After 22 years as co-sponsor of Ireland’s premier international cycle race, FBD Insurance is taking over sole sponsorship of the event, which will now be known as the “FBD Insurance RÁS,” it was announced today when details of the route for 2005 were unveiled.
Next year’s FBD Insurance RÁS will be the 53rd staging of the event, which will take place from May 22nd - 29th inclusive. It will cover over 1,100 kilometres anticlockwise around the country and at least 10 countries will have teams competing.
Dermot Dignam, Organizer, announcing the new sponsorship said, “this is one of the longest and most established sports sponsorships in the country and we are delighted that FBD is now assuming title sponsorship.”
Thanking FBD for their unswerving commitment to Irish cycling, he said, “when UCI, the world controlling body, set new financial standards for international races, it jeopardized the prospects of many well-known events throughout the world. Irish cycling was fortunate in having the support of FBD Insurance, which greatly increased its sponsorship to meet the challenge and secure the future of this great race.”
FBD Insurance Chief Executive, Philip Fitzsimons said, “our long association with the RÁS has been a positive one for us and Irish cycling. We are happy to avail of the opportunity to become sole sponsor. The RÁS attracts the interest of young and old for eight days every May and the colour and spectacle of this great international event is brought into every home in the country.”
Twenty one major mountain climbs, five stages over one hundred and forty kilometres each and three first-time ever stage finish towns are the main features in a gruelling route for the 2005 FBD Insurance RÁS 8 Day International Cycle Race which takes place from 22nd to 29th May.
In an anti-clockwise course around the centre of the country the top class field of over 160 riders from at least ten countries will cover eleven hundred kilometres with stage finishes in Emyvale, Tubbercurry, Lisdoonvarna Templemore, Abbeyleix, Rathdrum and Wicklow Town. The final stage is expected to be in its now customary beautiful setting of the Phoenix Park on Sunday 29th May.
This will be first time in the 52 year history of this great event for Emyvale, Templemore, or Rathdrum to experience all the thrills, excitement and drama of a stage finish. The colourful spectacle of 160 international cyclists sprinting on the main street for a coveted stage finish victory will be eagerly awaited by the sports-loving people in all the stage-end towns.
Slievemann, Luggala and Sally Gap in Wicklow, Corkscrew Hill in Clare, the Butts in Carlow, Bellavalley Gap in the Culcagh Mountains in Cavan and the Crag in Tipperary’s Slieveardagh Mountains are just some of the awesome climbs the riders will encounter and where the mountain climbing specialists will put all of the top favourites under extreme pressure.
While on paper the course for this coming year’s tough encounter would seem to favour the mountain specialist, particularly the penultimate stage in Wicklow, the more all-round rider will have plenty of opportunities of building up valuable time on the less mountainous stages to Emyvale, Tubbercurry, Lisdoonvarna and Templemore. The route certainly has all the ingredients to produce the most worthy winner and to enhance the growing international reputation of the race as an extremely gruelling and competitive event..
ROUTE DETAILS HERE
