Iconic Rás Táilteann will be passing through county Longford in May

One of Ireland's most iconic sporting events, the Rás Táilteann, will be passing through county Longford in May.

Cairde Rás Táilteann has today announced details of the 2023 edition of the event. The race will again be a 5-day event taking place from Wednesday, May 17 to Sunday, May 21.

Additional details of funding partners and sponsors will follow in due course.

In general terms, this year’s edition features a tougher route than 2022 with lots of battlegrounds over the 5 stages.

Stage 1 is Navan – Birr followed by Stage 2 Birr - Ennis. Stage 3 takes the cyclists from Ennis – Castlebar and the stage is dedicated to the memory of Tommy Devereux, a Castlebar native and stalwart of Irish cycling & Rás Táilteann who sadly passed away in December 2022.

Stage 4 is Charlestown – Monaghan and it is the longest stage of Rás Táilteann 2023 (176 km). The first half of the stage features mainly flat roads passing through Tulsk, Strokestown and Longford.

The race then makes a directional change northwards in Longford which features more difficult roads for the second half of the stage. The undulating roads through Co Cavan where three cat 3 climbs are featured are sure to take their toll on the riders before a relatively flat run-in from Clones to Monaghan town. The final twist of stage 4 is the last 300 metres uphill to the finish outside Monaghan Cathedral.

The fifth and final Stage 5 takes the riders from Monaghan to Blackrock. After a ceremonial start in the centre of Monaghan town, the riders will make their way through the towns of Ballybay, Shercock, Kingscourt, Drumconrath, Ardee, and Castlebellingham before passing onto a slightly tweaked and extended finishing circuit in Blackrock.