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2009 FOR JIM……. This book tells the story of Ireland's greatest bike race which was formally named “RÁS TAILTEANN” from its beginning in 1953 but has always been informally referred to as ‘The RÁS’. It is largely written by one of the sports greatest volunteers, the late Jim Traynor who died in 2004, and is now published by his wife Bridie as her tribute to Jim and their lifelong love of cycle sport. Jim became fascinated with road racing as a teenager in Newry and joined the Newry Wheelers club. The highlight of his competitive career was his participation in RÁS TAILTEANN during the sixties and seventies. Initially his main involvement was as a competitor in road events but he then became involved in organisation and for many years was the club's main event promoter, with responsibility for the Tour of Ulster during the 1960s. He was still a member at the time of his death. Jim began his contribution to The RÁS in the early 1970s and performed a range of useful functions until in more recent times he focussed on the position of Chief Judge, in which role his decisions were rarely questioned and hardly ever challenged. Jim's reputation on The RÁS led to him also being in demand by other event organisers all over Ireland and there was nowhere too distant for him to travel to from start to end of the year. Like most people involved in cycling, Jim also worked for the sport in a variety of capacities. He is credited as being the man who first introduced a computer-based result system to stage racing, using a basic programme written by himself at a Tour of Ulster. He helped to set up and became a member of the Irish Cycling Tripartite Committee, the umbrella body used to first co-ordinate the three separate organisations that used to “control” cycling in Ireland, and he worked towards the eventual unity that followed in the setting up of the Federation of Irish Cyclists, now Cycling Ireland. Jim won the National Cycling Association’s Jim Killean Award for outstanding contribution to the sport in 1976.He was a UCI National Commissaire. He reported cycling news for several publications but principally for The Irish News, where he spent most of his working life. His first-hand knowledge of The RÁS and the personalities involved in it, whether as organisers or competitors, make this year by year account, from the hand of a man who was there and who played an important part in the action, an invaluable document. It is Jim's own account of a race that he loved. He wrote most of it himself in the years before his sudden death. The only addition has been by some friends who have filled a few gaps in his almost-completed work, with Bridie as the driver towards publication. For those of us privileged to know him, this book will be a treasure for us to keep. MBL Bridie Traynor wishes to thank all those who helped her in bringing Jim’s book to fruition. In particular she’s pleased to mention the huge contribution from Dermot Dignam, Micael Campbell and Shane Stokes.
A GREAT NEW BOOK ON THE FBD INSURANCE RÁS
A new book on Ireland’s longest running cycle race, FBD INSURANCE RÁS, is due to be launched in the middle of this month. The book, THE RÁS, A DAY BY DAY DIARY OF IRELAND’S GREAT BIKE RACE, by the late Jim Traynor, is an account of each stage of the race since its inception in 1953 to the most recent in May of this year.
Detailing all the action on each stage the book covers break-away groups, time gaps, punctures, crashes, the winners, and the disappointments; the book is an absorbing read of the history and drama of the 56 years of this great event.
As well as competing in the race during the 1960’s and ’70’s Newry born Jim Traynor was for many years Chief Judge on the race. He was also a leading official in the National Cycling Association and the Irish Cycling Tripartite Committee prior to the setting up of Cycling Ireland. He reported cycling news for many publications but principally for The Irish News where he spent most of his working life.
The Irish Times/Cyclingnews cycling correspondent, Shane Stokes, very assiduously brought Jim’s years of work up to date by writing the years since his death in 2003.
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