O’Loughlin hopeful of Rás route to Athens
There are 25 UCI points available to the race winner, and O’Loughlin aims to build on his big wins in the Shay Elliott Memorial and a first ever Irish win in the Lincoln Grand Prix.
But Rás Director Dermot Dignam admits that O’Loughlin and his fellow competitors will face a tough assignment this year.
“I believe it is a particularly tough route,” he said yesterday. “There are a couple of very hard stages and there are no easy stages. Even the stage from Trim to Oranmore is difficult, there is very little on the main road and a lot of back roads with severe ups and downs with a lot of gear changing.”
However, Irish Olympic Cycling Team manager Martin O’Loughlin believes that his namesake is hitting form at precisely the right time. O’Loughlin yesterday arrived back from Athens where he visited sites and attended the Mountainbike test event where Tarja Owens finished 17th.
“Really all we wanted to do was see the course, but Tarja was quite pleased with herself. She goes head to head with Jennie McAuley over the coming weeks, in the battle for the place in the Olympics, with World Cup races in Madrid, Belgium and then Scotland to decide it.”
Former professional Malcolm Elliott, will contest the Rás this year along with Julian Winn, John Tanner, Mark Lovett and Kevin Dawson who will join forces for a combined Pinarello RT and Planet X team. Winn won the overall title three years ago while all of the others have either won stages or worn the important jerseys.
They will be managed by the 1978 Rás winner, Seamus Kennedy, who yesterday said they had high hopes of success this year.
“Julian Winn knows the race well having won it outright three years ago,” he said. “This season he is showing improved form having won the Archer GP as well as being the points jersey winner in the Tour of the Emirates. He also took four stages in that race.”
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