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The Ras: The Story of Ireland's Unique Bike Race
The Ras is a race characterized by unconventional practice, spontaneity, grittiness, and fierceness of competition. This book captures the spirit and essence of the Ras, its historical significance and place in Irish sporting history, and is interspersed with personal stories of sacrifice, hardship, and epic achievement. Here all its brilliance and heartbreak are vividly captured.
- GenresCycling
342 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 14, 2020
Just as many of the great races from the Grand Tours through to the Classics have a historical and political as well as sporting context, so it is with the smaller events, and while small on scale, the Rás Tailteann is big on impact. Daly provides a history of the event as sporting spectacle while also analysing the social and political influences in an Ireland with the scars of partition and a revolutionary tradition still most uppermost.
The Rás grew out of the National Cycling Association (NCA) a 32 county organisation in opposition to the Cumann Rothaiochta na hEireann (CRE), who were seen as partitionist and limited themselves to the 26 counties. The CRE alongside the British authorities helped ensure that the UCI would not permit a member of the NCA represent Ireland abroad or at an international or Olympic level. Thereby anyone joining an NCA affiliated club would never be granted a race licence and would be unable to build a career in continental Europe. This was a major sacrifice and many talented riders such as Sé O'Hanlon lost the opportunity to make a career out of cycling, but such was the political commitment that many precursors to Shay Elliot, Sean Kelly and Stephen Roche (all CRE members) never got the chance to shine at the heart of international cycling.
Daly takes us through what it is required to win the soubriquet of "Man of the Rás"- the toughness of the race is clear throughout, with a mixture of talented amateurs taking on the pros who were more used to clearly defined tactics, as opposed to sheer power and continuous attacking that made the Rás what it is. He clearly highlights why simply finishing is a target for many, especially those who have to take the week off work to compete, then showing up in the factory, office or shop floor the following day.
This is a well written and constructed book, and introduces readers to characters such as Mick Murphy who, if they appeared in a work of fiction, would seem far-fetched. It would appeal to those who are into cycling as well as those who may want a different angle to modern Irish history. In fact the trials, tribulations and progressions that Irish cycling and the Rás have gone through may also mirror developments in Northern Ireland with division slowly giving way to trust (although the NI situation will take much longer to turn around than the 25 years the NCA/CRE took).
So overall this book has enough about the actual physical cost of cycling the Rás to keep those into their cycling writing happy but it should not put off those who don't know much about the sport-Daly manages to cater to both types of reader- the non-cycling savvy won't feel overwhelmed, while those more into the sport will not be exasperated by a "beginners guide to cycling" approach. Overall an unusual way to look at Irish history and the impact of partition from a unique perspective, and well worth reading.
The Rás grew out of the National Cycling Association (NCA) a 32 county organisation in opposition to the Cumann Rothaiochta na hEireann (CRE), who were seen as partitionist and limited themselves to the 26 counties. The CRE alongside the British authorities helped ensure that the UCI would not permit a member of the NCA represent Ireland abroad or at an international or Olympic level. Thereby anyone joining an NCA affiliated club would never be granted a race licence and would be unable to build a career in continental Europe. This was a major sacrifice and many talented riders such as Sé O'Hanlon lost the opportunity to make a career out of cycling, but such was the political commitment that many precursors to Shay Elliot, Sean Kelly and Stephen Roche (all CRE members) never got the chance to shine at the heart of international cycling.
Daly takes us through what it is required to win the soubriquet of "Man of the Rás"- the toughness of the race is clear throughout, with a mixture of talented amateurs taking on the pros who were more used to clearly defined tactics, as opposed to sheer power and continuous attacking that made the Rás what it is. He clearly highlights why simply finishing is a target for many, especially those who have to take the week off work to compete, then showing up in the factory, office or shop floor the following day.
This is a well written and constructed book, and introduces readers to characters such as Mick Murphy who, if they appeared in a work of fiction, would seem far-fetched. It would appeal to those who are into cycling as well as those who may want a different angle to modern Irish history. In fact the trials, tribulations and progressions that Irish cycling and the Rás have gone through may also mirror developments in Northern Ireland with division slowly giving way to trust (although the NI situation will take much longer to turn around than the 25 years the NCA/CRE took).
So overall this book has enough about the actual physical cost of cycling the Rás to keep those into their cycling writing happy but it should not put off those who don't know much about the sport-Daly manages to cater to both types of reader- the non-cycling savvy won't feel overwhelmed, while those more into the sport will not be exasperated by a "beginners guide to cycling" approach. Overall an unusual way to look at Irish history and the impact of partition from a unique perspective, and well worth reading.
March 3, 2020
What a great and surprising book. As a cyclist I expected to enjoy reading the detail behind this iconic Irish Race but it is a lot more than that.
The book weaves in a tangential view of the social and political environment over the period as well as describing many of the characters in a very engaging way.
It wasn't a "can't put it down" book but I looked forward to the next chapter each day and was disappointed when it ended.
The book weaves in a tangential view of the social and political environment over the period as well as describing many of the characters in a very engaging way.
It wasn't a "can't put it down" book but I looked forward to the next chapter each day and was disappointed when it ended.
April 3, 2018
This had been a really good interesting novel about The Rás. A fascinating read in both cycling and cultural terms.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews