The Australian and Belgian national teams plus the French Armee de Terre squad have confirmed they will travel to take part in this year’s An Post Rás.
The Australian squad will include former WorldTour pro Cameron Meyer, while it will also feature Under-23 road race champion Samuel Jenner, Oceania championship runner-up Michael Storer, Rio Olympics silver medallist Samuel Welsford and 2016 world team pursuit champion Alexander Porter.
The team had a superb showing in last year’s Rás, with two riders – Jai Hindley and Lucas Hamilton – taking second and third overall on general classification. Hindley was also the best young rider and placed second on stage seven.
The Belgian squad will comprise riders from the national track team, namely Bryan Boussaer, Moreno De Pauw, Jules Hesters, Gerben Thijssen and Sasha Weemaes.
Of those, De Pauw won stage five of the 2013 An Post Rás and was a bronze medallist last year in the European track championships. He also took top three finishes in three track World Cup events.
The French Armee de Terre squad is comprised completely of riders from the army. The line-up is Thomas Rostollan, Yannis Yssaad, Morgan Kneisky, Jérôme Mainard and Stéphane Poulhiès.
31-year old Rostollan will act as team captain. He won a stage in the 2012 An Post Rás and finished second overall in the general classification. He also took a stage in the 2016 Tour de Bretagne.
The 2017 An Post Rás will begin in Dublin on Sunday 21 May and features stage finishes in Longford, Newport, Bundoran, Buncrana, Dungloe, Donegal, Ardee and Skerries.
It comprises eight gruelling days in duration, totalling 1,200 kilometres in distance and includes 21 categorised climbs.
The An Post Chain Reaction Sean Kelly Team has already committed to participating.
