This year, the event will kick off from Tullamore, County Offaly in Ireland’s Midlands, where the first stage finish will be in Kilmallock. This will be the first-ever Rás Tailteann stage to finish in the County Limerick town. The 2024 edition will also have finishes in Sneem, County Kerry on the famous ‘Ring of Kerry’, Cahir, County Tipperary which will see the first finish there since 1967 and Kildare Town, County Kildare with the fifth and final stage of the 2024 Rás Tailteann finishing in Bective, County Meath where the race will take in three laps of a 14.1KM spectator-friendly finishing circuit. 784.8KM of Irish roads awaits this year's entrants with a total of eighteen categorised climbs over the five stages, including two x category one climbs on stages two and four.
Sponsor 9 – Festina – Daily County Rider Award
Cairde Rás Tailteann is delighted to announce that Festina will again sponsor the daily County Rider Award in this year's Rás Tailteann. This is Festina’s third consecutive year sponsoring the daily prize for this classification.
Festina’s philosophy is to give things time, to fill time with pauses that allow one to enjoy each new collection with feelings such as love, passion, freedom, or attraction—universal values that mark the hours of an internationally recognised brand. With more than a century of experience, Festina is synonymous with elegance and functionality. Their collections transmit a distinctly sporty character and spirit through the firm’s designs. Reason and passion. Head and heart. A matter of style.
Thanking Festina for their support of Rás Tailteann once again, Ger Campbell said, “We are incredibly appreciative and proud to have a huge brand name such as Festina involved with the race. Being the first Irish county rider over the line in any stage of the Rás Tailteann is a very special achievement, and having something like a fabulous Festina watch to remember this momentous time is great for the riders.”
Representatives from Festina said “We are delighted to be a commercial partner of Rás Tailteann again this year. We wish all competitors the very best of luck”.
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Sponsor 10 – Spin 11 – Jersey Partner & U23 Jersey Sponsor
Cairde Rás Tailteann is delighted to announce that Spin 11 are again the official jersey partner of the 2024 Rás Tailteann and also the sponsor of the U23 jersey.
Spin11’s mission is simple: ‘Produce amazing custom apparel that will enhance customers sporting experience no matter what’, and to do so in the simplest most efficient way possible. They have worked closely with customers to understand their needs, wishes and pains related to ordering club kit. They have always listened and focused on offering a solution - a pain-free ordering process, delivery that is always on time, and high quality. Spin 11 produces race kits for the Irish National Team and Cycling Ireland. They have developed and tested every garment in the wind tunnel, so they continuously deliver the fastest, most technologically advanced, and most comfortable range.
Ger Campbell said “The biggest prize in this race is the yellow jersey. That’s what all 145 riders will be lining up on the start line hoping to win. If not successful in obtaining yellow, they have five other opportunities to wear a Rás Tailteann classification jersey. However, these jerseys are only made possible by the very generous support of companies like Spin 11, which manufactures them for Rás Tailteann. Maria and all the crew at Spin 11 have done an incredible job yet again, and we are very thankful to them”.
Maria Connaughton from Spin 11 added “The Rás Tailteann means a lot to Spin 11 and all involved with the company. We are so proud to be manufacturing the jerseys again for this super event.”
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Visiting Team 15 – Ribble Rebellion – UK
Cairde Rás Tailteann is delighted to announce our fifteenth visiting team of the 2024 event: Ribble Rebellion, who make their debut in the 2024 event.
Ribble Rebellion is the all-new racing team founded by Ribble Cycles. Comprising nine of the best crit riders, Ribble Rebellion has been assembled with one goal in mind – to shake up the global crit scene. Featuring the finest of UK, US and European cycling talent, Ribble Rebellion has its sights firmly set on cycling’s most prestigious criterium races, going toe-to-toe with the world’s best crit racing teams. The team has been created around exceptional riders with the ambition and desire to succeed.
Seeing if he can bring that success in Rás Tailteann 2024 is road captain Joe Laverick, who finished 6th in the 2023 edition after going into the final stage in third place, a mere 6 seconds behind the leader. “I can’t wait to take on Rás Tailteann 2024 wearing the Ribble Rebellion jersey and see if I can bring back the George Plant Trophy”, said Laverick.
Welcoming the team to the event, Ger Campbell said “Joe Laverick was one of the strongest riders in the 2023 Rás Tailteann and has been on fire in the criterium and gravel circuits so far this season. Ribble Rebellion looks like a team that will definitely feature in the results”.
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Irish National Team
Cairde Rás Tailteann is delighted to welcome the Irish National Team to the event. Seeing the green jersey amongst the ‘The Rás’ peloton is always a special sight. However, it may be even sweeter this year as reigning champion Dillon Corkery returns as road captain of the Irish Team, with a view to completing back-to-back wins in Rás Tailteann. Corkery will be joined by Dean Harvey, Liam Crowley, Liam O’Brien and Odhran Doogan who have all had very strong results so far in the 2024 season.
Despite his ambition to win, Corkery is not going to be one shying away from the spotlight as fellow riders, fans, and members of the public can follow Dillon’s race diary, which will be published every day in The Irish Independent.
Welcoming the Irish National Team to the event, Ger Campbell said “Dillon Corkery completed what many thought was impossible last year by winning the yellow jersey at the absolute death of the event. I have been around cycling my entire life, yet what Corkery managed last year will stick with me forever. We can’t wait to watch the Irish National Team take on the tougher route this year and see if they can complete two in a row.”
Team Manager Martyn Irvine said, “Last year’s ‘Rás’ was like a dream – the gamble paid off. We know it’s not going to be easy to repeat, but we will throw everything we have at it. We also invite everyone to follow our journey by reading Dillon’s diary in The Irish Independent every morning”.
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