Rás Tailteann

The An Post Rás , since 2018 Rás Tailteann , is an Irish road bike race . The first edition took place in 1953; it was the first stage race in Ireland.

history

The race was first run as a two-day race in 1953 and was initiated by a Dublin lawyer , Joe Christle. Christle was an Irish nationalist who was committed to the unity of Ireland in many ways; He was a member of the IRA , of Sinn Féin and editor of the United Irishman newspaper . He organized races until 1972.

In the first edition - from Dublin to Wexfort and back - there were 52 riders at the start, and very few of them had experience with stage races, as road cycling had no tradition in Ireland up to that point. With the name Rás Tailteann initially chosen , the organizers referred to the Tailteann Games , which had their origins in pre-Christian times. This national component was underlined by the choice of the starting point, in front of the General Post Office in Dublin, where the Easter Rising began in 1916 . Joe Christle's two brothers, Colm and Mick, took part and he urged them to win the race lest they see there was no prize money. Colm eventually won the first edition.

The race took place under the aegis of the National Cycling Association (NCA). The NCA promoted the unity of Ireland, which led to the fact that the association was expelled from the World Cycling Association UCI in 1947 at the instigation of the British National Cyclists' Union and with the support of the Commonwealth countries , because it did not recognize existing borders. As a result, numerous clubs left the NCA and founded the Cumann Rothaiochta na hEireann (CRE) association, which was accepted into the UCI with the support of the British; at the same time, an association for Northern Ireland , the Northern Irish Cycling Federation (NICF), was founded. The result was that members of the NCA were not allowed to start in international races, and vice versa, that clubs that started in the Rás were banned .

As a result, almost exclusively members of the NCA started at the Rás until 1973 , including Gene Mangan , who won the race once and twelve stages, Sé O'Hanlon won the overall standings and 24 stages and Paddy Flanagan won the race three times and eleven stages.

This situation persisted until 1974: after many years of negotiations, a CRE team with Pat McQuaid , Kieron McQuaid and Peter Doyle started the Rás for the first time . In 1978 the new Irish Cycling Tripartite Committee was formed from the NCA, CRE NISF, and from then on Northern Irish athletes were also allowed to compete. Stephen Roche from Dublin won the race the following year . Since 1987, Irish cyclists have only belonged to one association that is now called Cycling Ireland .

In 1963 a foreign team from Poland took part in the race for the first time. In 1979 and 1980 the race was called The Healt Race , then Tirolia Rás Tailteann until 1982 . In 1983 it was called Dairy Rás Tailteann , from 1984 FBC Milk Rás and from 2000 FDB Insurance Rás . From 2010 it was called An Post Rás . From 1990 to 1992 the race was part of the UCI racing calendar; since 2001 it has been classified again with the UCI category and has been going on for eight days since then. The race has been called Rás Tailteann since 2018 .

The race

An Post Rás has been held annually in May since then and has eight stages. The race has been part of the UCI Europe Tour since 2005 and is classified in category 2.2 . The record winner is the Irishman Sé O'Hanlon , who won the race four times. Tony Martin was the only German so far to win the tour in 2007.

winner

2018 Luuc Bugter 2017 James Gullen 2016 Clemens Fankhauser 2015 Lukas Pöstlberger 2014 Clemens Fankhauser 2013 Marcin Białobłocki 2012 Nicolas Baldo 2011 Gediminas Bagdonas 2010 Alexander Wetterhall 2009 Simon Richardson 2008 Stephen Gallagher 2007 Tony Martin 2006 Kristian House 2005 Chris Newton 2004 David McCann 2003 Chris Newton 2002 Ciarán Power 2001 Paul Manning 2000 Julian Winn 1999 Philip Cassidy 1998 Ciarán Power 1997 Andrew Roche

1996 Tommy Evans 1995 Paul McQuaid 1994 Declan Lonergan 1993 Eamonn Byrne 1992 Stephen Spratt 1991 Kevin Kimmage 1990 Ian Chivers 1989 Dainis Ozoles 1988 Paul McCormack 1987 Paul McCormack 1986 Stephen Spratt 1985 Nicola Kosiakow 1984 Stephen Delaney 1983 Philip Cassidy 1982 Dermot Gilleran 1981 Jamie McGahan 1980 Billy Kerr 1979 Stephen Roche 1978 Seamus Kennedy 1977 Yuri Lavrushkin 1976 Fons Steuten 1975 Paddy Flanagan

1974 Peter Doyle 1973 Mike O'Donaghue 1972 John Manganese 1971 Colm Nulty 1970 Alexander Gysiantnikow 1969 Brian Connaughton 1968 Milan Hrezdira 1967 Sé O'Hanlon 1966 Sé O'Hanlon 1965 Sé O'Hanlon 1964 Paddy Flanagan 1963 Zbigniew Głowaty 1962 Sé O'Hanlon 1961 Tom Finn 1960 Paddy Flanagan 1959 Ben McKenna 1958 Mick Murphy 1957 Frank Ward 1956 Paudie Fitzgerald 1955 Gene Mangan 1954 Joe O'Brien 1953 Colm Christle

literature

• Tom Daly: The Rás. The Story of Ireland's Unique Bike Race . The Collins Press, Cork 2003, ISBN 1-903464-37-4 .

Web links

• Official website
• Rás Tailteann in the Radsportseiten.net database

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} The Men Of The Rås. rastailteann.com, July 12, 2012, accessed February 17, 2014 . 
2. ↑ ^{a b} Daly, The Rás , p. 17.
3. ↑ ^{a b c} Daly, The Rás , p. 13.
4. ^ Daly, The Rás , p. 15.
5. ↑ Daly, The Rás , p. 19 f.
6. ↑ Daly, The Rás , p. 20.