John Treacy Irish Sports Council

When the final stage of this year’s An Post Rás finishes in the Skerries on Sunday 27th May one of the riders most likely to win a professional contract in the coming months will be the one to don the Irish Sports Council's white jersey as the most promising young rider of the race.

The coveted jersey will reflect the Sports Council's financial support for the race, which is one of the select group of world races eligible to award qualifying points for World Championships and Olympic Games.

Commenting on the funding, Irish Sports Council Chief Executive, John Treacy, said “The Irish Sports Council is delighted to continue its long relationship with the An Post Rás, one the outstanding sports events hosted in Ireland annually. The Council is delighted to be associated with the Young Rider jersey, a prestigious and important element of the Rás that has seen some top quality winners in recent years”. He also praised An Post’s support for Irish cycling.

Recent winners of the young rider classification include; Aaron Gate - New Zealand 2011, Conor McConvey - Ireland 2010, Mark McNally - Britain 2009, Dale Appleby - Britain 2008, Tony Martin - Germany (current World Time Trial Champion), Bartlomie Matysiak - Poland 2006

The funding will be paid to Cycling Ireland as part of the core grant allocation process.

After 8 days of gruelling racing, with stage finishes in Kilkenny, Gort, Westport, Bundoran, Buncrana, Killybegs, Cootehill and Skerries, the recipient of the Irish Sports Council's best young rider jersey will be looking forward to a bright future in world cycling.