Last stage of An Post Rás – Holler defends climbers-jersey

Stage 8 of An Post Rás (UCI 2.2) in Ireland was the last stage of a wonderful and successful race during the last week. With his 13th place today, Nikodemus Holler seals the win of KOM – jersey on his Stradalli Cycle Bitonto full carbon road bike.

A week full of stress, fighting, suffering and much more has now been left behind. Such a stage race always keeps very special and unique challenges for the riders. And it is not only the pure racing that makes it hard, it is also the psychological part that is a real challenge to everyone.

Not only are the riders concerned it is also the staff that has to bear a lot of the stress and suffering too during such a tough race. Lot of tasks have to be done in a very accurate way but in a short amount of time as the whole pack is moving every day from A to B. Waking up early in the morning, preparing bottles (about 40 per day), food, equipment, tactical briefing and many more. Then race time, pure stress. After the mechanics take their space to clean and service all the bikes and wheels and the physios trying to let the riders relax. Lot to do before the last one turns the light off.

In such conditions and with that amount of stress, it is barely important that the people involved in such a tour have a good relationship and are able to maintain a good mood together during the whole time of the race. If you are inside of all this, you often do not realize the real meaning of what everybody brings in and sacrifices to make the whole thing working. But when you take a step outside of the box and look on all these details, you quickly realize that everybody in a team I a hero on his own way with his own experience and with all he or her does. Just awesome what all people have to bring together that it is possible to bring a team to the start line.

And when all these sacrifices, all this passion and suffer from everybody leads to success at the end, there can be not much more feelings that are better. And tonight the guys from Stradalli – BIKE AID surely deserved it to have a brilliant evening with a lot of fun, as the whole week can be seen as a success.

8 hard stages left behind, lot of stress and hectic, suffer and fight and today it was all about bringing the jersey home. And maybe to have a good sprint for Patrick Lechner again at the end of this 8th stage in Skerries. Unfortunately Patrick got involved into a bad crash in the final lap and his opportunity to do another good result was gone. So it was finally all about bringing Niko’s climbers jersey home. He finished 13th again and finally won the climbers classification and took 10th place in GC.

Congratulations also to Clemens Frankhauser form team Tirol who won the GC of this year’s Rás and who really deserves it! Well done to all of you guys! Now we wish you all a good way back and hope for another great adventures!