PRESS RELEASE.

A German rider wins in Skibbereen

The strength of the foreign opposition in this year’s FBD Insurance RÁS continues to mount with the news that top Norwegian professional team, Sparebanken Vest, is to join the Czech Republic, Estonia, USA, France, Germany, Britain, Scotland and Wales when the big international 8 day race takes to the roads of Ireland in a little over two weeks time.

John Dempsey, Team Tipperary Dan Morrissey - one of the Irish favourites.

Confirming their participation and naming his riders for the gruelling event the team’s Directeur Sportif, Per-Ivar Bøe, said “my team are all very experienced multi-stage race riders and we are confident we can make our first-ever visit to Ireland a winning one”. The riders are, Are Andresen, Morten Christiansen, Morten Hegreberg, Gabriel Rasch and Stian Remme.

While team leader, thirty year old Andresen, has a tremendously impressive palmares, finishing a close second in last year’s Tour of Bulgaria, 3^rd overall in the Norwegian Cup and a member of the Norwegian Time Trial Championship team, any one of his four team mates is capable of surprising the star-studded field. Christiansen has twice won the Norwegian Cup in the last three years, finishing second last year, won three stages in the Tour of Hungary and best climber in the international Ringerike Grand Prix and notched up 8 other victories last year. Hegreberg has finished in the first four in the last three Norwegian Road Race Championships and so far this season has won the  UCI-ranked  GP Ottergem and the GP Aalst Criterium.

Sparebanken Vest will arrive here from mainland Europe, courtesy of Stena Ferry Line, on Saturday 21^st May and begin their quest for FBD Insurance RÁS honours the following morning.

Stage finish towns include, Emyvale, Tubbercurry, Lisdoonvarna, Templemore, Abbeyleix, Rathdrum, Wicklow Town, with the grand finale in the Phoenix Park on Sunday 29^th May.

Sparebanken Vest Professional Team Norway