A 1,200 kilometres route was unveiled yesterday for the 2015 An Post Rás, the first to take place since last year’s successful Giro D’Italia Grand Depart across Belfast and Dublin which drew huge crowds onto the streets of both cities.
Starting in Dunboyne, County Meath the race goes south to Carlow and Tipperary, then west through Galway, Mayo and Leitrim before swinging back to the east coast and a penultimate stop in Drogheda before finishing in the Dublin seaside town of Skerries.
“This year’s race is a lot flatter than recent years,” said Race Director Tony Campbell. “However it is very rolling terrain and very exposed and there is very little shelter on a lot of stages.
“The riders are going to have to be careful of winds; if there are any sort of westerly winds, I would say they could be in big trouble. It is going to make for great racing and will also require good bike handling skills.”
This will be the fifth year of An Post’s sponsorship of the race and CEO Donal O’Connell explained some of the thinking behind the company involvement>
“An Post is Rás sponsor since 2011 and we have seen things change for the positive in this time, with huge growth in cycling as a sport, a form of transport and as part of the leisure and tourism economy.”
“An Post is part of this and we continue with our support for cycling at every level.”
“The relationship we have with the sport helps our business visibility, it allows us to be part of a positive change in the country and we see the huge and longstanding difference our support makes to An Post Rás, as it does with all of our sponsorships.”
An Post Rás route 2015 (May 17th – May 24th):
- Stage 1, Sunday May 17: Dunboyne to Carlow (154.4 kilometres)
- Stage 2, Monday May 18: Carlow to Tipperary (137.2 kilometres)
- Stage 3, Tuesday May 19: Tipperary to Bearna (155.9 kilometres)
- Stage 4, Wednesday May 20: Bearna to Newport (155 kilometres)
- Stage 5, Thursday May 21: Newport to Ballina (142.4 kilometres)
- Stage 6, Friday May 22: Ballina to Ballinamore (160.1 kilometres)
- Stage 7, Saturday May 23: Ballinamore to Drogheda (142.4 kilometres)
- Stage 8, Sunday May 24: Drogheda to Skerries (132.6 kilometres)
Image credit: Sportsfile
