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| Ciaran Cassidy Irish Development Squad |
With the May 17th start of the FBD Insurance Rás fast approaching, Cycling Ireland has confirmed the lineup of what is a solid Under 23 CI Development Team for the event.
Ciaran Cassidy, Stephen Halpin, Aaron Buggle, Adam Petri Armstrong and Urban Monks will take on a strong field of international and domestic competitors in the 2.2-ranked UCI event, one of the highlights of the Irish sporting calendar.
“This is a relatively young U23 Development Team,” said Cycling Ireland’s High Performance Director Phil Leigh. “I am expecting them to focus on selected stages, whilst gaining vital stage race experience against what is turning out to be a very strong field this year.
“The U23 Team have been selected on their performances over the early season and Easter stage race period. Ciaran Cassidy won the final stage of Ras Mumhan and finished an excellent sixth overall. Stephen Halpin rode strongly throughout the four days in Kerry for a fine eighth overall, while Urban Monks was in the key move on the final day and followed up with a win in the Peter Bidwell Memorial.
“Adam Petri Armstrong has been getting in the results in the north, while Aaron Buggle has demonstrated his ability to be a key team player. He also gave a good account of himself to take 15th overall in Munster over Easter.”
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| Aaron Buggle Irish Development Squad |
Since their selection, several of the riders performed well in the Tour of Ulster last weekend. Cassidy was third and fifth on stages and finished third overall. Armstrong and Buggle were both fourth on stages, while Halpin was sixth in the stage three time trial.
Beginning in Kilcullen on Sunday week and running for eight days until its conclusion in Skerries, the 2009 FBD Insurance Rás will total 1289 kilometres in length and includes over twenty categorised climbs. Factor in international teams from Australia, China, Norway, Greece, Germany, Austria, Denmark and Britain plus two previous stage winners in the Tour de France, and it is clear that it is going to be a very tough event.
Leigh describes the race as a key learning process for the riders on Cycling Ireland’s development squad, saying that he wants them to get into a few key breakaways and also to learn to ride as a team.
“The Ras is an opportunity for them to show their future potential on home soil, and for me to assess them in a stage race environment. The U23 Development Team is a blend of riders who can climb and sprint, so they may take their chance to gain mountain and/or sprint points along the route if the opportunity arises.
“Stephen Halpin and Aaron Buggle have already represented their country this year and both found the experience a steep learning curve. I am looking to see those lessons and others being applied.”
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| Urban Monks Irish Development Squad |
Race organiser Dermot Dignam welcomes the return of a national Development Team to the race. “It’s been many years since we had a squad of this nature,” he said. “I think its reintroduction is a positive development, both for the young riders concerned and also for the spectators and media. They will have a chance to see those who could go on to be top Irish professionals in the years to come.”
The 2009 FBD RÁS will begin on Sunday May 17th in Kilcullen and , over the course of eight days, will feature stage finishes in Wexford, Cobh, Cahirciveen, Killorglin, Scariff, Castlebar, Clara and Skerries.
It will once again be backed by FBD Insurances and the Irish Sports Council, and is a prestigious 2.2-ranking event on the UCI’s world calendar.
