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This year’s race is the eighteenth edition of the popular international stage race to be based in and around Kilkenny. The 2024 edition features an all-new third stage in a new finish location and the return of the double-helping of racing in Kilkenny on the final day.
Riders from all over Europe, the USA, Oceania, Africa and Asia, as well as the best of Ireland’s international and locally-based racers will descend on Kilkenny for the event as racing gets underway tomorrow, Wednesday September 4th, from 16:45 at the Race HQ, the Hoban Hotel.
Once again, the route offers a variety of challenges, from testing hilly stages including the stage two climb of ‘The Cut’ in the Slieve Bloom Mountains in County Laois followed by the demanding Gorey stage in County Wexford on Friday, to the stage five time trial on Sunday where riders will ride solo against the watch on the new Kilkenny Castle course.
You can view the full route, stage by stage, HERE.
Ireland will be represented by four strong young riders on the national team for the upcoming race. They’ll be joined on the roads by Irish teams from Cycling Ulster, UCD, TC Racing, Torelli, Greenmount Cycling Academy and Dan Morrisey Primor by Pissei.
Three teams from the US have travelled to Ireland for this year’s edition of the race. Monarch Racing and LA Sweat will compete in this year’s Rás, as will CCB p/b Levine Law Group Women’s Cycling. The teams will be joined by UCI Continental team Primeau Vélo-Groupe Abadie who have travelled with a small team from Canada.
The UK is well represented with Das Hutchinson Brother UK, Doltcini Racing Division, and Brother UK/OnForm. They are joined by Jadan Vive le Velo Glasdon and Shibden Apex RT.
The Netherlands continues to show its enthusiasm for racing in Ireland with four teams travelling to this year’s race. NWVG-Uplus, with reigning champion Manon De Boer, along with WV De Jonge Renner/Team DJR – MINIGIGS, JEGG DJR Academy and regional Team Noord Holland.
Denmark will also be represented in the peloton with Team Aalborg Sparekassen Danmark. While Tofauti Everyone Active, a development team linked to top level Team dsm firminech-PostNL, have also entered a young squad.
De Boer won the 2023 edition in fine style with three podiums including victory in the all-important time trial. This year she has won Dutch national championships, for elite riders without a contract, in both the road race and her favoured race against the watch.
De Boer was also dominant in the QOH classification, taking home the QOH Wicklow 200 jersey as well as the GC’s Magenta jersey. Can she make it an historic double?
Fresh from helping the Irish team setting a new national team pursuit record at the Olympic Games in Paris, the Glenmore rider will wear her trade team colours on the roads of her native Kilkenny this week. After taking two stage victories in 2023, Griffin will be hoping to unleash her feared finishing kick in a bid for overall honours this year.
However, DAS Hutchinson Brother UK will have their work cut out for them deciding on team tactics with Caoimhe O’Brien having finished 9th on GC in 2023, and Francesca Hall having an impressive season of racing to date.
Ireland’s Junior Road Race Champion followed up her 4th place finish in last year’s World
Championship time trial with a European Championship victory in the Junior Points Race recently. The 18 year old rider also secured an impressive 7th on GC at the Watersley Ladies Challenge just last week.
After crashing out early in last year’s event, Benezet Minns will be looking forward to a better opportunity to show her class on Irish roads this time round.
While she’ll most definitely have her eye on the Best Young Rider jersey, as well as vying for GC, she’ll have strong competition from riders such as Abigail Miller, from Tofauti Everyone Active, who took 10th on GC at Watersley Ladies Challenge behind Benezet Minns last week.
Also with eyes on the Best Young Rider jersey will be Bette Hasse, who has won the last two editions of the US Under 23 National Time Trial Championships. However, the CCV p/b Levine Law Group team boasts a strong selection of U23 riders, with Ella Brenneman and Jorja Bond both securing podiums at the US U23 time trial and Junior Road Race this year. The dup were also 2nd and 3rd respectively at the US National Cross Country Championships this season, going on to compete at the UCI World Cross Championships finishing in 23rd and 35th.
Oakes is no stranger to Rás na mBan, having finished 8th on GC in 2023. She narrowly missed the Best Young Rider jersey by just 15 seconds to Renée Van Hout, and finished just 18 seconds behind De Boer.
Oakes will be joined by Alice Colling, another strong young cross rider who is also an experienced Rás na mBan alumni.
The torelli racer is a New Zealand native who claimed 2nd in Oceania Continental individual time trial championships in 2023 alongside 2nd in the New Zealand time trial championships. She followed up this achievement with 5th in the Oceania Continental individual time trial championships this year and is certainly one none of the riders will want to see trying to break away solo.
Franz was 7th in the US elite women’s road race this year. She had a strong start to the year, claiming 5th in stage 2 of the Tour Down Under, and 19th overall on GC. An experienced road racer, with plenty of experience and power, with her engine particularly obvious from her gravel racing results.
She’ll be joined on Monarch by Sofia Schugar, a strong climber who also has a strong off-road background.
A provisional startlist can be found HERE.
For more information on the race, go to https://rasnamban.com/
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