Where to watch the Rás Tailteann in Kildare
The 70th edition of the annual international cycling stage race began on Wednesday, with the cyclists arriving in Kildare tomorrow during the last day of racing.
Stage one of the race began on in the cycling stronghold of Drogheda, heading westwards to the finishline in Boyle, Co Roscommon. On stage two, the cyclists kicked off in Charlestown, Co. Mayo, and took on the infamous Windy Gap and Maumtrasna climbs in the longest of the stages.
Mayo was again the start for stage three of the race, with cyclists heading off from Cong, along the Wild Atlantic Way and finishing in Miltown Malbay in Co Clare. Today's penultimate stage kicked off in Ennis, Co Clare and will end in Mountrath in Co Laois.
Stage five of the 2025 Rás Tailteann: Kildare Town to Bective
The fifth and final stage tomorrow is when the Rás will finally arrive in Co Kildare.
This stage will see competitors cycle a distance of 142.8km from Kildare Town to Bective in Co Meath.
Stage five will begin with the ceremonial start at 11.57am at the Kildare Heritage Centre in Kildare Town on the R415.
Once the race begins, competitors will travel through Kildare Town, arriving in Miltown at about 12.05pm. From there, the cyclists will ride over the hump back bridge at the Hanged Man's Pub before turning left at David's Shop.
It's expected the competitors will hit Kilmeague approximately between 12.12pm and 12.16pm. From there, they will turn left at Eleson Pub, head over the hump back bridge at Travellers Rest before eventually arriving in Allenwood between 12.18pm and 12.24pm.
At Allenwood, they will turn left at Allenwood Stars, before hitting Derrinturn approximately between 12.29pm and 12.39pm.
In Derrinturn, the cyclists will take the second exit at the roundabout travelling in the direction of the Enfield R402.
Kilshanroe will be the last place in Co Kildare to catch a glimpse of the elite cyclists before they enter Co Meath and head towards the finish line.
The cyclists are expected to travel through Kilshanroe approximately between 12.39pm and 12.52pm.
From there, they will enter Co Meath, racing through Johnstown Bridge, Longwood and Dunsany.
There is just one category three climb during this final day of racing and that's at Quarry Hill as the race leaves Dunsany.
The riders will then enter the finishing circuit where it could well be a day for the sprinters.
With a slightly changed circuit for 2025, four laps of the 12km loop will bring the curtain down on Rás Tailteann 2025 with a new champion of the George Plant Trophy to be crowned.
The last hour of racing around the confines of Bective Stud promises to be a special spectacle for spectators and riders alike.
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Irish Independent
26-05-2025
- Irish Independent
Drogheda's warmest of welcomes to iconic Rás Tailteann cycle race
The event's base on the morning of the race was St Nicholas GAA Club on Rathmullen Road and members of the public met some of the riders and teams and soaked up the pre-race buzz. The peloton then left the GAA grounds and travelled to the official ceremonial start on West Street, and from there, the riders headed out the Donore Road, turned right at Frank's Country Cottage and then left along the canal and over the Obelisk Bridge, before racing proper got under way on the main Slane road. It was an explosive start to this historic 70th edition of the event, with attacking racing from the flag. An early eight-man breakaway animated much of the day and featured Peter Cocker (DAS Richardsons), Aaron King (Wheelbase / Cabtech / Castelli), Odhran Doogan (Team Ulster), Owen Wright (Canel's Java), Robin Fischer (Team Storck-Metropol Cycling), Danylo Riwnyi (Foran CT) and the Team Skyline due of Conn McDunphy and Ronan O'Connor. However, with 20km to go the breakaway's advantage began to crumble as teams such as Great Britain CT, Connacht, and Wheelbase / Cabtech / Castelli ramped up the pace and in the closing metres it was Tim Shoreman (Wheelbase/Cabtech/Castelli) who showed his power and positioning to perfection, storming to victory ahead of Irish sensation Niall McLoughlin (Connacht Cycling) and Will Tidball (Great Britain CT) in a dramatic bunch sprint. As part of the 70th edition celebrations, Stage 1 was proudly dedicated to the thousands of volunteers - from marshals to mechanics and community hosts to convoy drivers - who have supported the Rás Tailteann over the decades and without whom the Rás simply wouldn't exist. This year's race was also particularly special for Drogheda, with four of the six members of the Rás promotions group hailing from the town, making it a true homecoming for one of Ireland's most iconic races. Drogheda's sole competitor, Kevin Leech, a proud member of Drogheda Wheelers but representing the Connacht Cycling team in the race, managed to finish the race in a respectable 127th place. Leech also finished the Rás in 2022 but had to withdraw in 2023 after he was injured in a crash. In all, 145 riders from 29 teams took part in the race over five days, and there was a thrilling climax on Sunday as the final stage took the competitors 142.8km from Kildare Town to the finish in Bective, Co Meath. George Kimber of Cycling Club Isle of Man emerged victorious in the general classification, claiming the Bective Stud Yellow Jersey and the title of Rás Tailteann champion by a margin of just five seconds, with Ireland's Jamie Meehan and Odhrán Doogan in second and third places overall.
Irish Examiner
25-05-2025
- Irish Examiner
Kimber claims Rás Tailteann title by narrowest of margins from Jamie Meehan
Stage 5 of Rás Tailteann 2025 brought the curtain down on a dramatic and high-speed week of racing, with the final 142.8km from Kildare Town to Bective offering a fitting finale. The day belonged to Josh Charlton (Great Britain CT), who stormed clear to take the stage win, but it was George Kimber (Cycling Club Isle of Man) who emerged victorious in the general classification, claiming the Bective Stud Yellow Jersey and the title of Rás Tailteann champion. Ireland's Jamie Meehan and Odhrán Doogan took second and third place overall. The stage began at a furious pace with a group of four riders quickly going clear. The quartet of Cameron McLaren, Dean Harvey, Daire Feeley and Patrick O'Loughlin opened up a gap of over a minute in the early kilometres despite wet and greasy road conditions. Behind them, the bunch remained cautious, with the yellow jersey George Kimber sitting deep in the peloton. As the race passed through Longwood, Feeley began to assert himself, clearly aiming to claw back his deficit on the general classification. By the time the riders reached Trim, he had gone clear with Harvey, and soon after, the break swelled to 14 riders including key names such as Mark Downey, Tom Martin, Ronan O'Connor, and Josh Charlton sitting 32 seconds off yellow at the start of the day, spent significant time on the front and was the virtual leader on the road with three laps of the Bective circuit to go. The final Category 3 KOM at Quarry Hill saw Gilsenan take max points ahead of Feeley, O'Connor and Pritchard. The peloton, led by UCD and Ride Revolution, began to close the gap, and attacks began to fly as riders sensed the final opportunity to alter the general classification. With just over 10km to go, Odhrán Doogan (77 – Cycling Ulster) launched a late solo move in a final bid to take yellow. However, Kimber remained calm, backed by his remaining teammates, and managed to control the margin to secure overall victory by five seconds. At the front, Josh Charlton had timed his move to perfection, sprinting clear of the reduced front group to take a fine stage win in Bective.
Irish Independent
25-05-2025
- Irish Independent
George Kimber survives Daire Feeley's final-day fireworks to win Rás Tailteann crown
Kimber, riding for the Isle of Man team, took over the yellow jersey yesterday in winning the penultimate stage into Mountrath, and despite going into today's finale with a five-second lead over nearest rival Jamie Meehan of Team Ireland, managed to hold onto it despite numerous attacks along the 142km route. Most notable of those came was from 2022 winner Daire Feeley, who has been writing a daily Rás diary for the Irish Independent. Feeley went clear from the gun with Ireland's Dean Harvey, Patrick O'Loughlin of Pinergy Orwell and British rider Cameron McLaren (TAAP-Kalas) for company and, with the race shattered under the strain behind, the quartet opened a big enough gap for Feeley to become race leader on the road after just 20km. As the rain poured down, Feeley's group increased their lead until Harvey, under team orders, stopped contributing. By Trim, Feeley had had enough and attacked out of the front group, only to be followed by Harvey. The duo were caught by a dozen chasers shortly after and their lead went out to more than a minute. With Feeley the only overall contender in the group, he looked like a shoo-in for a second Rás title but with only four or the five of the group working at the front, their gap began to dwindle on the finish circuits in Bective. Third overall, Odhran Doogan got across the gap on his own with about 4km to go but it wasn't until there were just 3km left that Kimber regained contact and saved his race. 'I don't know how we did it to be honest,' a delighted Kimber said. 'We've got a young team here, two guys straight out of juniors pretty much. We had to play it patiently. I didn't think it would be that hard.' At one point, Kimber was in the third group on the road on the finishing circuit. 'It was splitting all over the place and I just had to bridge so many gaps on my own,' he said. 'At one point I didn't think I'd make it but I just kept going for the pride of the jersey. They must have eased up and I managed to get over, but I honestly don't know how.' Up front, Charlton had by then used the skills that earned him the British U-23 time trial title a couple of years ago to hold off the rest of the race with a solo attack on the last lap to claim stage victory 58 seconds ahead of a peloton led home by John Buller (Banbridge Specsavers) and former race leader Doogan (Cycling Ulster). 'The course was pretty ideal for me,' said Charlton at the line. 'I was tired but there were a lot of tired legs out there, so it was about who suffered the most. I just closed my eyes and fought like a dog and managed to hold on. I'm just chuffed because I got second earlier in the week and tried a few times, so it's amazing to get the win.' Donegal youngster Jamie Meehan went home with second overall and the white jersey of best U-23 rider, although the pangs of disappointment at missing out on overall glory by just five seconds could be heard in his voice afterwards. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more 'It would have been nice to get the five seconds back but, considering I came into the race not knowing if I'd make it to the last day, I'm happy enough overall,' Meehan said, referring to a broken hand which required surgery only a week and a half before the Rás start. 'It was a bit of an unknown, how it would hold up, but luckily it did.' Another Donegal man, Doogan finished third overall. The 21-year-old took home the green points jersey for his efforts this week, as well as the blue jersey for best county rider overall. With two days in yellow as well, it was a good week for the man from Gortahurk. 'I'm very happy,' said Doogan. 'I had expectations coming into it because the form is good but to find myself in the yellow jersey I didn't really expect that. Even though I didn't manage to hold onto it, I can take a lot of confidence away from the week and I can't be too upset with how it went.' With the breakaway mopping up the final mountains points on offer on this year's Rás on Quarry Hill, Adam Lewis took the Irish Independent King of the Mountains competition. While the Richardson DAS Team were best international team over the five days, the Banbridge Specsavers team of Matthew Teggart, Mark Downey, John Buller, James Curry and Johnny McRoberts took home the best county team award.
