Rás homecoming for Shaw this Sunday

Westmeath cycling fans will be hoping that Mullingar native Damien Shaw is leading the peloton this Sunday afternoon when the first stage of the 2016 An Post Rás ends in Multyfarnham.

This is Shaw’s first Rás as a professional cyclist – he signed with the An Post Chain Reaction team late last year. Describing the arrival of the Rás to Westmeath as a “big honour” for both Lakeside Wheelers and the local cycling community in general, he says that ending the first leg in Multy will be significant from a personal perspective.

“It’s one of the first areas that I cycled when I started six years ago. Coincidentally, it will almost be to the day from my first cycle. To have gone from doing 40 or 50k cycles to international competition brings it all back home.”

The An Post Chain Reaction team signed Damien late last year largely on the back of his strong performances in last year’s Rás, which included three second place finishes. 

He has spent a lot of this year on the continent racing and admits that adjusting to life as a professional cyclist has not been without its challenges.

The adjustment has not been helped by a number of small injuries and a spell of sickness, which he says are inevitable given the demands that riders place on their bodies. However, he’s enjoying pitting himself against some of the world’s best cyclists and is looking forward to his homecoming this weekend.

“It’s like going from local football to the Premiership. It’s a huge learning curve, but I’m enjoying it and that’s the main thing. The main reason for doing it (becoming a professional rider) was for the challenge and I’m definitely being challenged.”

As for his hopes for this year’s Rás after his standout performance in 2015, Damien says that a lot will depend on what his bosses at An Post Chain Reaction want from him.

“My job could be to support other guys as they go for a high place in the general classification. If I get a chance, I’ll take it, of course, but last year I was looking for scraps and this year I’m here to do a job.

“I might not get a result but could have a brilliant Rás from the team’s perspective, or I could get a stage win and it might be overlooked because the team didn’t reach their targets.”

Sunday’s stage, which also takes in Castlepollard and Crookedwood, is due to end at 4.06pm, while the second stage starts in Mullingar on Monday morning at 11am.

An Post Rás stages

Sunday May 22
Dublin Castle: 12pm
Lough Crew Climb Cat 3 KOM: 2.40pm
Castlepollard: 3.10pm
Crookedwood: 3.26pm
Multyfarnham An Post Hot Spot Sprint: 3.36pm
Crookedwood: 3.55pm
Multyfarnham: 4.06pm

Monday May 23
Mullingar: 11am
Tyrrellspass: 11.25am
Tullamore: 11.48am