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53rd FBD Insurance Rás - 2.2
Ireland, May 22-29, 2005
2004 results Stage List Preview Start List Past winners
The Stages
- Stage 1 - May 22: Dublin - Emyvale, 136 km
- Stage 2 - May 23: Emyvale - Tubbercurry, 165 km
- Stage 3 - May 24: Tubbercurry - Lisdoonvarna, 156 km
- Stage 4 - May 25: Lisdoonvarna - Templemore, 162 km
- Stage 5 - May 26: Templemore - Abbeyleix, 114 km
- Stage 6 - May 27: Abbeyleix - Rathdrum, 160 km
- Stage 7 - May 28: Rathdrum - Wicklow Town, 138 km
- Stage 8 - May 29: Phoenix Park Circuit, 50 km
Huge battle in store
By Shane Stokes, Irishcycling.com
It's showtime. At 12.30 pm on Sunday May 22nd a record-sized field of 200 riders will line up outside Dublin's GPO, giddied by nervous energy and the thoughts of what lies ahead. Over the course of the next eight days and 1,100 kilometres the main protagonists will slug it out, attacking, parrying, jostling and bluffing as they seek to gain precious seconds over their rivals and win the race.
This year's FBD Insurance Rás is poised to be the most open in years, the huge foreign contingent making for an unpredictable, uncontrollable and close-fought contest. Well over half the field is from overseas; amongst those lured by the world ranking points on offer are six professional squads plus the TIAA-CREF development team set up by former Tour de France rider Jonathan Vaughers. All in all, the overseas armada represents a real threat to Irish aspirations of overall victory.
Twelve months ago David McCann and David O'Loughlin finished first and third overall in the race, capping off an excellent week for the national squad. This time round the duo are absent due to racing commitments with their pro teams, meaning that Belgian-based riders Stephen Gallagher and Paídi O'Brien will lead the charge on the Grant Thornton Ireland team. They will be backed by Brian Keane, Conor Murphy and John Dempsey in their bid for overall honours.
Standing in their way is that considerable overseas force, with three former winners amongst those chasing victory this time round. Julian Winn (Wales Stena Line), Paul Manning and Chris Newton (Recycling.co.uk) should be in the running for overall honours, and so too riders from pro teams such as Estonia - Kalev Chocolate Classic Bicycles, Czech Republic - Elmarco KK Cube Dukla Liberec, Canada-Jet Fuel Coffee/Sympatico, Netherlands, Team B&E, and Norway-Team Sparebanken Vest.
The 2005 FBD Insurance Rás gets underway on Sunday with a fast 136 kilometre stage starting in Dublin, scaling the category three Tully Esker hill and then concluding in Emyvale. Day two sees the field cover 165 kilometres between Emyvale and Tubbercurry with again just one category three climb-that of Corraghduff-featuring. The course turns due South on Tuesday, the riders taking in the ascents of Lurga (category 3) and Corkscrew Hill (category 2) along an wind-exposed 156 kilometre run to Lisdoonvarna.
Tiring legs mean that the cracks could start to appear on day four, a 162 kilometre race to Templemore which includes four third category ascents. But it is on Thursday's fifth stage that the real mountains begin, with the first category climbs of The Crag and The Butts plus the Grangehill (category 3), Uskerty Hill and Glenmagoo (both category 2) ascents all acting as springboards for attacks on the yellow jersey. This 144 kilometre stage to Abbeyleix will be the first clear indication of those who can win the 2005 edition.
A temporary respite from the hills comes on stage six, a mainly flat 160 kilometre run towards Rathdrum, but the road rears skywards again on Saturday week when the riders tackle what should prove the hardest day of the race. This penultimate stage is the second shortest at just 138 kilometres, but what it lacks in length it more than makes up for in difficulty; in total seven climbs await the wearying riders, providing ample opportunity for the yellow jersey contenders to slug it out. Ballygannon Hill (cat. 3), Slieveman (cat. 1), Barnameelia (cat. 3), Lacken (cat. 3) and Ballyward (cat. 2) set the tone before the final category one double-whammy of Sally Gap and Lugalla. Once over the climbs the riders will speed through Roundwood and on to the finish in Wicklow Town.
The race concludes Sunday week with the now-customary circuit race in Dublin's Phoenix Park, a 50 kilometre speedfest which will delight both spectators and sprinters alike.
Start list
Grant Thornton Jet Fuel Coffee
1 John Dempsey (Irl) 6 Zach Bell (Can)
2 Stephen Gallagher (Irl) 7 Kevin Miller (Can)
3 Paudi O'Brien (Irl) 8 Mark Pozniak (Can)
4 Conor Murphy (Irl) 9 Andrew Randell (Can)
5 Brian Keane (Irl)
Elmarco KK Kalev Chocolate
11 Rostislav Krotky (Cze) 16 Sigvard Kukk (Est)
12 Jan Novak (Cze) 17 Andri Lebedev (Est)
13 Jiri Korbel (Cze) 19 Andrei Mustonen (Est)
14 Martin Snizek (Cze) 20 Mart Ojavee (Est)
15 Michal Stastny (Cze)
Fujibikes Stevens von Hacht
21 Gareth Jones (GBr) 26 Thorsten Wiedenroth (Ger)
22 Greg Roche (GBr) 27 Arne Hinrichsen (Ger)
23 Anthony Malarczyk (GBr) 28 Sonke Thiel (Ger)
24 Kristian House (GBr) 29 Jens Schwedler (Ger)
25 Stephan Wolfer (GBr) 30 Malte Urban (Ger)
Sparebanken Vest BRC Kennemerland
31 Are Andresen (Nor) 36 Tino Haakman (Ned)
32 Morten Christiansen (Nor) 37 Richard Kooijman (Ned)
33 Morten Hegreberg (Nor) 38 Menno de Boer (Ned)
34 Gabriel Rasch (Nor) 39 Hugo Keetman (Ned)
35 Stian Remme (Nor) 40 Peter Vermeulen (Ned)
Scotland Scotland West
41 Duncan Urquhart (GBr) 46 James Cusick (GBr)
42 Evan Oliphant (GBr) 47 Stuart MacGregor (GBr)
43 Gary Hand (GBr) 48 Paul Coats (GBr)
44 Alex Coutts (GBr) 49 Chris Smart (GBr)
45 David Smith (GBr) 50 Marcus Smith (GBr)
Stena Guinness
51 Julian Winn (GBr) 56 Donald Reeb (USA)
52 Jamie Norfolk (GBr) 57 David Klipper (USA)
53 Robert Partridge (GBr) 58 Todd Duncan (USA)
54 Paul Sheppard (GBr) 59 Mark King (USA)
55 Yanto Barker (GBr) 60 J Skiles Keith (USA)
Boston Scientific TIAA-CREF
62 Peter Sleight (USA) 66 Stuart Gillespie (USA)
63 Mike Barton (USA) 67 Ian MacGregor (USA)
64 Alan Potter (USA) 68 Sheldon Deeny (USA)
65 Justin Lillie (USA) 69 David Robinson (USA)
70 Nathan Mitchell (USA)
McGuire Cycles Ventilux First Mortgage
71 Dan O'Sullivan (USA) 76 Kenny Williams (USA)
72 Emmet Hogan (Irl) 77 Mick Walsh (USA)
73 Max Spirin (USA) 78 Kacey Chamberlin (USA)
74 Aaron Beardsley (USA) 79 Nobby O'Reilly (Irl)
75 Fred Stamm (USA) 80 Jason Bethel (GBr)
Tradewind Sports-CCB Recycling.co.uk
81 Chris Harnish (USA) 86 Chris Newton (GBr)
82 Jeremy Burton (USA) 87 Paul Manning (GBr)
83 Jeff Craddock (USA) 88 Robin Sharman (GBr)
84 Conor Coffey (USA) 89 Shaun Snodden (GBr)
85 Thad LaVallee (USA) 90 Ben Greenwood (GBr)
Trinity Capital NE England
91 John Tanner (GBr) 96 John Charlesworth (GBr)
92 Kevin Dawson (GBr) 97 Dave Buchan (GBr)
93 Mark Lovatt (GBr) 98 Ronnie Batey (GBr)
94 Thomas Evans (Irl) 99 Steve Kenny (GBr)
95 Malcolm Elliott (GBr) 100 Chris Daddy (GBr)
SurreyRacing League Angliasport
101 Roger Morgan (GBr) 106 Richard Eastham (GBr)
102 Chris McNamara (GBr) 107 Chris Belsham (GBr)
103 Timothy Dunford (GBr) 108 Richard Cartland (GBr)
104 Simon Saunders (GBr) 109 Simon McNamara (GBr)
105 Gary Dodd (GBr) 110 Peter Hey (GBr)
Kanturk Nucleus
111 Daniel Lynch (Irl) 116 John Horgan (Irl)
112 Denis Lynch (Irl) 117 Mick Hennessy (Irl)
113 Martyn Irvine (Irl) 118 Simon Kelly (Irl)
114 Eoin Concannon (Irl) 119 Padraig Marrey (Irl)
115 Michael Fitzgerald (Irl) 120 Anthony O'Brien (Irl)
Whs. All Systems IRC Moy Isover
121 Ken Norgrove (Irl) 126 John-Paul Lyons (Irl)
122 Ciaran Farrell (Irl) 127 Stephen Enright (Irl)
123 Fergus O'Connor (Irl) 128 Dave Reilly (Irl)
124 Brian Taafe (Irl) 129 Michael Elliott (Irl)
125 David Peelo (Irl) 130 Karl Elliott (Irl)
Usher Insulations Team Murphy & Gunn
131 Paul Healion (Irl) 136 Eddie O'Donoghue (Irl)
132 Philip Finegan (Irl) 137 John Wall (Irl)
133 Brian Stewart (GBr) 138 Adrian Hedderman (Irl)
134 Michael Mulcahy (Irl) 139 Morgan Fox (Irl)
135 Ryan Connor (GBr) 140 Frank O'Connor (Irl)
Dundrum Shopping Exel Ravens
141 Mark McLeavey (Irl) 146 Jonathan Gormley (Irl)
142 Scott McDonald (Irl) 147 Ian Paine (GBr)
143 Francis Ennis (Irl) 148 Tom Hemmant (GBr)
150 Kieran Keane (Irl)
Kerry Murphy Surveys
151 John O'Brien (Irl) 156 Colm Bracken (Irl)
152 Michael Horgan (Irl) 157 Ciaran Steed (Irl)
153 Tony Devane (Irl) 158 Michael Steed (Irl)
154 Thomas Lavery (Irl) 159 Barry Donnelly (Irl)
155 Eldon Looney (Irl) 160 William Byrne (Irl)
Ena Loakman Safe Cycling
161 Daire O'Sullivan (Irl) 166 Roger Aiken (Irl)
162 Richard Malone (Irl) 167 Karl Dolan (Irl)
163 Dave Early (Irl) 168 Myles McCorry (Irl)
164 Cormac O'Shea (Irl) 169 Sean McGreevy (Irl)
165 Tom Greene (Irl) 170 Eoin Whelan (Irl)
cycleways.com M Donnelly
171 Philip Cassidy (Irl) 176 Craig Sweetman (Irl)
172 Mark Cassidy (Irl) 177 Simon Mulvany (Irl)
173 Aidan Crowley (Irl) 178 Robert Moore (Irl)
174 Stephen O'Sullivan (Irl) 179 Bill Moore (Irl)
175 Eugene Moriarty (Irl) 180 Sean Lacey (Irl)
Dan Morrissey Worldwide Cycles
181 Tim Barry (Irl) 186 Barry Meehan (Irl)
182 Rory Wyley (Irl) 187 John Mason (Irl)
183 John O'Shea (Irl) 188 Keith Griffin (Irl)
184 Brian Truman (Irl) 189 Andrew Roche (Irl)
185 Vincent Gleeson (Irl)
Wicklow North Wicklow South
191 John Paul Lynch (Irl)
192 Adam Kelly (Irl) 196 Eamonn Prendergast (Irl)
193 Niall Jenkins (Irl) 197 Gerard Ivory (Irl)
194 Michael O'Donnell (Irl) 198 Paddy Kelly (Irl)
195 Frank O'Leary (Irl) 199 Derek Cunningham (Irl)
200 Cian Crowley (Irl)
Past winners
2004 David McCann (Irl) Thorntons Recycling 2003 Chris Newton (Great Britain) 2002 Ciaran Power (Ireland) 2001 Paul Manning (Great Britain) 2000 Julian Winn (Wales) 1999 Philip Cassidy (Ireland) 1998 Ciaran Power (Ireland) 1997 Andrew Roche (Kerry) 1996 Tommy Evans (Armagh) 1995 Paul McQuaid (Ireland) 1994 Declan Lonergan (Ireland) 1993 Eamonn Byrne (Dublin) 1992 Stephen Spratt (Dublin) 1991 Kevin Kimmage (Meath) 1990 Ian Chivers (Ireland) 1989 Dainis Ozolse (U.S.S.R) 1988 Paul McCormack (Ireland) 1987 Paul McCormack (Longford) 1986 Stephen Spratt (Ireland) 1985 Nicola Kosiakov (U.S.S.R) 1984 Stephen Delaney (Ireland) 1983 Philip Cassidy (Ireland) 1982 Dermot Gilleran (Ireland) 1981 Jamie McGahan (Scotland) 1980 Billy Kerr (Ireland) 1979 Stephen Roche (Ireland) 1978 Seamus Kennedy (Kerry) 1977 Yuri Lavyrushkin (U.S.S.R) 1976 Fons Steuten (Netherlands) 1975 Paddy Flanagan (Kildare) 1974 Peter Doyle (I.C.F) 1973 Mike O'Donoghue (Carlow) 1972 John Mangan (Kerry) 1971 Colm Nulty (Meath) 1970 Alexander Gysiatnikov (USSR) 1969 Brian Connaughton (Meath) 1968 Milan Hrezdira (Czech) 1967 Shay O'Hanlon (Dublin) 1966 Shay O'Hanlon (Dublin) 1965 Shay O'Hanlon (Dublin) 1964 Paddy Flanagan (Kildare) 1963 Zbigniew Glowaty (Poland) 1962 Shay O'Hanlon (Dublin) 1961 Tom Finn (Dublin) 1960 Paddy Flanagan (Kildare) 1959 Ben McKenna (Meath) 1958 Mick Murphy (Kerry) 1957 Frank Ward (Dublin) 1956 Paudie Fitzgerald (Kerry) 1955 Gene Mangan (Kerry) 1954 Joe O'Brien (National C.C) 1953 Colm Cristle (Gate C.C) Past winners by Mario Stiehl, www.world-of-cycling.com
