Everyone knows what it is to cycle a bike up a hill. The burn of the lungs and the ache in legs is a glorious, painful expression of what it is to be alive.

The Rás Tailteann will return to the Cycling Ireland calendar in 2020.

Corkman Robert-Jon McCarthy claimed a popular victory on stage 2 of the Rás Tailteann into Tipperary as he sprinted home first in a fast finish.