Eighteen teams, with riders from 14 countries, will line up at the Hoban Hotel in Kilkenny as the 19th edition of the Rás na mBan gets under way on Wednesday afternoon.
Once again, the route offers a variety of challenges, from testing, hilly stages, including the stage two climb of The Cut in the Slieve Bloom Mountains in County Laois, followed by the demanding Gorey stage in County Wexford on Friday, to the stage five time trial on Sunday where riders will ride solo against the watch on the new Kilkenny Castle course.
The opening stage to Freshford, which is scheduled for a 3pm start, could potentially have a major impact on the general classification.
The Ireland team features Abi Conway, Erin Creighton, Aine Doherty, Aliyah Rafferty and Esther Wong.
They’ll be joined on the roads by Irish teams from the Cycling Ireland Women’s Commission, Torelli, Greenmount Cycling Academy and Pinergy Orwell Wheelers.
The UK is well represented throughout the peloton, with Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team and O’Shea Development Team. They are joined by FTP Racing, Brother UK/OnForm and Jadan Vive le Velo.
Several teams from the Netherlands will line-up to race this week. Team Noord Holland returns to Kilkenny, while WV Breda Women CT will see Noor Dekker, who finished second overall in 2024, in their ranks for this year's race. They are joined by Minigigs/Wielervereniging Breda to complete the Dutch entries.
Denmark’s Team Aalborg Sparekassen Danmark are back again, while the Lead Out Cycling Academy travels from Belgium. French team Ladynamips RVC has entered a strong team, with Noemie Abgrall certainly one to watch.
In a first for Rás na mBan, a Greece team bolster the startlist, while Alice McWilliam, Betty Hase and Elena Wu-Yan comprise Team Phoenix, with all three riders formerly representing HESS Cycling.
Rás na mBan
Stage 1 (Wednesday): Kilkenny to Freshford, 76.1km
Stage 2 (Thursday): Kilkenny to Gorey, 104.2km
Stage 3 (Friday): Portlaoise to Mountrath, 104.4km
Stage 4 (Saturday): Kilkenny to The Rower, 101km
Stage 5 (Sunday): Kilkenny Castle to Kilkenny Castle, 2.5km ITT
Stage 6 (Sunday): Kilkenny Castle Criterium
