The French Army de Terre team will take the start of the 65th An Post RAS (Tour of Ireland) on Sunday in Dublin, on the lands of Stephen Roche, Sean Kelly or Sam Bennett. On this island where their president Mr. Higgins is himself a poet, writer, everything is different, a far cry from what we can know, a simple back to basics.

Driving in Ireland is an odyssey that could have been narrating James Joyce, the famous writer of this Emerald Isle exile in France. There, on the land lulled by myths for thousands of years, everything is told in music, poem by tale.

There, in Ireland, you are always welcome if you have the’soul of’a dreamer! The low in Ireland, we do not play "Diva" at the turn of a race, a discussion. Over there on the land of legends, you n’are just that’a passenger of life, actor in the history of the island of legends.

Benjamin Thomas & Morgan Kneisky

A resident of Galway told us one evening at the end of a pub, real social network on the island; « Here you can even meet the actors or singers like the guys from U2 and Colin Farell, Liam Neason at the local pub, even Barack Obama came to drink the guinness to find his Irish family! But everyone really cares who they are from, why that’they come here precisely. If it's nice, humble and simply remains a man, one size bib without the fucking selfies, otherwise it will fuck.

Understanding this, means understanding the fighting spirit that of a "little" people who managed to thwart the great powers of this island where respect is earned in combat with tenacity. And recent years, the organizers of the An Post RAS had this eyes on a team he had met with.

That of Army de Terre he had met in 2014 with the victory of Kevin Lebreton on Kreiz Breizh dear to Irishman Eddie Dawson. That day, the Irish found their core team. This elite team formed in 2006 became the pro team victorious today, born in the head’crazy sweet as that of Lima Da Costa with Cédric Barre joined by Vincent Bengochea and Jimmy Casper. It was a sacred dream to conquer this dose up like those crazy Irish dreamers. This "fighting spirit", the gunners the’have since the beginning of this season precisely.

2014 Eddie Dawson(right) meets the Army on Kreiz Breiz

Just remember this elite team invited to compete in the pro races, even under the mocking laughter of some divas. They responded by warrior and slammed more than good races, they finally slammed the donut these "snobs" by winning beautiful class bastons 1 like that of Damien Gaudin went looking far as this crazy Tro Bro Léon, that of Julien Loubet gushing into the kilometer where we did not expect the tour of Finistere. And also that HC Benjamin Thomas, World Champion on the track, on the 4 Days of Dunkirk before a Sylvain Chavanel saluting the feat young gunner. The Army is in the image of Ireland precisely. It is never where you expect such these leprechauns, dressed all in green, coming from nowhere. A humble group but ready to go for the win with their guts, without complex, the beard of the great powers World Tours.

This is what has rained on Eddie Dawson in the first place then on Tony Campbell Rás organizer.

They have in them the flame that Irish precisely meet. There, in Ireland, there is no foreign teams chosen by chance, they are chosen for their passions, their hearts, their desires to do battle on this earth where even large English armies took a real frigged. They love the fight these Irish. And finally because the Army team applies this saying straight out of’Ireland: "Hope is what drives last.

Yssaad Yannis ,Armee De Terre ( Photo Camille Le Saux)

Clement bar, what are your goals for the Tour of Ireland AN Post RAS?

Cédric Barre:  "Play For the General and Stages. We are not a tourist in Ireland. We Know what it means to run on this island. The guys were for general classification as Thomas Rostollan who already finished 2nd overall, he knows the spirit of this particular race.

There are also Stéphane Poulhiès he will have an important role in generalclassification. Jérôme Mainard will also be an asset to the hilly stages to the stages in the sprint, guys like Yannis Yssaad who won Paris-Troyes this season or Morgan Kneisky freshly world champion on the track, will play their cards. It was a team developed for An Post RAS. It will be player in general classification and on the stages".

What do you dread the most about An Post RAS?

Cédric Barre: "You just imagine that it's equivalent a tour of France home. Its broadcast on TV, schools stop for the passage of the pack, there are more people home after the RAS as the Tour de France, 

It's huge right? Suddenly, the RAS provide an opportunity for local riders to show up with the Counties, the county teams are cat 1 for most. It's been 39 teams with pros like Team Wiggins, JLT Condor, Madison, An Post ChainReaction and national teams such as Belgium and Australia.

195 riders at the start with these levels. It will surely fall in the early stage. We add to that the narrow roads where n’are no sidewalks, it will then be at the forefront early stage to avoid unpleasent surprises.

In addition, the Irish are rampaging home. It will attack all the time, they do every year and they will do everything to slam their front. Thomas Morgan Kneisky Rostollan and have good experience of the Irish and British races, they advise other. It's not going to be a cakewalk, I guarantee it.

The Final Victory Benjamin Thomas At Dunkirk 4 Day

L'Army has turned a corner this season.

Cédric Barre; "Yes clear. Our goal early in the season was to win a pro class race 1. slap in 2 and more you slap a Hors Category, it's 11 wins with 2 classes, plus the World Champions title and Benjamin Morgan . It's really much more than our ambitions were originaly. We are a dynamic and hope that it will continue. Our objectives are largely achieved our season is beautiful, it is on a cloud. If we were told that in early year, we would have signed on. But n’is not finished precisely. You can win in the pros and has ambitions without complex now.

It's true that we think the championship of France, for example, why not? It won races that are sometimes harder than the circuit of France, so why not make it a goal? Our guys have proven that they are able.

Thomas Rostollan, Armee De Terre Stage winner 2014

 

L’Army team for the 2017 An Post RAS

DS: Cédric Barre

Tomas Rostollan

Stéphane Poulhiès

Yannis Yssaad

Jérôme Mainard

Morgan Kneisky

Benjamin Thomas & Morgan Kneisky, Armee De Terre