One week after it was confirmed that defending champion Chris Newton and his professional team, Recycling.co.uk, will return to the FBD Insurance Rás comes the news that former world under 23 Time Trial Champion, Danny Pate, will lead the powerful American professional squad, TIAA-CREF, in the big Irish international race when it gets underway from Dublin on Sunday 21^st of next month.

Brad Huff TIAA-CREF USA

The team had a very impressive showing on their debut last year, with Stuart Gillespie winning the Irish Sports Council’s award for best young rider and finishing an excellent ninth overall. His team-mate Nathan Mitchell was a fine third on stage six to Rathdrum.

Now with the team considerably strengthened by the inclusion of the 27-year-old Pate, Gillespie’s experience from last year and the fact that ex-pro Jonathan Vaughters will personally manage the team moves them into serious overall contenders status for this year’s race.

“The team rode very well last year and made a real contribution to the racing,” said FBD Insurance Rás organiser Dermot Dignam today. “They are managed by former Tour de France rider Jonathan Vaughters, who has been working hard to help them gain experience and strength. I think they will play a very significant part this year and will certainly be one of the big threats to an Irish victory.”

Vaughters was a successful professional who helped his US Postal team-mate Lance Armstrong take the first two of his seven victories in the 1999 and 2000 Tours de France. He also recorded some fine personal results such as a stage win and second overall in the 1999 Dauphiné Libéré, plus a superb team time trial stage win with Credit Agricole during the 2001 Tour.

Two years later, he founded the TIAA-CREF team with the goal of helping young American riders develop into strong professionals. Winning the FBD Insurance Rás would be the perfect progression for the team.

Vaughters has high ambitions this time round. “Last year we won the best young rider jersey, and we'll have a couple of guys that will be contenders for that again,” he states. “However, this year, our goal will be to win the race outright. I think predicting a victory in the Ras is next to impossible as the race always is decided by the odd breakaway and a bit of luck, as opposed to just brute strength. That said, we should be as good as any team out there and I hope we'll have the luck of the Irish with us!”

Stuard Gillespie

Gillespie is expected to return, as is Ian MacGregor, the former US under 23 champion who was lying third overall in the best young rider standings for much of last year’s FBD Insurance Rás. The team is likely to be completed by three newcomers to the race, namely Craig Lewis, Tayler Tolleson and perhaps the team’s biggest threat, Danny Pate. The 27 year old finished second in the US Pro road race championships last year and won the world under 23 time trial championships back in 2001.

All the riders will be looking forward to the race, according to Vaughers. Already this season TIAA-CREF riders have posted excellent results, with Tolleson and Lewis finishing second and third to their team mate Thomas Peterson in the best young rider classification at the Tour of California. Last month, Charles Bradley Huff won a stage in the Tour of Normandy and wore the race leader’s jersey for 3 days.

I wasn't the director at last year's race, but I know my guys enjoyed the event and came out of it with fabulous form,” says Vaughters.

The 2006 FBD Insurance Rás begins in Dublin on May 21^st and finishes eight days and over 1200 kilometres later in Skerries on Sunday May 28^th. The world-ranked race is once again sponsored by FBD Insurance and receives valuable financial support from the Irish Sports Council.