The 18th edition of Rás na mBan kicks off from the Hoban Hotel in Kilkenny this afternoon at 16:41 with the best bike riders from Ireland and abroad soaking in the pre-race atmosphere as they prepare to tackle the five-day epic.
Riders will roll out of the race HQ at the Hoban Hotel, for a short 1.5km neutralised section, before the flags are waved and the racing takes off on the Waterford Road towards Danesfort from 16:45 onwards.
From there, the route will travel through Stoneyford, Knocktopher, and Kilmaganny. As the riders race towards Callan, the climb at Curragawn 30 km into the race at approximately 17:20 will get the Queen of the Mountains competition underway, before racing towards Windgap and arriving into Callan at 17:45 for just over two loops on a shorter circuit.
Last year there was a large bunch sprint finish to keep the crowd on their toes until the final moments. With a race speed of 40.04km/h Mia Griffin led 66 riders across the line to take the opening stage win.
This year will see added excitement as the riders cross the finish line for the first time on the closing circuit, with Intermediate Sprint bonuses of 3, 2 and 1 seconds awarded to the first three riders across the line. Time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds will be awarded to the first three riders respectively at the stage finish.
Skies are blue at the moment at race HQ, although we’ve seen plenty of grey this morning already. Current conditions suggest small showers on parts of the route ahead of the race start. Riders can expect a tailwind towards Knocktopher before facing towards the wind for a more challenging ride up the first QOH and onto the closing circuit.
For the full race preview, including teams and riders to watch, go to: https://rasnamban.com/ras-na-mban-2024-race-preview/
You can view the full route, stage by stage, here: https://rasnamban.com/2024-route/
A provisional startlist can be found at: https://rasnamban.com/start-list/
For more information on the race, go to https://rasnamban.com/
