Every year, the An Post Rás offers domestic-based Irish riders the opportunity to test themselves against full-time riders from various UCI continental teams and the Stage 2 result showed that they’re well able to compete against the full-timers.
One of those Irish riders taking part is Brian McArdle of Scott-Orwell Wheelers who is lining up in his second Rás. Alongside him on the team are Stephen Barry, Ronan O’Flynn, Manual Fontan Garcia and Jamie Busher and the team are managed by Stephen O’Shea.
Brian has provided the below account of the opening two days of this year’s race.
Stage 1 – Dublin Castle to Multyfarnham (144.6 kms)
I remember the lead-up to the last year’s Rás, my first. I was trying convince myself that it was just another stage race. It was longer and tougher than anything I’d ever done, but still, it was just another stage race.
This year I think I believed it. I’ve completed it once, got the cap and earned the finisher’s medal. Rás number two should be straight-forward enough, right?
Signing on at Dublin Castle was pretty special. Masses of club mates came out to give us the largest cheer of the morning when we were introduced by Scott-Orwell’s own Declan Quigley. The support there and in the Phoenix Park, as well as plenty of random spots along the route, keeps you fuelled mentally.
It helps you remember that a club’s hopes have been invested in you and your teammates, and it’s up to you to try your hardest and do the club proud.
Just before the race start, our manager Stephen O’Shea gathers us around for a final team pep talk. We take a moment to remember Pat O’Brien, our Rás manager last year.
A huge contingent of the club was out in force in his native Enniscorthy yesterday, and he’ll be in our thoughts throughout the week.
Then we’re rolling out on familiar roads cheered on by spectators and passers-by. It made for a very memorable start to a pretty horrible day: rain, hail, lumpy roads and crashes…
The crash at 15km nearly blocked the road. I negotiated my way through it, hoping there wasn’t a teammate on the deck, and started to get a group together to chase back on.
It’s start-stop, nobody wants to commit. The race is disappearing up the road without us, but everyone’s looking at each other. Naturally, this is when the first heavy shower hits.
A few of us are fitfully chasing, then Damien Shaw swoops down like a guardian angel, hits the front like a freight train and hauls the whole race back together like a modern Hercules.
As things come back together, I make a mental checklist of our lads – everyone’s here, and in one piece. Except for Manuel, who says he’s fine, but his entire right side is caked with mud. He found a soft landing in a puddle!
The stage flashes by in a whirl of rain showers and sunny spells. Twice I made the mistake of being behind the guy who dropped the wheel in the line out. Once I got back on the bumpers, another time in a little chasing group.
The third time I had nobody to blame but myself. Pushing in the 53×11 as hard as possible, but a gap just slowly yawned open in front of me.
I flicked my elbow like a possessed chicken, willing someone to come around, to save me from myself. There’s no response, and a small group of us slowly detach from the bunch, with 30km remaining. The others filter through the cars, most of them regaining contact, but my legs are bust.
I sit up and wait for a teammate just behind, and we roll in together to finish the first stage. Hopefully that’s the hardest one done!
Stage 2 – Mullingar to Charleville (183.7kms)
We started the day on a low note, with one of the guys having to DNS due to a family emergency. Stephen had been riding high in the A2 cat, and would’ve been romping up the ranks in his Kingdom of Kerry, but it was not to be this year. Hopefully all goes well for him at home this week, and we’ll see him back next year for more.
The rest of us settled in for 180km+ from Mullingar to Charleville. We were hoping for an early break to go, then a nature break and feed at 50km, with a nice steady chase into Charleville.
Instead nothing got established until nearly the halfway point, which meant the fast start was extended long into the race.
It was particularly annoying that my GPS computer decided not to work this morning, meaning I had to mentally keep track of where we were on the route, and how long until the next key point.
As we head towards Nenagh, there’s a protracted lull as people stop for a nature break. Then a static feed goes horribly wrong, and combined with a couple of overtaking team cars, there’s a crash that blocks the road. A furious chase through Nenagh puts me back in the bunch.
Wisely our hard-working soigneurs Aishling and Mary chose a wider section for our feed zone, and the musette delivery was superb! Proper pro stuff, packed lunch on the bike!
I was delighted with myself, stuffing my face with cake at the back of the bunch, until we turned a corner onto the KOM of the day.
All the Orwells were in there, and despite splits on the climb, we ended up in the same group on the far side. With a big bunch and only 50km to go, the pace slackened and most of the riders sat back to work on their tans. Our man Ronan clipped off with about 30km to go with a few other more dedicated souls to claw back some GC time.
It was a delight to come to hear Eoin Morton had won the stage – a hard-working, honest-riding county rider getting one over on the pros. Along with Bryan McCrystal, who’s probably disappointed not to have yellow, but he’s already shown he looks good in blue!
Well done Brian. Brilliant stories. Keep it going.