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STAGE RACING : Rás Tailteann : Archive Last Updated: 22 May 2018 - 7:06:27 PM

Saddling up again to Race the Ras
By Nadia Gativa
23 May 2012,

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Eamonn OMuircheartaigh, An Post Rs race director Eamonn OMuircheartaigh and Michael Duignan - photo by Nadia Gativa


Eight days, over a thousand kilometres, rough roads, tough climbs, dangerous descents, rain, wind and aching muscles; two Race the Ras survivors tell Nadia Gativa why they are doing it all again this week.






They described last year's Race the Ras as the hardest thing they'd ever done but, motivated by the thought of helping those affected by cancer and depression, several stars of GAA are digging deep and suffering once again over eight days.


My biggest challenge in cycling was when you'd see a hill and you'd be petrified that you wouldn't be able to make it up the hill without stopping, revealed former Dublin and Leitrim player Declan Darcy in the run up to this year's event.



He and the other players who rode last year were more accustomed to intensive bursts of efforts lasting seventy minutes, rather than five hour-plus ordeals each day. But that was the whole point of doing Race the Ras; pushing themselves well outside the comfort zone in order to help and inspire others.



Eamonn O'Muircheartaigh, a physiotherapist and former GAA player, was one of the key people involved in setting up the initiative, and also in taking part. He said that he was driven by the idea of making a positive contribution. The initial idea came last year because a physiotherapist working with me was diagnosed with terminal skin cancer, he said. It was a shock to me and others because we didn't realise that skin cancer could actually kill.



We got the idea to raise both money and awareness in relation to that disease.

He rang various GAA players to get them involved, including Darcy, whose sister was suffering from a terminal case of the same illness. He too came on board and together they created Race the Ras.



In essence, it involved using the same route that the famous Irish cycling race took, starting out a couple of hours before the professional riders and trying to reach the finish ahead of them. Last year's An Post Ras was 1247 kilometres long, which meant almost fifty hours on the bike for the riders.



O'Muircheartaigh, Darcy and others had only taken up cycling a few months earlier, but trained hard to be as ready as possible.



'It was definitely different to what we thought it would be,' said Darcy. While his fourteen years of sport meant that he was prepared for mental challenges, physically it was all about clocking up the hours on a bike. 'Once I got the bug, I loved it: getting into groups, training with good cyclists, being able to get up the Sally Gap. It also got me away from everything, especially when things weren't going well for my sister.'



Some of the GAA players who will take part in this year's Race the Rs - photo by Nadia Gativa


However, even with the discipline and athlete's mentality, switching to an endurance sport like cycling proved quite tough for them. Cycling advisers like Sean Bracken, Declan Quirk and Paul Donnagh were there to teach them, but it was a steep learning curve. Punctures and mechanical problems were an issue, and so too not eating correctly.



After a few times of riding for hours without refuelling on bananas or energy bars, they experienced their first 'bonk,' a complete drop in blood sugar. In Gaelic football that would've sent them off the field but here they had to keep going. 'You could be on a flat road with a wind behind and not being able to turn your legs. I've never experienced that before in my life,' said Darcy. 'I now know what marathon runners go through when they hit the wall.'



To add insult to injury, cycling etiquette of taking turns to face the wind meant that nobody could avoid doing their share. 'You'd be hanging at the back for dear life when a fellow would ride to you and say, 'get up the front, it's your turn',' said O'Muircheartaigh. 'And out of pure pride and embarrassment you'd have to do it.'



In a sport where weight is your main enemy, the muscular Gaelic footballer build didn't help, either. Seeing some of the Ras cyclists who were staying in the same hotel, O'Muircheartaigh remarked, 'they were all like rashers in comparison to us.' Road riders have powerful legs but almost no upper body muscles; this makes climbs easier and reduces wind resistance.



Darcy laughs at one memory. 'I was riding along Sean Bracken, asking him for advice, when he look at me and said, 'the first thing that you need to do is get rid of those big f** arms'.'



He was advised to loose two stone of bulk to reach good cycling fitness.



Another adviser, former Ras winner Philip Cassidy, shared that by the fourth day of the race you can expect to develop the 'thousand-meter-stare'. 'I was trying to figure out what he meant,' said O'Muircheartaigh, 'but by the fourth day I understood it perfectly. You were sitting at breakfast and didn't know where you were or what you were eating.'



But all these stories of courage and sacrifice don't come close to the experience of an Australian footballer who got five stitches to his undercarriage because of bad saddle sores. He was advised not to continue but pushed on. 'He still cycled the last four stages but was screaming getting in and out of the saddle,' said O'Muircheartaigh.



The courage showed by him and the others paid off, however. The Race the Ras group raised a total of €140,000 for the Irish Cancer Society and Goal, as well as earning invaluable publicity for those charities.



It's the reason why they have returned again this year, setting a new target of €250,000.



'We cycled around the country in appalling weather, up and down mountains only to be told by Ras director Dermot Dignam this January that the route wasn't hard enough last year,' laughed O'Muircheartaigh.



Despite that, the thought of helping others has enticed them back. And so too something else. 'I didn't think I'd say it, but I love cycling now,' admits Darcy.





The Race the Ras crew are currently working their way along the Ras route, doing the same mileage and climbs as the Ras entrants themselves. To contribute or to ride a stage with them, go to racetheras.com for details.







Extra Information:



Dates: May 20 to 27th



Distance: 1168 kilometres



Where: This year's An Post Ras starts in Dunboyne and features stage finishes in Kilkenny, Gort, Westport, Bundoran, Buncrana, Killybegs, Cootehill and Skerries.



Who did it last year: Sportspeople included Mick Galwey (Kerry and played rugby for Munster and Ireland), Sean Og O hAilpin (Cork), Paul Earley (Roscommon), John Maughan (Mayo), Ciaran Whelan (Dublin), Dan Shanahan (Waterford Hurler), Charlie Carter (Kilkenny Hurler), Graham Geraghty (Meath footballer), Ger Power (Kerry footballer), Declan Darcy (Dublin).



Who is included this year: Mick Galwey, Paul Earley, Declan Darcy, Paul Clarke (Dublin), Evan Kelly (Meath), John Maughan (Mayo), Eddie Brennan (Kilkenny Hurler), Ollie Canning (Galway Hurler), Kevin Cassidy (Donegal).



Where/how to contribute: http://www.mycharity.ie/event/eamonn_o_muircheartaighs_event2



How to take part: http://racetheras.com/



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