Rás Tailteann

Rás Tailteann
Race details
Date	late May
Region	Irland
Nickname(s)	The Rás
Discipline	Road
Competition	UCI Europe Tour 2.2
Typ	Stage race
Organiser	Cumann Rás Tailteann
Race director	Eimear Dignam
Web site	www.anpostras.ie
History
First edition	1953
Editions	66 (as of 2018)
First winner	Colm Christle (IRL)
Most wins	Sé O Hanlon (IRL) (4 wins)
Most recent	Luuc Bugter (NED)

Rás Tailteann (pronounced [ˈɾˠaːsˠ ˈt̪ˠalʲtʲənˠ], "Tailteann Race"), known for sponsorship reasons as the An Post Rás oder the Rás for short, is an annual 8-day international cycling stage race, held in Ireland in May. Around Ireland, the race is referred to as The Rás. By naming the race Rás Tailteann the original organisers, members of the National Cycling Association (NCA), were associating the cycle race with the Tailteann Games, a Gaelic festival in early medieval Ireland.

The event was founded by Joe Christle in 1953^[1] and was organised under the rules of the Republican-influenced organisation – the National Cycling Association (NCA). At that time competitive cycling in Ireland was deeply divided between three cycling organisations, the NCA, Cumann Rothaiochta na hÉireann (CRÉ) and the Northern Ireland Cycling Federation (NICF). This was due to the issue of nationalism and the division of Ireland into Northern Ireland and the Republic. The NCA wished for a United Ireland and refused to recognise Northern Ireland or to confine their jurisdiction to the Republic of Ireland. The Rás Tailteann was the biggest race that the NCA organised each year.

As a result of a Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) motion, the NCA was banned from international races and all teams affiliated with the UCI were banned from competing in races organised by the NCA. Therefore, only teams that were not affiliated with the UCI or who were willing to take the chance of serving a suspension for competing in the Rás Tailteann competed in the Rás Tailteann. During this time the NCA cyclists achieved prominence in the Rás with Gene Mangan, Sé O'Hanlon and Paddy Flanagan being several legends of the race. Mangan won only one Rás but featured in the race throughout the 1960s and early-1970s winning a total of 12 stages while O'Hanlon won the race four times and won 24 stages. Flanagan won the Rás three times and had 11 stage wins.

The NCA and the CRÉ together with NICF began unification talks in the late 1960s and early 1970s. As a result, a CRÉ team which included Pat McQuaid, Kieron McQuaid Peter Morton and Peter Doyle was able to enter the race in 1974. Doyle won the race and the McQuaids won two stages each. The first Rás open to the two associations CRÉ and the NICF was in 1979 and enabled Stephen Roche to compete the event as part of the Ireland team. Roche won the event.

The race has developed into a much sought after event by professional and amateur teams from many parts of the world. As part of the elite international calendar it is eligible to award qualifying points that are required for participation in Olympic Games and the UCI Road World Championships.

The first edition was held in 1953 as a two-day event but quickly developed into a week-long event. It has run every year since uninterrupted.

The official name of the race has been changed many times over the years, usually named after sponsors. An Post are the current title sponsors,^[2] although this sponsorship ended after the 2017 event. The race is a UCI 2.2 event.

Past winners

No.	Year	GC Winner	Nationality	Team	Points class	KOM	U23
1	1953	Colm Christle	Irland	Gate C.C.
2	1954	Joe O'Brien	Irland	National C.C.
3	1955	Gene Mangan	Irland	Kerry
4	1956	Paudie Fitzgerald	Irland	Kerry
5	1957	Frank Ward	Irland	Dublin
6	1958	Mick Murphy	Irland	Kerry
7	1959	Ben McKenna	Irland	Meath
8	1960	Paddy Flanagan	Irland	Kildare
9	1961^[3]	Tom Finn	Irland	Dublin Team		Seán Dillon
10	1962	Sé O'Hanlon	Irland	Dublin
11	1963	Zbigniew Głowaty	Polen
12	1964	Paddy Flanagan (2)	Irland	Kildare
13	1965	Sé O'Hanlon (2)	Irland	Dublin
14	1966	Sé O'Hanlon (3)	Irland	Dublin
15	1967	Sé O'Hanlon (4)	Irland	Dublin
16	1968	Milan Hrazdíra	Czechoslovakia
17	1969	Brian Connaughton	Irland	Meath
18	1970	Aleksandr Gusyatnikov	Soviet Union
19	1971	Colm Nulty	Irland	Meath
20	1972	John Mangan	Irland	Kerry
21	1973	Mike O'Donaghue	Irland	Carlow
22	1974	Peter Doyle	Irland	I.C.F.
23	1975	Paddy Flanagan (3)	Irland	Kildare
24	1976	Fons Steuten	Niederlande
25	1977	Yuri Lavyrushkin	Soviet Union
26	1978	Séamus Kennedy	Irland	Kerry
27	1979	Stephen Roche	Irland	Irland
28	1980	Billy Kerr	Irland	Irland
29	1981	Jamie McGahan	Vereinigtes Königreich	Scotland
30	1982	Dermot Gilleran	Irland	Irland
31	1983	Philip Cassidy	Irland	Irland
32	1984	Stephen Delaney	Irland	Dublin
33	1985	Nikolay Kosyakov	Soviet Union
34	1986	Stephen Spratt	Irland	Irland
35	1987	Paul McCormack	Irland	Longford
36	1988	Paul McCormack (2)	Irland	Irland
37	1989	Dainis Ozols	Soviet Union
38	1990	Ian Chivers	Irland	Irland
39	1991	Kevin Kimmage	Irland	Meath
40	1992	Stephen Spratt (2)	Irland	Dublin
41	1993	Eamonn Byrne	Irland	Dublin Wheelers
42	1994	Declan Lonergan	Irland	Irland
43	1995	Paul McQuaid	Irland	Irland
44	1996	Tommy Evans	Irland	Armagh
45	1997	Andrew Roche	Irland	Kerry
46	1998	Ciarán Power	Irland	Team Ireland
47	1999	Philip Cassidy (2)	Irland	Team Ireland
48	2000	Julian Winn	Vereinigtes Königreich	Wales team	David McCann	David McCann
49	2001	Paul Manning	Vereinigtes Königreich	Great Britain team	David Kopp	Nicholas White
50	2002	Ciarán Power (2)	Irland	Team Ireland-Stena Line	Chris Newton	Julian Winn
51	2003	Chris Newton	Vereinigtes Königreich	Great Britain team	Jonas Holmkvist	Maxim Iglinskiy
52	2004	David McCann	Irland	Ireland-Thornton's Recycling Team	Malcolm Elliott	Tobias Lergard
53	2005	Chris Newton (2)	Vereinigtes Königreich	Recycling.co.uk	Malcolm Elliott	Mark Lovatt
54	2006	Kristian House	Vereinigtes Königreich	Recycling.co.uk	Morten Hegreberg	Ciarán Power
55	2007	Tony Martin	Deutschland	Thüringer Energie Team	Dominique Rollin	Ricardo Van der Velde
56	2008	Stephen Gallagher	Irland	An Post–Sean Kelly	Dean Downing	Kit Gilham
57	2009^[4]	Simon Richardson	Vereinigtes Königreich	Rapha Condor recycling.co.uk	Niko Eeckhout	David O'Loughlin	Mark McNally
58	2010	Alexander Wetterhall	Schweden	Team Sprocket Pro	John Degenkolb	Mark Cassidy	Connor McConvey
59	2011	Gediminas Bagdonas	Litauen	An Post-Sean Kelly	Shane Archbold	Oleksandr Sheydyk	Aaron Gate
60	2012	Nicolas Baldo	Frankreich	Atlas Personal-Jakroo	Gediminas Bagdonas	David Clarke	Richard Handley
61	2013	Marcin Białobłocki	Polen	You have called `{{Contentious topics}}`. You probably meant to call one of these templates instead: Alerting users {{alert/first}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/first}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the contentious topics system if they have never received such an alert before. In this case, this template must be used for the notification. {{alert}} ({{Contentious topics/alert}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the fact that a specific topic is a contentious topic. It may only be used if the user has previously received any contentious topic alert, and it can be replaced by a custom message that conveys the contentious topic designation. {{alert/DS}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/DS}}) is used to inform editors that the old "discretionary sanctions" system has been replaced by the contentious topics system, and that a specific topic is a contentious topic. {{Contentious topics/aware}} is used to register oneself as already aware that a specific topic is a contentious topic. Editnotices {{Contentious topics/editnotice}} is used to inform editors that a page is covered by the contentious topics system using an editnotice. Use the one below if the page has restrictions placed on the page. {{Contentious topics/page restriction editnotice}} is used to inform editors that the page they are editing is subject to contentious topics restrictions using an editnotice. Use the above if there are no restrictions placed on the page. Talk page notices {{Contentious topics/talk notice}} is used to provide additional communication, using a talk page messagebox (tmbox), to editors that they are editing a page that is covered by the contentious topics system. The template standardises the format and wording of such notices. Use the below if there are restrictions placed on the page. {{Contentious topics/page restriction talk notice}} is used to inform editors that page restrictions are active on the page using a talk page messagebox (tmbox). Use the above if there are no restrictions placed on the page. If a user who has been alerted goes on to disruptively edit the affected topic area, they can be reported to the arbitration enforcement (AE) noticeboard, where an administrator will investigate their conduct and issue a sanction if appropriate. {{AE sanction}} is used by administrators to inform a user that they have been sanctioned. Miscellaneous {{Contentious topics/list}} and {{Contentious topics/table}} show which topics are currently designated as contentious topics. They are used by a number of templates and pages on Wikipedia. \|\| Owain Doull \|\| Martin Hunal \|\| Simon Yates
62	2014	Clemens Fankhauser	Österreich	You have called `{{Contentious topics}}`. You probably meant to call one of these templates instead: Alerting users {{alert/first}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/first}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the contentious topics system if they have never received such an alert before. In this case, this template must be used for the notification. {{alert}} ({{Contentious topics/alert}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the fact that a specific topic is a contentious topic. It may only be used if the user has previously received any contentious topic alert, and it can be replaced by a custom message that conveys the contentious topic designation. {{alert/DS}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/DS}}) is used to inform editors that the old "discretionary sanctions" system has been replaced by the contentious topics system, and that a specific topic is a contentious topic. {{Contentious topics/aware}} is used to register oneself as already aware that a specific topic is a contentious topic. Editnotices {{Contentious topics/editnotice}} is used to inform editors that a page is covered by the contentious topics system using an editnotice. Use the one below if the page has restrictions placed on the page. {{Contentious topics/page restriction editnotice}} is used to inform editors that the page they are editing is subject to contentious topics restrictions using an editnotice. Use the above if there are no restrictions placed on the page. Talk page notices {{Contentious topics/talk notice}} is used to provide additional communication, using a talk page messagebox (tmbox), to editors that they are editing a page that is covered by the contentious topics system. The template standardises the format and wording of such notices. Use the below if there are restrictions placed on the page. {{Contentious topics/page restriction talk notice}} is used to inform editors that page restrictions are active on the page using a talk page messagebox (tmbox). Use the above if there are no restrictions placed on the page. If a user who has been alerted goes on to disruptively edit the affected topic area, they can be reported to the arbitration enforcement (AE) noticeboard, where an administrator will investigate their conduct and issue a sanction if appropriate. {{AE sanction}} is used by administrators to inform a user that they have been sanctioned. Miscellaneous {{Contentious topics/list}} and {{Contentious topics/table}} show which topics are currently designated as contentious topics. They are used by a number of templates and pages on Wikipedia. \|\| Patrick Bevin \|\| Markus Eibegger \|\| Alex Peters
63	2015	Lukas Pöstlberger^[5]	Österreich	You have called `{{Contentious topics}}`. You probably meant to call one of these templates instead: Alerting users {{alert/first}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/first}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the contentious topics system if they have never received such an alert before. In this case, this template must be used for the notification. {{alert}} ({{Contentious topics/alert}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the fact that a specific topic is a contentious topic. It may only be used if the user has previously received any contentious topic alert, and it can be replaced by a custom message that conveys the contentious topic designation. {{alert/DS}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/DS}}) is used to inform editors that the old "discretionary sanctions" system has been replaced by the contentious topics system, and that a specific topic is a contentious topic. {{Contentious topics/aware}} is used to register oneself as already aware that a specific topic is a contentious topic. Editnotices {{Contentious topics/editnotice}} is used to inform editors that a page is covered by the contentious topics system using an editnotice. Use the one below if the page has restrictions placed on the page. {{Contentious topics/page restriction editnotice}} is used to inform editors that the page they are editing is subject to contentious topics restrictions using an editnotice. Use the above if there are no restrictions placed on the page. Talk page notices {{Contentious topics/talk notice}} is used to provide additional communication, using a talk page messagebox (tmbox), to editors that they are editing a page that is covered by the contentious topics system. The template standardises the format and wording of such notices. Use the below if there are restrictions placed on the page. {{Contentious topics/page restriction talk notice}} is used to inform editors that page restrictions are active on the page using a talk page messagebox (tmbox). Use the above if there are no restrictions placed on the page. If a user who has been alerted goes on to disruptively edit the affected topic area, they can be reported to the arbitration enforcement (AE) noticeboard, where an administrator will investigate their conduct and issue a sanction if appropriate. {{AE sanction}} is used by administrators to inform a user that they have been sanctioned. Miscellaneous {{Contentious topics/list}} and {{Contentious topics/table}} show which topics are currently designated as contentious topics. They are used by a number of templates and pages on Wikipedia. \|\| Aaron Gate \|\| Aidis Kruopis \|\| Ryan Mullen
64	2016	Clemens Fankhauser (2)	Österreich	You have called `{{Contentious topics}}`. You probably meant to call one of these templates instead: Alerting users {{alert/first}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/first}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the contentious topics system if they have never received such an alert before. In this case, this template must be used for the notification. {{alert}} ({{Contentious topics/alert}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the fact that a specific topic is a contentious topic. It may only be used if the user has previously received any contentious topic alert, and it can be replaced by a custom message that conveys the contentious topic designation. {{alert/DS}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/DS}}) is used to inform editors that the old "discretionary sanctions" system has been replaced by the contentious topics system, and that a specific topic is a contentious topic. {{Contentious topics/aware}} is used to register oneself as already aware that a specific topic is a contentious topic. Editnotices {{Contentious topics/editnotice}} is used to inform editors that a page is covered by the contentious topics system using an editnotice. Use the one below if the page has restrictions placed on the page. {{Contentious topics/page restriction editnotice}} is used to inform editors that the page they are editing is subject to contentious topics restrictions using an editnotice. Use the above if there are no restrictions placed on the page. Talk page notices {{Contentious topics/talk notice}} is used to provide additional communication, using a talk page messagebox (tmbox), to editors that they are editing a page that is covered by the contentious topics system. The template standardises the format and wording of such notices. Use the below if there are restrictions placed on the page. {{Contentious topics/page restriction talk notice}} is used to inform editors that page restrictions are active on the page using a talk page messagebox (tmbox). Use the above if there are no restrictions placed on the page. If a user who has been alerted goes on to disruptively edit the affected topic area, they can be reported to the arbitration enforcement (AE) noticeboard, where an administrator will investigate their conduct and issue a sanction if appropriate. {{AE sanction}} is used by administrators to inform a user that they have been sanctioned. Miscellaneous {{Contentious topics/list}} and {{Contentious topics/table}} show which topics are currently designated as contentious topics. They are used by a number of templates and pages on Wikipedia. \|\| Aaron Gate \|\| Nikodemus Holler \|\| Jai Hindley
65	2017	James Gullen	Vereinigtes Königreich	You have called `{{Contentious topics}}`. You probably meant to call one of these templates instead: Alerting users {{alert/first}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/first}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the contentious topics system if they have never received such an alert before. In this case, this template must be used for the notification. {{alert}} ({{Contentious topics/alert}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the fact that a specific topic is a contentious topic. It may only be used if the user has previously received any contentious topic alert, and it can be replaced by a custom message that conveys the contentious topic designation. {{alert/DS}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/DS}}) is used to inform editors that the old "discretionary sanctions" system has been replaced by the contentious topics system, and that a specific topic is a contentious topic. {{Contentious topics/aware}} is used to register oneself as already aware that a specific topic is a contentious topic. Editnotices {{Contentious topics/editnotice}} is used to inform editors that a page is covered by the contentious topics system using an editnotice. Use the one below if the page has restrictions placed on the page. {{Contentious topics/page restriction editnotice}} is used to inform editors that the page they are editing is subject to contentious topics restrictions using an editnotice. Use the above if there are no restrictions placed on the page. Talk page notices {{Contentious topics/talk notice}} is used to provide additional communication, using a talk page messagebox (tmbox), to editors that they are editing a page that is covered by the contentious topics system. The template standardises the format and wording of such notices. Use the below if there are restrictions placed on the page. {{Contentious topics/page restriction talk notice}} is used to inform editors that page restrictions are active on the page using a talk page messagebox (tmbox). Use the above if there are no restrictions placed on the page. If a user who has been alerted goes on to disruptively edit the affected topic area, they can be reported to the arbitration enforcement (AE) noticeboard, where an administrator will investigate their conduct and issue a sanction if appropriate. {{AE sanction}} is used by administrators to inform a user that they have been sanctioned. Miscellaneous {{Contentious topics/list}} and {{Contentious topics/table}} show which topics are currently designated as contentious topics. They are used by a number of templates and pages on Wikipedia. \|\| Daan Meijers \|\| Przemysław Kasperkiewicz \|\| Michael O'Loughlin
66	2018	Luuc Bugter	Niederlande	You have called `{{Contentious topics}}`. You probably meant to call one of these templates instead: Alerting users {{alert/first}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/first}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the contentious topics system if they have never received such an alert before. In this case, this template must be used for the notification. {{alert}} ({{Contentious topics/alert}}) is used, on a user's talk page, to "alert", or draw a user's attention, to the fact that a specific topic is a contentious topic. It may only be used if the user has previously received any contentious topic alert, and it can be replaced by a custom message that conveys the contentious topic designation. {{alert/DS}} ({{Contentious topics/alert/DS}}) is used to inform editors that the old "discretionary sanctions" system has been replaced by the contentious topics system, and that a specific topic is a contentious topic. {{Contentious topics/aware}} is used to register oneself as already aware that a specific topic is a contentious topic. Editnotices {{Contentious topics/editnotice}} is used to inform editors that a page is covered by the contentious topics system using an editnotice. Use the one below if the page has restrictions placed on the page. {{Contentious topics/page restriction editnotice}} is used to inform editors that the page they are editing is subject to contentious topics restrictions using an editnotice. Use the above if there are no restrictions placed on the page. Talk page notices {{Contentious topics/talk notice}} is used to provide additional communication, using a talk page messagebox (tmbox), to editors that they are editing a page that is covered by the contentious topics system. The template standardises the format and wording of such notices. Use the below if there are restrictions placed on the page. {{Contentious topics/page restriction talk notice}} is used to inform editors that page restrictions are active on the page using a talk page messagebox (tmbox). Use the above if there are no restrictions placed on the page. If a user who has been alerted goes on to disruptively edit the affected topic area, they can be reported to the arbitration enforcement (AE) noticeboard, where an administrator will investigate their conduct and issue a sanction if appropriate. {{AE sanction}} is used by administrators to inform a user that they have been sanctioned. Miscellaneous {{Contentious topics/list}} and {{Contentious topics/table}} show which topics are currently designated as contentious topics. They are used by a number of templates and pages on Wikipedia. \|\| Luuc Bugter \|\| Lukas Ruegg \|\| Robbe Ghys

Bibliography

Daly, Tom (2003). The Rás – The Story of Ireland's Unique Bike Race. The Collins Press. ISBN 1-903464-37-4.
Daly, Tom (2012). The Rás – The Story of Ireland's Unique Bike Race – paperback edition. The Collins Press. ISBN 978-1-84889-148-7.
Traynor, Jim. The Rás – A Day by Day Diary of Ireland's Great Bike Race. The Collins Press. ISBN 978-1-905451-71-5.
Riordan, Christy (2009). A Special tribute to Mick Murphy: Winner of 1958 Rás Tailteann. C.R. DVD & Video production.

References

^ http://www.independent.ie/sport/death-of-former-cycling-supremo-joe-christle-447034.html/news/art_4467.shtml "Death of former cycling supremo Joe Christle" Publisher: Irish Independent.com Accessed date: 30 May 2009
^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 1 October 2010. Retrieved 27 September 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) "An Post Takes Over Title Sponsorship of Rás" Publisher: Irish Cycling.com Accessed date: 27 September 2010
^ "1961 Rás Tailteann results". fbdinsurances.com. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
^ "2009 FBD Insurance Rás results". irishcycling.com. Archived from the original on 27 May 2009. Retrieved 24 May 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^ "Lukas Postlberger finally strikesit lucky in Ras". Irish Examiner.

External links

Official website

[1] ttp://www.independent.ie/sport/death-of-former-cycling-supremo-joe-christle-447034.html/news/art_4467.shtml "Death of former cycling supremo Joe Christle" Publisher: Irish Independent.com Accessed date: 30 May 2009

[2] "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 1 October 2010. Retrieved 27 September 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) "An Post Takes Over Title Sponsorship of Rás" Publisher: Irish Cycling.com Accessed date: 27 September 2010

[3] "1961 Rás Tailteann results". fbdinsurances.com. Retrieved 28 June 2009.

[4] "2009 FBD Insurance Rás results". irishcycling.com. Archived from the original on 27 May 2009. Retrieved 24 May 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

[5] "Lukas Postlberger finally strikesit lucky in Ras". Irish Examiner.

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