times over the years, usually named after sponsors. An Post were the last title sponsors,[3] although this sponsorship ended after the 2017 event.

Race names

  • 1953 to 1967: Rás Tailteann
  • 1968 to 1972: You Are Better Off Saving Rás Tailteann
  • 1973: Tayto Rás Tailteann
  • 1974 to 1976: Discover Ireland Rás Tailteann
  • 1977 to 1980: The Health Race Rás Tailteann
  • 1981 to 1982: Tirolia Rás Tailteann
  • 1983: Dairy Rás Tailteann
  • 1984 to 2004: FBD Milk Rás
  • 2005 to 2010: FBD Insurance Rás
  • 2011 to 2017: An Post Rás
  • 2018: Rás Tailteann

Past winners

No. Year GC Winner Nationality Team Points class KOM U23
11953Colm Christle IrelandJames' Gate C.C.
21954Joe O'Brien IrelandNational C.C.
31955Gene Mangan IrelandKerry
41956Paudie Fitzgerald IrelandKerry
51957Frank Ward IrelandDublin
61958Mick Murphy IrelandKerry
71959Ben McKenna IrelandMeath
81960Paddy Flanagan IrelandKildare
91961[4]Tom Finn IrelandDublin TeamSeán Dillon
101962Sé O'Hanlon IrelandDublin
111963Zbigniew Głowaty PolandPoland
121964Paddy Flanagan (2) IrelandKildare
131965Sé O'Hanlon (2) IrelandDublin
141966Sé O'Hanlon (3) IrelandDublin
151967Sé O'Hanlon (4) IrelandDublin
161968Milan Hrazdíra CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia
171969Brian Connaughton IrelandMeath
181970Aleksandr Gusyatnikov Soviet UnionU.S.S.R.
191971Colm Nulty IrelandMeath
201972John Mangan IrelandKerry
211973Mike O'Donaghue IrelandCarlow
221974Peter Doyle IrelandI.C.F.
231975Paddy Flanagan (3) IrelandKildare
241976Fons Steuten NetherlandsNetherlands
251977Yuri Lavrushkin Soviet UnionU.S.S.R.
261978Séamus Kennedy IrelandKerry
271979Stephen Roche IrelandIreland
281980Billy Kerr IrelandIreland
291981Jamie McGahan United KingdomScotland
301982Dermot Gilleran IrelandIreland
311983Philip Cassidy IrelandIreland
321984Stephen Delaney IrelandDublin
331985Nikolay Kosyakov Soviet Union
341986Stephen Spratt IrelandIreland
351987Paul McCormack IrelandLongford
361988Paul McCormack (2) IrelandIreland
371989Dainis Ozols Soviet Union
381990Ian Chivers IrelandIreland
391991Kevin Kimmage IrelandMeath
401992Stephen Spratt (2) IrelandDublin
411993Éamonn Byrne IrelandDublin Wheelers
421994Declan Lonergan IrelandIreland
431995Paul McQuaid IrelandIreland
441996Tommy Evans IrelandArmagh
451997Andrew Roche IrelandKerry
461998Ciarán Power IrelandTeam Ireland
471999Philip Cassidy (2) IrelandTeam Ireland
482000Julian Winn United KingdomWales teamDavid McCann David McCann
492001Paul Manning United KingdomGreat Britain teamDavid KoppNicholas White
502002Ciarán Power (2) IrelandTeam Ireland-Stena LineChris Newton Julian Winn
512003Chris Newton United KingdomGreat Britain teamJonas Holmkvist Maxim Iglinskiy
522004David McCann IrelandIreland-Thornton's Recycling TeamMalcolm Elliott Tobias Lergard
532005Chris Newton (2) United KingdomRecycling.co.ukMalcolm Elliott Mark Lovatt
542006Kristian House United KingdomRecycling.co.ukMorten Hegreberg Ciarán Power
552007Tony Martin GermanyThüringer Energie TeamDominique Rollin Ricardo Van der Velde
562008Stephen Gallagher IrelandAn Post–Sean KellyDean Downing Kit Gilham
572009[5]Simon Richardson United KingdomRapha Condor recycling.co.ukNiko Eeckhout David O'Loughlin Mark McNally
582010Alexander Wetterhall SwedenTeam Sprocket ProJohn Degenkolb Mark Cassidy Connor McConvey
592011Gediminas Bagdonas LithuaniaAn Post-Sean KellyShane Archbold Oleksandr Sheydyk Aaron Gate
602012Nicolas Baldo FranceAtlas Personal-JakrooGediminas Bagdonas David Clarke Richard Handley
612013Marcin Białobłocki PolandTeam UK YouthOwain Doull Martin Hunal Simon Yates
622014Clemens Fankhauser AustriaTirol Cycling TeamPatrick Bevin Markus Eibegger Alex Peters
632015Lukas Pöstlberger[6] AustriaTirol Cycling TeamAaron Gate Aidis Kruopis Ryan Mullen
642016Clemens Fankhauser (2) AustriaTirol Cycling TeamAaron Gate Nikodemus Holler Jai Hindley
652017James Gullen United KingdomJLT–CondorDaan Meijers Przemysław Kasperkiewicz Michael O'Loughlin
662018Luuc Bugter NetherlandsDelta Cycling RotterdamLuuc Bugter Lukas Ruegg Robbe Ghys

Bibliography

  • Daly, Tom (2003). The Rás – The Story of Ireland's Unique Bike Race. The Collins Press. ISBN 1-903464-37-4.
  • Daly, Tom (2012). The Rás – The Story of Ireland's Unique Bike Race – paperback edition. The Collins Press. ISBN 978-1-84889-148-7.
  • Traynor, Jim. The Rás – A Day by Day Diary of Ireland's Great Bike Race. The Collins Press. ISBN 978-1-905451-71-5.
  • Riordan, Christy (2009). A Special tribute to Mick Murphy: Winner of 1958 Rás Tailteann. C.R. DVD & Video production.

References

  1. http://www.independent.ie/sport/death-of-former-cycling-supremo-joe-christle-447034.html/news/art_4467.shtml "Death of former cycling supremo Joe Christle" Publisher: Irish Independent.com Accessed date: 30 May 2009
  2. www.cyclingnews.com http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/no-uci-ranked-ras-tailteann-to-take-place-in-2019/. Retrieved 3 June 2019. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 1 October 2010. Retrieved 27 September 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) "An Post Takes Over Title Sponsorship of Rás" Publisher: Irish Cycling.com Accessed date: 27 September 2010
  4. "1961 Rás Tailteann results". fbdinsurances.com. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
  5. "2009 FBD Insurance Rás results". irishcycling.com. Archived from the original on 27 May 2009. Retrieved 24 May 2009.
  6. "Lukas Postlberger finally strikesit lucky in Ras". Irish Examiner.
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