Fret not cycling enthusiasts, if you couldn’t make it to Co. Clare over the weekend, with the help of Ronan Fox, a race official with An Post Rás na mBan and our lovely videographer Pete, we caught all the top action of the day.
The An Post Rás na mBan title for 2014 was secured in emphatic style on Sunday by USA rider Tayler Wiles of the DID Electrical Cycle4Life team.
On the fast 85km final stage from Dromoland to Ennis, Wiles bridged the gap to the days early breakaway before pulling clear with Anne Ewing of the WV Breda-Manieu.nl team. The leading duo were never in any danger of being caught by the hard chasing bunch.
Ewing took the stage honours while Wiles increased her lead over her main rivals to ensure she would don the final An Post Pink Jersey of race winner.
Ewing’s attacking ride moved her up to second place overall pushing Molly Weaver of the Epic Scott team back to third, enough to secure theWomensCycling.ie White Jersey for best young rider for Weaver.
Wiles also took the IVCA Wicklow 200 Queen of the Mountains.
Stage 4 winner, Fiona Meade of Team Munster, capped a magnificent week by taking the National Dairy Council Points classification, awarded to the most consistent rider of the race. The Blarney sprinter also won Clare County Council Best Irish Rider prize for the third consecutive year.
25 year old Wiles, a native of Murray, Utah, who races for most of the year in Europe and the USA with the professional Specialized-Lululemon team, was delighted to bookend her season with another prestigious stage race victory, having opened her account at the Redlands Classic in California in April.
“I watched this race last year and really wanted to do it”, Wiles told Her.ie.
“I’m really happy with the result and have had a fun time. My team were awesome”.
The American went on to compliment the race as “one of the most well-organised I’ve ever been a part of”, a sentiment echoed by all of the visiting teams.
That the The An Post Rás na mBan earns such universal goodwill is testament to the hard work put in not only by the Race Director, Valerie Considine, and a small army of officials and volunteers who keep the race on the road but also by the Women’s Commission of Ireland and the race sponsors.
The Women’s Commission is a voluntary group of women, supported by Cycling Ireland, whose aim is to raise the standard of women’s racing in Ireland and to attract greater numbers to the sport.
While the An Post Rás na mBan is the flagship event, the Women’s Commission also maintain a dedicated website, WomensCycling.ie, offering news and advice, as well as running development programs and organising road and track racing, from beginners races in Corkagh Park to the Joe Daly Cycles National League, a highly contested series of road races throughout the country.
