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Irish Times
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
British rider Tim Shoreman seizes first yellow jersey of Rás Tailteann
British rider Tim Shoreman started this year's Rás Tailteann in the same manner as he finished last year's edition, taking a fine stage victory in a bunch sprint in Roscommon. The UK Wheelbase/Cabtech/Castelli rider showed superior power and timing on the uphill finish into Boyle, beating Irish rider Niall McLoughlin (Connacht Cycling) and Will Tidball (Great Britain CT) into the lesser placings. The result saw the 2024 points jersey victor take the yellow jersey of race leader, with McLoughlin and Odhrán Doogan (Cycling Ulster) ending the day second and third overall, both five seconds back. Doogan had been part of the day's key breakaway and won two time bonus sprints. Another Irish rider, last year's runner-up Conn McDunphy (Team Skyline) was also in that move, which at one point held a gap of two minutes over the main bunch. READ MORE He also collected bonus seconds prior to their recapture inside 25 kilometres to go, but suffered a big crash inside the final two kilometres. McDunphy's back and shoulder were badly grazed and his jersey was completely shredded, but he was able to limp across the finish line. He was given the bunch time as per UCI rules, but did lose out on a handful of seconds as that main bunch split in the uphill sprint. Shoreman was delighted with his win. 'It is really good, it feels like I have gone one up from last year, taking the yellow as well. 'I am really excited to ride in the yellow tomorrow. I'll try to win another stage, and try to keep yellow, but this race is so unpredictable. You could lose two minutes out of nowhere.' His rivals will be hoping that happens in the four remaining days. Gareth O'Neill of the Carlow Dan Morrissey team leads the peloton up the climb at Sliabh na Cailligh in Co Meath. Photograph: Lorraine O'Sullivan Both McLoughlin and Doogan said that a stage win is a more realistic target for them than the overall, but Dean Harvey made clear he is aiming for the general classification. King of the mountains jersey winner in 2022 and again last year, he has not been high up the general classification in the past. The 21-year-old wants that to change this time around. 'This year I want to go for GC,' he said. 'There is no point in hiding it, that's why I am here.' He and the rest of the Irish national team are being advised from the team car by the highly experienced Martyn Irvine, a former track world champion. He helped guide McDunphy to overall victory two years ago and his wisdom and encouragement will boost the Irish campaign. So too the tactical awareness Harvey has built up. 'I have been looking at the way it was won the last few years,' said McDunphy. 'The way it was won was by being aggressive and taking the race on by yourself. I will look for any opportunity and see what happens.' The 70th edition of the Rás Tailteann continues Thursday with the longest stage, a 170.9km race from Charlestown to Clifden. This features five categorised climbs, including the category one Windy Gap in the first half of the race. Ras Tailteann stage one results (Drogheda to Boyle) 1 Tim Shoreman (UK: Wheelbase/Cabtech/Castelli) 155.5 kms in 3:27.47, 2 N McLoughlin (Connacht Cycling), 3 W Tidball (UK Great Britain CT), 4 S Brenes (Mexico: Canel's-Java), 5 C Page (UK: Foran CT) all same time General classification: 1 Shoreman 3:27.36, 2 McLoughlin @ 5 secs, 3 O Doogan (Cycling Ulster) st, 4 Tidball at 7 secs, 5 M Cigala (Dan Morrissey Pissei) @ 8 secs, S Brenes @ 11 secs, Page, 8 R Britton (UK: Great Britain CT), 9 D Harvey (Team Ireland), 10 A Peters (UK: DAS Richardsons) all same time. Points Classification: Shoreman, 15 pts Mountains Competition: Adam Lewis (Team Skyline) 5 pts Under-23 Rider Overall: McLoughlin, 3:27.41 Irish County Rider Overall: McLoughlin Cycling Ireland C2 Overall: Charlie Kelly (Connacht Cycling) National/International Team Overall: UK: Great Britain CT Irish County/Provincial Team Overall: Carlow: Dan Morrissey Pissei
Irish Independent
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
‘I couldn't be happier' – British rider Tim Shoreman in Rás Tailteann yellow jersey after frantic stage 1 sprint finish
British rider Tim Shoreman took the first yellow jersey of this year's Rás Tailteann when he led home a frantic bunch sprint finish at the end of stage one in Boyle today. For much of the 155.5km stage, however, an eight-man breakaway containing Irish trio Conn McDunphy, Ronan O'Connor (both Skyline) and Odhran Doogan of Ulster, American Owen Wright (Canel's Java), German Robin Fischer (Stork-Metroplole) and British duo Peter Cocker (DAS Richardsons) and Aaron King (Wheelbase) sat two minutes clear of the peloton and looked like contesting the stage between them until their lead began to whittle down in the last 25km.
Irish Times
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Past winners and young thrusters among riders going for Rás Tailteann glory
Former champion Daire Feely, last year's runner-up Conn McDunphy and a very young Irish national team will be among those in the thick of the action when the Rás Tailteann battle rages this week. Starting on Wednesday with a stage from Drogheda to Boyle in Co Roscommon, the 761km event will feature strong teams from home and abroad. A total of 13 visiting squads have travelled for the event, of which eight are from the United Kingdom. These include the Das Richardsons squad of Dom Jackson, the affable British rider who triumphed overall last year. Cycling Club Isle of Man and the German team Storck-Metropol Cycling are the other two Europe-based visitors. READ MORE Good Guys Racing and Team Skyline hail from the USA, while Canel's Java is registered in Mexico. The latter squad includes Cormac McGeough, who won stage three in Cahir last year. Team Skyline features Irishmen McDunphy and Paul Kennedy, who had fine performances in the 2024 event. Kennedy was second on day one, while McDunphy was one of the big stars of the week. He won stage two to Sneem and ended up second overall, having been involved in a close three-way battle with Jackson and young Irish talent Liam O'Brien throughout the event. Those three ended up on precisely the same time in the final standings, marking the closest-ever finish in the race. Kennedy will also be eager to get going in the 2025 edition, having finished second on the opening stage to Kilmallock. The route of the 2025 Rás Tailteann, which runs from Wednesday to Sunday. The 2022 Rás winner Feeley will spearhead the Burren CC team and will hope to reach the same level of success as three years ago. He rode a brilliant race then, becoming the first Irish winner since Stephen Gallagher back in 2008. The Irish national squad will again be guided from the team car by Martyn Irvine. The former track world champion steered Dillon Corkery to success in 2024 and although Corkery will not be taking part this year, Irvine hopes that a young Irish team will find success. At 22, double king of the mountains winner Dean Harvey is the most senior on the squad, and will head into the race with confidence boosted from his win this month in the national criterium championships. He will be joined by the 21-year-olds Ruairi Byrne, Con Scully and Jamie Meehan, plus the 19-year-old Willem O'Connor. Fifteen Irish county and regional teams will also be hoping to leave their mark. The 70th edition of the Rás Tailteann gets under way at 11.40am in Drogheda on Wednesday, with the first stage covering 155.5km to Boyle. Stage two from Charlestown to Clifden is the longest at 170.9km and takes in five categorised climbs, including the first-category Windy Gap. Day three from Cong to Miltown Malbay is just 7km shorter and includes the category-two climbs of Corkscrew Hill and the Cliffs of Moher close to the finish. The following day's race from Ennis to Mountrath is the shortest of the week at 128.1km but the first-category climb of Wolftrap will wreak havoc inside the final half-hour of racing. The final winner will be decided on Sunday with a fast 142.8km race from Kildare Town to Bective in Co Meath. Rás Tailteann 2025 Stage 1, Wednesday, May 21st: Drogheda to Boyle, 155.5km Stage 2, Thursday, May 22nd: Charlestown to Clifden, 170.9km Stage 3, Friday, May 23rd: Cong to Miltown Malbay, 163.8km Stage 4, Saturday, May 24th: Ennis to Mountrath, 128.1km Stage 5, Sunday, May 25th: Kildare Town to Bective, 142.8km
