Countdown to 2025 Rás Tailteann

First and last stages to pass through Meath with closing spectacle at Bective Stud

The opening stage of the 2025 Rás Tailteann - the 70th edition of the stage cycle race - will travel through Meath on its way from Drogheda to the west of Ireland next week.

Running from Wednesday 21st May to Sunday 25th May, the event will then conclude at Bective Stud for the second year in a row, when after four laps of a 12km loop, the new champion of the George Plant Trophy will be crowned.

The event will start in Drogheda, the hometown of race director, Ger Campbell, on 21st May, heading westwards to complete stage one in Boyle, Co Roscommon. Following a ceremonial start in Drogheda Town Centre, the race will be neutralised onto the N51 towards Slane where the riders will pass the 0.0KM signs for the official start of Rás Tailteann 2025.

It will then bring a dash of colour through Kilberry, Kells, Drumbaragh, Ballinlough, Oldcastle, then Mountnugent, Kilnaleck, Ballinagh, Crossdoney, Arvagh in Cavan and Carrigallen, Mohill and Carrick-on-Shannon in Leitrim, before a fast finish into Boyle, Co Roscommon, home county of 2022 champion, Daire Feeley.

With just one category three climb on route at Sliabh na Cailligh, just before Oldcastle, a large group of riders could very well still be together to battle it out in Boyle for the first stage win of 2025. As per previous editions, there will be three hot spot sprints along the way during stage one which provide pivotal bonus seconds. They will be in Gibbstown Gaeltacht just after 20km, Crossdoney just after 80km and Mohill just after 120km.

A transfer to Charlestown for the start of stage two where the riders will take on the infamous Windy Gap and Maumtrasna climbs in the longest of the 2025 Rás Tailteann stages. Another transfer to Co Mayo for the start of stage three, where Cong will welcome the Rás Tailteann. After setting off from Cong, the riders will take in breathtaking scenery along the Wild Atlantic Way before they face the fast finish towards Miltown Malbay in County Clare.

The penultimate stage will kick off from Ennis, Co Clare, and take on two category three climbs before crossing the category one Wolftrap climb with less than 15km remaining – will there be enough time to regroup before the finish in Mountrath, Co Laois.

The final stage of Rás Tailteann 2025 will kick off in Kildare town, heading across the flat plains of that county, before entering Meath where again, the winner of Rás Tailteann will be crowned in Bective.

This 142.8km route, including four laps of finishing circuit, takes in Kildare town, Milltown, Kilmeague, Allenwood, Derrinturn, Kilshanroe, Johnstown Bridge, Longwood, Dunsany, and Bective, where a mostly flat final stage awaits the riders on route to the ultimate finish. There is just one category three climb on the final day as the race leaves Dunsany. The riders will then enter the finishing circuit where it could well be a day for the sprinters. There is a slightly changed circuit for 2025, with four laps of the 12km loop, while the last hour of racing around the confines of Bective Stud promises to be a special spectacle for spectators and riders alike.

The 2025 edition of the race over five stages will take in over 760km of Irish roads, including 13 categorised climbs.

Ger Campbell says: “I am super proud of the event we managed to get back on the road in 2022 and have grown from strength to strength each year since. Being able to start the 70th edition of the race in my hometown is very special to me. It is also great to return to some traditional cycling strongholds along the way. Each stage has its own twist which some suiting climbers, sprinters or punchers."

The race will be skirting Kilmessan, where Rás founder, Joe Christle, is laid to rest, as well as more recently, Michael Creighton of Bective, who won a stage of the Rás into Carlow in 1967, and competed in numerous editions of the race. He died last November, having attended the stage start at Bective there two years ago, and the formal launch of the 2024 event at Bective tea rooms last year.

Navan and Meath has a strong cycling tradition going back to the early days of the Rás, with the county producing five overall winners - Ben McKenna, Seamus Kennedy, Colm Nulty, Brian Connaughton, and Phil Cassidy on two occasions.