Four final British teams confirmed – Britain’s Rás Tailteann contingent swells to nine
The ink is now dry on the start-list for the 70th Rás Tailteann (21–25 May). Foran CT, Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli, Primera–TeamJobs and Team PB Performance are the last of the British outfits to have their paperwork rubber-stamped, completing a huge nine-team British entry for Ireland’s five-stage, 760-kilometre showpiece.
The ink is now dry on the start-list for the 70th Rás Tailteann (21–25 May). Foran CT, Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli, Primera–TeamJobs and Team PB Performance are the last of the British outfits to have their paperwork rubber-stamped, completing a huge nine-team British entry for Ireland’s five-stage, 760-kilometre showpiece.
Dom Jackson. Image : Lorraine O’Sullivan
Foran CT
Line-up: Dom Jackson (No. 1), Alex Mayer, Ryan Christensen, Thomas Springbett, Danylo Riwnyj
Foran CT lead the charge with last year’s champion Dom Jackson wearing the coveted number 1. Manager Tom Quaid has strengthened the defence, retaining hard-finishing lieutenant Alex Mayer and adding Kiwi powerhouse Ryan Christensen, diesel engine Thomas Springbett and 26-year-old breakaway specialist Danylo Riwnyj, whose aggressive racing lit up Britain’s early-season National B calendar. “We’re coming back even stronger,” Quaid says, targeting stage wins and a tilt at back-to-back overall titles.
Rider to watch:Jackson – defending champions seldom lack motivation.
Tim Shoreman. Image : Lorraine O’Sullivan
Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli
Line-up: Mitchell McLaughlin, Tom Martin, Tom Armstrong, Tim Shoreman, Aaron King
While Foran bring measured confidence, Wheelbase / Cabtech / Castelli land with unashamed swagger. Tom Martin, fresh from his Rás Mumhan triumph, dovetails with 2024 Bective stage-winner Tim Shoreman in a line-up completed by diesel engine Mitchell McLaughlin, rouleur-tester Tom Armstrong and climbing helper Aaron King. Team boss Stuart Reid believes the quintet is “our strongest Rás squad yet” and says overall victory is a realistic ambition.
Rider to watch:Martin – his swashbuckling victory at the Rás Mumhan last month underlines what a GC threat Martin is.
Image: Darren Athersmith
Primera–TeamJobs
Line-up: Luke Barfoot, Josh Housley, Gabe Dellar, Matty Beecher, Matt Gilmour
Debutants Primera–TeamJobs add a dash of south-coast flair. Consecutive Totnes-Vire winners Luke Barfoot and Gabe Dellar feature, as do Capernwray road race victor Josh Housley, breakaway live-wire Matty Beecher and all-rounder Matt Gilmour. Manager Jason Gault talks of “testing ourselves against some of the best riders in the world”, yet Primera’s spring results suggest they intend to do rather more than test Irish waters.
Rider to watch:Housley – an excellent climber who will be one to watch as the road rises.
Image: Milan Josy/The British Continental
Team PB Performance
Line-up: George Peden, Sam Llewelyn, Nathan Hardy, Jude Taylor, George Watch
Completing the quartet, Team PB Performance return for their third successive Rás with genuine general-classification intent. Bronze medallist at last summer’s Irish national time trial, George Peden — fourth overall here in 2024 — is flanked by Welsh road champion Sam Llewelyn, ever-reliable rouleur Nathan Hardy, punch-and-climb all-rounder Jude Taylor and versatile George Watch. Thirteen podiums and six wins already this season underpin manager Paul Bennett’s assertion that “this is our A-race of the year”.
Rider to watch:Peden – a year wiser, still only 25, and now with a team drilled around him.
The ink is now dry on the start-list for the 70th Rás Tailteann (21–25 May). Foran CT, Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli, Primera–TeamJobs and Team PB Performance are the last of the British outfits to have their paperwork rubber-stamped, completing a huge nine-team British entry for Ireland’s five-stage, 760-kilometre showpiece.
Foran CT
Line-up: Dom Jackson (No. 1), Alex Mayer, Ryan Christensen, Thomas Springbett, Danylo Riwnyj
Foran CT lead the charge with last year’s champion Dom Jackson wearing the coveted number 1. Manager Tom Quaid has strengthened the defence, retaining hard-finishing lieutenant Alex Mayer and adding Kiwi powerhouse Ryan Christensen, diesel engine Thomas Springbett and 26-year-old breakaway specialist Danylo Riwnyj, whose aggressive racing lit up Britain’s early-season National B calendar. “We’re coming back even stronger,” Quaid says, targeting stage wins and a tilt at back-to-back overall titles.
Rider to watch: Jackson – defending champions seldom lack motivation.
Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli
Line-up: Mitchell McLaughlin, Tom Martin, Tom Armstrong, Tim Shoreman, Aaron King
While Foran bring measured confidence, Wheelbase / Cabtech / Castelli land with unashamed swagger. Tom Martin, fresh from his Rás Mumhan triumph, dovetails with 2024 Bective stage-winner Tim Shoreman in a line-up completed by diesel engine Mitchell McLaughlin, rouleur-tester Tom Armstrong and climbing helper Aaron King. Team boss Stuart Reid believes the quintet is “our strongest Rás squad yet” and says overall victory is a realistic ambition.
Rider to watch: Martin – his swashbuckling victory at the Rás Mumhan last month underlines what a GC threat Martin is.
Primera–TeamJobs
Line-up: Luke Barfoot, Josh Housley, Gabe Dellar, Matty Beecher, Matt Gilmour
Debutants Primera–TeamJobs add a dash of south-coast flair. Consecutive Totnes-Vire winners Luke Barfoot and Gabe Dellar feature, as do Capernwray road race victor Josh Housley, breakaway live-wire Matty Beecher and all-rounder Matt Gilmour. Manager Jason Gault talks of “testing ourselves against some of the best riders in the world”, yet Primera’s spring results suggest they intend to do rather more than test Irish waters.
Rider to watch: Housley – an excellent climber who will be one to watch as the road rises.
Team PB Performance
Line-up: George Peden, Sam Llewelyn, Nathan Hardy, Jude Taylor, George Watch
Completing the quartet, Team PB Performance return for their third successive Rás with genuine general-classification intent. Bronze medallist at last summer’s Irish national time trial, George Peden — fourth overall here in 2024 — is flanked by Welsh road champion Sam Llewelyn, ever-reliable rouleur Nathan Hardy, punch-and-climb all-rounder Jude Taylor and versatile George Watch. Thirteen podiums and six wins already this season underpin manager Paul Bennett’s assertion that “this is our A-race of the year”.
Rider to watch: Peden – a year wiser, still only 25, and now with a team drilled around him.
The nine British teams at a glance
Featured image: Lorraine O’Sullivan
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