Irish Team to Ride Rás Tailteann
The 70th edition of the Rás Tailteann gets underway
on Wednesday May 21st, winding it’s way from Drogheda, Co. Louth, to
Boyle, Co. Roscommon. The race will cover 760km of Irish roads across five
stages. Read about the full route here.
Five riders will ride for Ireland in this year’s race.
Current three-time cyclo-cross national champion Dean Harvey
will once again don the green of Ireland. Having recently ridden with Trinity
Racing, Harvey is now plying his trade with Martigues SC Payden-Rygel and has
seen his 2025 road season off to a flying start, with several top 10 finishes,
and two second place finishes.
Ruairi Byrne will swap UCD’s blue for Ireland’s green for
the Rás this year. The 21-year-old has been excellent on the domestic front so
far in 2025, taking the win in both the Seamus Kennedy and Des Hanlon Memorial
races, both National Grade Events. Byrne has also proven his pedigree in stage
racing, having ridden Rás Mhaigh Eo and more recently Rás Mumhan, taking top
fives on stages in both races.
Although Israel Premier Tech's Sam Coleman was originally named in the team, due to unforeseen circumstances, he will now be replaced by Velo Performance rider Willem O'Connor. O'Connor comes into the Rás having taken a top 10 in the GC at the Volta a Portugal do Futuro, and third in GC at Rás Mumhan already this year.
Dan-Morrisey Pissei rider Con Scully will represent Ireland
again, having ridden in green and European Championships previously, and comes
into the race off the back of a strong start to the domestic season. Along with
a win in the Bobby Power Memorial, Scully also took fifth overall in Rás Mhaigh
Eo, second in the Des Hanlon Memorial and was in the leading group on the road
most days of the recent Rás Mumhan.
Jamie Meehan will round out the Irish selection for this Rás
Tailteann. Riding with AVC Aix en Provence Dole, Meehan has had an early 2025
packed with one day races, and has earned himself several top 10 finishes, and a
King of the Mountains classification win.
Despite an average age of just 21 years old, this team contains an incredible amount of experience already.
More information on the event can be found here.