Past winners and young thrusters among riders going for Rás Tailteann glory

Former champion Daire Feely, last year’s runner-up Conn McDunphy and a very young Irish national team will be among those in the thick of the action when the Rás Tailteann battle rages this week.

Starting on Wednesday with a stage from Drogheda to Boyle in Co Roscommon, the 761km event will feature strong teams from home and abroad.

A total of 13 visiting squads have travelled for the event, of which eight are from the United Kingdom. These include the Das Richardsons squad of Dom Jackson, the affable British rider who triumphed overall last year.

Cycling Club Isle of Man and the German team Storck-Metropol Cycling are the other two Europe-based visitors.

Good Guys Racing and Team Skyline hail from the USA, while Canel’s Java is registered in Mexico. The latter squad includes Cormac McGeough, who won stage three in Cahir last year.

Team Skyline features Irishmen McDunphy and Paul Kennedy, who had fine performances in the 2024 event.

Kennedy was second on day one, while McDunphy was one of the big stars of the week. He won stage two to Sneem and ended up second overall, having been involved in a close three-way battle with Jackson and young Irish talent Liam O’Brien throughout the event.

Those three ended up on precisely the same time in the final standings, marking the closest-ever finish in the race.

Kennedy will also be eager to get going in the 2025 edition, having finished second on the opening stage to Kilmallock.

The route of the 2025 Rás Tailteann, which runs from Wednesday to Sunday.

The 2022 Rás winner Feeley will spearhead the Burren CC team and will hope to reach the same level of success as three years ago. He rode a brilliant race then, becoming the first Irish winner since Stephen Gallagher back in 2008.

The Irish national squad will again be guided from the team car by Martyn Irvine. The former track world champion steered Dillon Corkery to success in 2024 and although Corkery will not be taking part this year, Irvine hopes that a young Irish team will find success.

At 22, double king of the mountains winner Dean Harvey is the most senior on the squad, and will head into the race with confidence boosted from his win this month in the national criterium championships.

He will be joined by the 21-year-olds Ruairi Byrne, Con Scully and Jamie Meehan, plus the 19-year-old Willem O’Connor. Fifteen Irish county and regional teams will also be hoping to leave their mark.

The 70th edition of the Rás Tailteann gets under way at 11.40am in Drogheda on Wednesday, with the first stage covering 155.5km to Boyle. Stage two from Charlestown to Clifden is the longest at 170.9km and takes in five categorised climbs, including the first-category Windy Gap.

Day three from Cong to Miltown Malbay is just 7km shorter and includes the category-two climbs of Corkscrew Hill and the Cliffs of Moher close to the finish.

The following day’s race from Ennis to Mountrath is the shortest of the week at 128.1km but the first-category climb of Wolftrap will wreak havoc inside the final half-hour of racing.

The final winner will be decided on Sunday with a fast 142.8km race from Kildare Town to Bective in Co Meath.