Top class cycling race will start and finish in Tipperary
Rás na mBan takes place next Friday
Ireland’s premier women’s international stage race, Rás na mBan combines past and present with a new route in County Tipperary during its landmark 20th edition of the event.
While Rás na mBan celebrates its 20th anniversary, this year also marks the 40th anniversary of the John Hearn Memorial Stage Race, Ireland’s first international multi-day road race for women and an event to which Rás na mBan can trace a direct lineage.
The John Hearn Memorial took place in Carrick-on-Suir in 1986, and Stage 3 of the 2026 edition of Rás na mBan will start and finish within metres of the location from which that pioneering race set off.
Riders will leave from Carrick-on-Suir and race towards a short sharp climb en route to Ninemilehouse, before undertaking a short sharp descent as they turn towards Mullinahone.
From there the road drags towards Knockabritta as they race towards Killenaule. The road towards the intermediate sprint at Fethard is expected to be fast, with plenty of downhill as they race towards Clonmel.
Riders will then face one of the most challenging climbs of this year’s edition of the race as they enter onto the Tickincor QoM, which is three kilometres long with an average gradient of 7.9%.
Having passed into County Waterford, the following 20 kilometres will again feature plenty of downhill before taking on the much shorter, but steeper, Seskin QoM followed by a downhill finish back into Carrick-on-Suir after 102.5 kilometres of racing over 1,127 metres.