Naas Triathlon Club win Race Around Ireland

Naas Triathlon Club have won the Race Around Ireland 4 man event for 2013 in 78 hours and 39 minutes.

Race Around Ireland is part of the Ultra Marathon Cycling Association (UMCA) World Cup series which includes other huge endurance races such as The Race Across America. Indeed it has now become one of the most prestigious events on the Ultra-Cycling World-Cup Calendar and is widely recognised as Europe’s most challenging endurance event.

The race is a non-stop event for 2200km. Starting in Trim county Meath on Sunday the riders didn’t stop racing until they got back to Navan on Wednesday night at around 9.55pm. The race takes in the famous climbs of Ireland with a gruelling total of 22000 metres of climbing along the route in gale force headwinds on occasions.

Naas built some good team spirit in the club with a crew of 12 including cyclists in the race and supporters cheering the team home the whole way along the home stretch from Mount Leinster to Navan in County Meath.

The race turned into a tense dual between team Chaindrivencycles from Sligo and Naas Triathlon Club who stayed neck and neck for the first 1200 kilometres. Naas started to kick from Sneem in County Kerry to get ahead but remained a mere 20k ahead until Mount Leinster where another big kick really snapped the elastic that was holding these teams together. From there on Naas were on home territory and had a great advantage over their rivals from the North West. They extended their lead consistently until the end finally crossing the line 50k ahead of the competition.

“It was the best thing that ever happened in the club” said the chairman of Naas Triathlon Club Ger Randles . The cyclists were Ken Bagnall, Gavin Doyle, Richie Byrne and Ray Keegan. They have raised €8000 for St John of God Kildare services and donations can be made on http://www.mycharity.ie/event/naas_tri_club_race_around_ireland_team/