Jan Klabouch

Two years after the Czech rider Jan Barta placed a fine third overall in the race, a squad from that country will line out in this year’s An Post Rás with big ambitions.

The AC Sparta Praha has confirmed both its participation and its likely lineup for the world-ranked race, and will draw on its own previous knowledge of the event.

In 2007 several of its riders took top ten placings on stages, including third place finishes on stages one, four and seven by Petr Pucelik, Tomas Hruby and Ondrej Pavek. Josef Soukup was also fourth in the final leg of the race.

Of those, Pavek will return this year, as will Rostislav Krotky, who was third on a stage in 2005.

General manager Zdenek Rubas is clear that they and the rest of the all-Czech five-man team will be ambitious in their approach.

“The team goals are to be in top ten in overall standings and to podium in as many stages as possible,” he said. “We have two fast leaders for the sprint, namely Jiri Nesveda and Jan Klabouch.

“The overall standings is still open for all the riders, but the biggest chance of success will be with Rostislav Krotky and Martin Hunal.”

Martin Hunal

Last year, Hunal was third in the 2.1-ranked Ronde van Overijssel and also took eighth in the 2.1 Course de Solidarnosc et des Champions Olympiques. Nesveda won the Czech Cup Ostrava and was seventh in the 1.2 Jurmala GP, while Klabouch was winner of the cyclocross Czech Cup Plzen.

Rubas said that the team will compete in many races as part of its preparation for the Irish event. These will include the UCI races of the GP Donetsk in Ukraine and the Roonde Overijssel in Holland, as well as the Czech Cup races

An Post Rás race director Dermot Dignam is pleased about the team’s return. “Sparta Praha rode very aggressively in the past and in addition to picking up a number of podium finishes, it also did a lot to animate the race,” he said.

“Because of that, we welcome the team back and look forward to the performances that its riders will achieve.”

The 2012 An Post Rás will be the sixtieth edition of the country’s toughest cycling race. It will begin on Sunday May 20th with a stage from Dunboyne to Kilkenny, and will continue with finishes in Gort, Westport, Bundoran, Buncrana, Killybegs, Cootehill and Skerries.

It will total almost 1200 kilometres and will feature strong international professional and national teams from Europe and further afield.