Rás Tailteann 2026 - from the team manager perspective- Neal Hudson

Now that the dust has settled a bit on Rás Tailteann 2026, it's a good time to reflect on five intense days managing the Pinergy Orwell Wheelers team.

Firstly, I'd like to say what a tremendous honour it was to manage the team—my second year in the hot seat. I can honestly say we have a truly great bunch of guys who are not only exceptional bike riders, but phenomenal teammates and representatives for the club. Having come to know the lads over the last couple of years managing the squads for both Rás Mumhan at Easter and the Rás, I know they should all be incredibly proud of themselves and each other.

The Rás is Ireland's premier stage race, carrying a rich history that stretches back to 1953. It remains the absolute benchmark for amateur road racing on the island, attracting top-tier teams from across Europe and beyond. To represent your club at the Rás is something genuinely special.

The Groundwork & Early Logistics

The build-up to the Rás begins long before race week. Across the winter months, while the riders are putting in serious training blocks, there is an enormous amount of managerial groundwork happening behind the scenes. Logistics, sponsorship, kit, vehicle coordination—it all has to seamlessly come together before a single pedal stroke is turned in anger.

Our preparation began last September with an end-of-season debrief alongside the riders and the racing committee to start plotting this year's campaign.

Over the following months, Dick O'Brien, Diarmuid Collins, Luke Keaney, and I hammered out the blueprint. The first logistical hurdle is always the route announcement, which triggers a mad scramble for accommodation. Luckily, we managed to get a steer on the route ahead of time. We provisionally booked Mallow for two nights and Carlow town for two nights, confirming them the second the route went public. With the race starting on Saturday and Sunday in Carlow, and our brilliant soigneur/masseuse John Walsh hailing from there, we were incredibly well looked after. Unfortunately, we couldn't say quite the same about our spot in Mallow—the less said about that the better! (At least it was clean...)

Tough Calls and Early Season Success

The selection process is never straightforward. We began the year with seven riders in contention for five coveted spots. Over the months, that group naturally reduced to six, but cutting from six to five was one of the hardest decisions of the entire process. Every single one of those riders deserved to be on the start line. I want to specifically acknowledge the rider who missed out—that is an incredibly tough pill to swallow, and their attitude throughout the process was absolutely first-class.

Our early-season targets were vital stepping stones, including Rás Maigh Eo and Rás Mumhan at Easter. Mumhan was an undeniable highlight—winning the opening Team Time Trial to put Evan into Yellow and Sean into White on day one was a special moment for the whole club, and it perfectly set the tone for what we wanted to achieve at the Rás.

Behind the Scenes in the Cavalcade

Race week itself is a beautiful blur. It is non-stop from morning until night for the support crew. We are up before the riders and the last to bed, because our sole priority is ensuring that all the lads have to worry about for those five days is turning the pedals. We handle the logistics, bike prep, endless nutrition sorting, massage scheduling, and the relentless battle to wash and dry race kit (well, mostly dry, most of the time).

I cannot speak highly enough of our support crew: Donal Loughrey, John Walsh, and Bernard Collins. The riders get the glory, but it's the crew working tirelessly in the background who help make it possible.

As for my own role on race days, sitting in the team car means navigating the race cavalcade in our assigned position. The real adrenaline hits when one of our riders makes the breakaway; suddenly, you're permitted to rocket up through the field to support them. Trying to safely guide a team car around a frantic, moving bunch of 150 elite riders is an experience like nothing else in sports. Truly intense, high-stakes driving.

(The riders have each written a diary covering a day of the race from their own perspective, so please do read those for a genuine insight into what it's like from the saddle!)

A Massive Thank You to Our Sponsors

Last, but certainly not least, a massive thank you to all our sponsors this year. Your backing is an incredible help, and the addition of new sponsors this season was deeply appreciated by the entire squad. A special shout-out to Bernard Collins, who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to bring these new partners on board.

• Pinergy: Our title sponsor, who continues to do so much heavy lifting for Orwell.

• Gobik: Our clothing supplier, who kept the team looking sharp in fantastic casual wear.

• Joe Daly Cycles: Always there when the panic sets in—whether providing spare parts, a box overflowing with race nutrition, or a phone number in Cork to source a last-minute derailleur!

• Soudal: For keeping us supplied with essential bottles and top-tier maintenance products.

• Endurance Lab: For their brilliant race nutrition products. They have generously extended an exclusive offer to Orwell members of 15% off using the code - Orwell-Wheelers.

• Johnson & Perrott Fleet: For stepping up and providing us with the additional support vehicles required to run a smooth operation.

Thanks a million to each and every one of you.

Looking Forward

On reflection, this group of riders represents something genuinely exciting for Orwell. We didn't quite hunt down the specific results we came for this year—a top-ten stage finish was absolutely within our grasp—but I have no doubt it's coming. The riders are consistently improving, the team culture is rock solid, and the infrastructure around them gets better every year. The trajectory is firmly upward, and we are building toward something real.

While we're realistic about where we fell short, there is absolutely zero sense of deflation in this group—quite the opposite. The belief is there, the work continues, and this squad is nowhere near done yet.

Not. Done. Yet.