This year’s entry list for An Post Rás na mBan is arguably the most competitive in the 11-year history of the event. Riders from 14 different countries will do battle on the roads of County Kilkenny
bidding for the most coveted crown in Irish women’s cycling. Here are just some of the
riders likely to feature during the week.
Emma Norsgaard Jorgensen (Denmark) – Team Rytger
The Danish teenager burst on the scene with a stage win, two second place finishes and two days in race leader’s pink last year.
She confirmed that potential by winning the Danish National Road Race Championships ahead of Boels Dolmans pro Amalie Dideriksen, herself a former Rás na mBan star.
Norsgaard Jorgensen won the Womenscycling.ie Young Rider classification last year and, if she can negotiate the demands of Mount Leinster, could challenge for overall honours.
Grace Garner (Great Britain) – Cliff Pratt Racing
Two stage wins and the final winners jersey in the NDC Points competition was a decent haul for Leicester pocket rocket Grace Garner in 2015 An Post Rás na mBan but one suspects she’ll want more this year.
The 19-year-old rode the 2015 World Junior Road Race Championships in Richmond, Virginia, USA and this season she has further outlined her ability by taking overall success in the British Tour Series and victory in the Essex Giro 2-Day stage race in July.
Lydia Boylan (Ireland) - WNT
Irish Road Race Champion for the past two seasons, Dublin-born Boylan has dovetailed her participation with the Irish Team Pursuit squad on the World Cup trail with regular appearances for WNT on the European UCI road racing scene.
Second on the opening day last year and top ten on all but one stage, the Nottingham-based all-rounder will be eyeing a solo stage success and perhaps more this year.
Natalie Grinczer (Great Britain) – WNT
WNT have plenty of strength in depth with last year’s time trial winner in Barefield, Natalie Grinczer, in the line up alongside Boylan. Grinczer is more than just a flat earth specialist and, while Saturday’s 11km time trial on the Waterford Road in Kilkenny will be a target, her fourth place overall last season makes her the favourite to score Britain’s first victory in Rás na mBan since Emma Trott in 2009.
Kirsten Peetoom (Netherlands) – Maaslandster Nicheliving CCN
An experienced Rás na mBan rider who has ridden at the top level and is now bringing her experience to bear on the emerging Maaslandster Nicheliving CCN squad, Peetoom is coming into form at the right time having won an important kermesse in her native Netherlands recently. Having taken overall success with Stephanie Pohl last year, Tjarco Cuppens’s squad will be out to defend the title.
Claire McIlwaine (Ireland) - Cycling Ulster
The battle for honours in the Best Irish Rider competition is always as hard fought as the overall contest and there are several standout contenders to take the coveted green Kilkenny County Council Jersey. Three race wins and the overall title in the Joe Daly Cycles National League marks Phoenix CC’s Claire McIlwaine out as a warm favourite for honours and she’ll face stiff competition from time trial star and Team Ulster team-mate Eileen Burns, Donegal’s Ciara Doogan from Team Rytger and De Ronde Van Cork’s Sinnead Oakes among others.
‘wild geese riders’
Keep an close eye on thes ‘wild geese riders’ - Irish riders racing overseas or with international teams during the race.
Galway native Lydia Gurley guests with the Dutch Regionoord-Holland team next week and, like Irish squad rider Boylan, has been focusing much of her attention on track racing of late. The Birmingham-based rider finished ninth overall on her last visit to her national stage race two years ago and has accumulated a wealth of experience since.
Ciara Doogan dipped her toe in the waters of multi-day women’s stage racing as a guest of the Danish Team Rytger squad last year and the Donegal junior is now an established member of the Irish track squad and will have benefited from her experience 12 months ago. She is sure to feature during the week.
Autumn Collins is another speedy track specialist who will relish the stage five city centre Criterium on Saturday evening, 10th September. The Limerick rider lines up with Starley Racing.
Lauren Creamer is another Irish track squad member with An Post Rás na mBan experience. The Team Torelli rider returns to An Post Rás na mBan looking to better her 11th overall from 2011.
English-based junior Shauna McFadden will relish her first An Post Rás na mBan with the English Team Jadan Weldtite squad.