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When Gediminas Bagdonas sprinted into Skerries at the head of the peloton on Sunday, it marked the end of the 60th edition of the An Post Ras. However, it wasn't only those riders who had the satisfaction of completing the distance; another group also dug deep to complete the same route, but with very different targets.
The Race the Ras crew included ex-GAA players, amateur cyclists and one-day supporters, and covered the same roads to raise money for Breast Cancer Research and Aware charities. They too cycled for eight days and over a thousand kilometres, under blazing sun, battling winds, and climbed some of the highest mountains in Ireland.
Given that many of them have far less experience riding bike than those in the An Post Ras, it can be argued that they pushed themselves as much, if not further.
"Nothing compares to Mamore, nothing, says Declan Darcy, one of the organisers and participants of Race the Ras. You come around the first hairpin and you've struggled to get there, and you look, and you come around the next hairpin, and it's vertical to the top. If any cyclist wants to test himself, believe me, I've seen nothing in Kerry and nothing in Wicklow like this.
Co-organiser Eamonn O'Muircheartaigh agrees. "Between the Glengesh Pass and the Mamore Gap, I never knew we had climbs like this in Ireland.
Both completed last years event and raised 150,000 for the Irish Cancer Society and Goal. Like the other participants, they suffered a lot along the way; however that didn't deter them from doing it again.
"Last year was such a success in that we raised so much money for charity, you had to go and do it again this year, says O'Muircheartaigh. This year has probably been an even bigger success because of the weather and because the fellows knew what was ahead of them.
In the video interview below both O'Muircheartaigh and Darcy speak about the experience and what Race the Ras is about. Contributions are still possible at this stage and are very appreciated by the charities concerned. The goal this time is to raise 250,000.
See www.racetheras.com for details.