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| Seán Downey Ireland |
Drawing on a blend of youth and experience, Cycling Ireland has confirmed what should be a strong national team for this year’s FBD Insurance Rás. The home challenge will be spearheaded by multiple national road race and time trial champion David McCann, who has taken a total of six stage victories in the race and was outright winner in 2004.
McCann is one of Ireland’s most experienced international competitors. His list of overseas successes include overall honours in the Tours of Korea, Milad du Nour and Indonesia, as well as stage victories in races such as the prestigious 2.HC-ranked Tour of Qinghai Lake. He finished fourth overall in that event last year.
The 36 year old Belfast man is currently in fifth place in another Asian stage race, the Jelajah Malaysia event, and is building form and confidence prior to what he hopes will be a victorious push in the FBD Insurance Rás.
Joining him on the Ireland team is Martyn Irvine, another rider who has shown very impressive form this season. Irvine has taken a clutch of domestic victories, including the P&O Tour of the North and last weekend’s John Beggs Memorial race, and will be highly motivated to do well. Together they should provide a very strong challenge.
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| Paul Healion Ireland |
Backing the duo will be Paul Healion, Stephen Barrett and Sean Downey. Healion is the current national time trial champion and has competed alongside McCann, Irvine and David O’Loughlin as part of Ireland’s track team pursuit squad. They finished seventh and fifth in rounds of the track World Cup earlier this year, improving their own national record both times.
Downey won the time trial stage in the Tour of Ulster and last weekend was the only Irish finisher in the ZLM Tour in the Netherlands, placing a solid 38th. He is regarded as one of Ireland’s most promising young riders. Barrett has shown good form this season by being highly placed in several events, and finished second on the final stage of the Ras Mumhan earlier this month.
“The team is a mixture of youth and experience,” said Cycling Ireland’s new High Performance Manager Phil Leigh. “David McCann is currently in the top 5 of the Tour of Malaysia, and will be the team leader. Backing him up are members of the track endurance squad, along with other riders with the potential to make the squad.”
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| Martyn Irvine Ireland |
Race Organiser Dermot Dignam praised the selection saying “with McCann, Healion and Irvine on the team Ireland will certainly be in the running for overall honours, the trio are tough experienced international riders capable of beating any of the world-class riders in the field, it’s also great to see young riders like Downey and Barrett getting the opportunity to benefit from the experience of the other three”.
The 2009 FBD Insurance Rás will begin in less than a months’ time in Kilcullen on May 17th and , over the course of eight days, will feature stage finishes in Wexford, Cobh, Cahirciveen, Killorglin, Scariff, Castlebar, Clara and Skerries. The world-ranked contest is 1289 kilometres in length and includes over twenty categorised climbs. Ireland’s Stephen Gallagher triumphed in 2008, the first home victory in four years.
A number of strong international teams have already been confirmed, and more announcements are due before the start.
