Watch out for Navan Road Club representing Meath in An Post Rás on Sunday
Meath will be represented by a team from navan Road Club for the eight-day (21st - 28th May) An Post Rás with the competitiors departing on Sunday morning from pre-race HQ at City North Hotel for the midday ceremonial start from Dublin Castle and a 146.1km stage to Longford.
The Navan Road Club team comprises Gerard Dunne, Andy McGuinness, Fergus Fagan, Johnny Clarke and Stephen Byrne with the team managed by Niall Doggett.
Locals are urged to get out on Sunday and cheer the Meath team in what will be a great occasion after the peloton rolls out from Dublin Castle.
The official start will take place outside St Loman's Hospital, Palmerstown and the cyclists will head on through Leixlip, Maynooth and Kilcock and into Meath.
The peloton will flash through Garadice (1pm), Summerhill, Trim (1.20pm) and Athboy (1.37pm).
The first Hot Spot Sprint will finish in Athboy before the first climb of the event will take the riders up the category 3 Loughcrew and then back down into Oldcastle for another Hot Spot Sprint.
Oldcastle Cycling Club officials have organised a social event on Loughcrew from 11am with music and refreshments available for enthusiasts.
From Oldcastle the cyclists will head to Ballyjamesduff and into Granard where the third and final Hot Spot Sprint will take place before the final 25kms and a sprint finish into Longford.
The second visit to Meath for will come on the final day when the Ardee to Skerries (eighth stage) will see the riders embark on a fast flat track heading for Drumconrath (12.39pm), Nobber (12.49pm), Navan (1.10pm), Kentstown (1.26pm), Duleek (1.36pm) and Bellewstown (1.46pm).
Bellewstown is the first of six climbs (category 2) on the way to the finish at Skerries.
Some 190 riders will be in action and over the eight-day event the racers will cover a total distance of close to 1,200 kilometres.
Stamullen man Arek Klus will compete in his first Rás with the Cork Mercedes-Benz Giant team.
One of the very strongest county teams in this Ras will be the Dublin UCD Fitzcycles team of Cian O’Reilly, Slaneman Ian Richardson, Connor McKenna, Eoin Morton and Lucas Carnac.
Richardson, who claimed victory in the General Classification for the first County rider for the past two years, has been unfortunate this year as he suffered a knee injury in January and missed out on a lot of early season training.
However, he feels his form is coming good again and he will be doing everything in his power to claim that coveted Blue Jersey as first County rider when the Ras finishes in Skerries on Sunday 28th May.