Double Champion Power Back For FBD Insurance Rás

The line-up of this year’s FBD Insurance RÁS has been further boosted by the confirmation that double winner Ciarán Power will take part in this year’s race, which starts in just over two week’s time. After winning overall in 1998 and 2002, Power last competed in the FBD Insurance RÁS three years ago when he won stages into Ballina and Oldcastle and finished second in the points classification.

Since then he has missed the race due to commitments with his professional Navigators team, but will return this year as part of his build-up to full fitness after an operation earlier this season. In recent years Power, who was a superb 13th in the Olympic road race in Athens, had been increasingly affected by a blood flow obstruction that led to numbness and a loss of power in one of his legs. That problem has now been successfully treated and he is raring to go.

“I am feeling really great now, I can’t remember the last time my legs felt this good,” he says. “The problem seems to be totally fixed”

Power returned to racing last weekend after an eight month absence and immediately showed strong form, dominating the King of the Mountains classification in the Tour of Ulster. He was also fifth and sixth on stages and finished the three day race a very respectable sixth overall.

He is likely to further build form in the next fortnight and is looking forward to the FBD Insurance RÁS.
“I am going to do the race with the Tipperary Dan Morrissey team, I spoke to Frank Campbell, manager of the Irish team, and he said that maybe I could do it on the Irish team, but I didn’t want the pressure of that. I want to be able to train through it, but obviously do a good Rás too so I can prove to myself, to Tipperary Dan Morrissey’s and also to my Navigators team that I am going well.” he said

FBD Insurance RÁS organiser Dermot Dignam feels Power will make a good impact.
“We are very pleased that Ciarán, a double winner of the race, is taking part once more. Although he had a long break from racing, he is clearly coming back in good form and should make an impression on the race.”

This year’s FBD Insurance RÁS will begin in Dublin on May 21st and finish eight days and over 1200 kilometres later in Skerries on Sunday May 28th. The world-ranking race will also feature exciting stage finishes in Enniscorthy, Cobh, An Daingean, Listowel, An Cheathru Rua, Westport and Clara.

More at the race website: www.fbdinsuranceras.com