Rás Táilteann set for another thrilling finish in Blackrock

The Rás Táilteann 2023 is currently underway, with the biggest event in the Irish cycling calendar set to finish in Blackrock for a second year in a row. 

The race is a five-day event, which began on Wednesday morning in Meath and will finish in the Louth Seaside village on Sunday following five grueling stages of action. It will also take the riders into Castlebellingham and Ardee on their way to the finish.

The teams assembled and departed from Navan for Stage 1 as a way of celebrating 70 years of the local Navan Road Club. The 90KM run in to Birr was won by English athlete Conor McGoldrick of the Trek Richardson team.

The day 2 riding route featured a tough time in the saddle, as the race departed from Birr and made its way along the rolling roads of North Tipperary, skirting Lough Derg and taking in the Cat 3 climb in Portroe. All before crossing the Shannon into Killaloe with the stage ending in Ennis Town.

After five climbs, the route ended with a flat finish, which led to a sprint for the victory. In the end it was Matthew Fox of Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli that snatched the victory from Patrick O’Loughlin of Team Ireland, as a large group of riders descended on the finish. 

Stage 3

Stage 3 is taking place today. It is dedicated to the memory of Tommy Devereux, a Castlebar native and stalwart of Irish cycling and Rás Táilteann, who sadly passed away in December 2022.

On paper, this will be a day for the sprinters, with mostly fast and flat roads making up the route alongside two Cat 3 climbs which are thrown in for good measure.

The route takes in the towns of Ardrahan, Craughwell, Athenry, Tuam and Ballinrobe before making its way into Castlebar for a finish on Lanagh Road.

Stage 4

The race transfers to Charlestown for the Stage 4 départ to commence the longest stage of Rás Táilteann 2023 (176km). The first half of the route features mainly flat roads, all while passing through Tulsk, Strokestown and Longford.

The race then makes a directional change northwards into Longford, which features more difficult roads for the second half of the stage. The undulating roads take them through County Cavan, where three Cat 3 climbs are featured.

They are sure to take their toll on the riders before a relatively flat run-in from Clones to Monaghan Town. The final twist of Stage 4 is the last 300 metres uphill to the finish, which is just outside Monaghan Cathedral.

Stage 5

After a ceremonial start in the centre of Monaghan Town, the riders will spend Sunday making their way through the towns of Ballybay, Shercock, Kingscourt, Drumconrath, Ardee, and Castlebellingham before passing onto a slightly tweaked and extended finishing circuit in Blackrock.

The riders will complete four laps of an 11.1km circuit before they become men of the Rás 2023. Stage 5 also features one Cat 3 climb at Meath Hill enroute to Blackrock. After last year’s thrilling finale, more of the same is promised in the beautiful County Louth seaside town this time around.