Rás na mBan: Lessons from 6 stages of racing

Rás na mBan is Ireland’s only international women’s stage race, six days of challenging terrain, unpredictable weather, and a lot of lessons to be learned. For me, it was also the end of my first season on the road after moving across from MTB. I knew it would be tough, but I also saw it as a chance to learn about stage racing and everything that comes with it.

What I quickly realised is that the race isn’t only about how strong you are on the bike. It’s about how well you fuel on the bike and how you look after yourself once you get off it, something you already learn from training day in day out but, executing it perfectly on 5 days of race is hard.

Fuelling properly, recovering between stages, and leaning on the people around you became just as important as positioning, climbing well or sprinting for the line.

Stage One: Starting Strong

The first stage was 75km with two steep QOMs. Positioning was important, but so was making sure I fuelled evenly throughout, the finish was fast I was at the front in the bunch sprint, ending up with 12th.

Simple carbs like Rice Krispie bars before the race and gels during kept my energy steady, and after the finish I went straight into recovery: protein shake, juice, then plenty of carbs for dinner. That routine quickly became my anchor: refuel, hydrate, rest, and get ready to do it again.

What are the lessons you have learned from the journey?

Good waterproofs are essential when doing anything in the UK! Also I think I have learnt to go with the flow a bit more. Don't force things. Listen to the body and take each day as it comes. There's always issues that can occur.

Stage Two: A Setback

The Irish weather showed up on stage two. A slick downhill corner sent a few riders down hard including me, I finished the stage sore, shaken and cold.

Recovery that evening mattered more than the result. I focused on eating enough, rehydrating, and staying calm, even though I was bruised and unsure about what the next day would bring.

Stage Three: Finding Support

This was the hardest day. My hip was in a lot of pain from the crash , and I struggled on the climb. At one point I wanted to stop altogether. Hearing encouragement from teammates as they passed encouraged me to finish and reminded me how much strength comes from those around you.

That evening, a local rider guesting on the team drove me to see a physio in Kilkenny, a small act of kindness that made a big difference to the next few stages, allowing me to be competitive at the end of the week.

Stage Four: Moving Forward

I woke up stiff, tired and unsure about today wanting to just be able to finish within the time cut, but once racing, I realised I could manage the pain.

Eating and drinking regularly on the bike helped me focus on the process and staying in the front bunch, I didn’t finish right at the front, but completing the stage in the leading group without pain gave me back some confidence for the last day.

Stage Five & Six: Finishing With a High

The mini TT (2.5km) was short and straightforward but with heavy rain and tight corners, staying up right was my priority.

I saved my energy for the final stage, the crit.

Crits are fast, technical and punchy, and even after four long days of racing, I still had the energy to stay with the group and contest the sprint, which was down to good fuelling during day 4 where I made sure I ate all my gels and drank both bottles of carb mix.I finished 7th not the podium I had hoped for, but a result I could be proud of after a rough week.Nevertheless, the whole team finished the Rás na mBan, with so many valuable lessons learned and a whole lot more confidence in ourselves. It was time for the ferry home…

Lessons From the Rás:

Rás na mBan taught me that stage racing is as much about how you recover as how you race. Small habits, eating enough carbs from day 1, staying hydrated with electrolytes, getting protein in quickly after the finish all made a huge difference to how I felt each day.

Rest and support from others were just as important too.

3 Recovery Habits That Helped Me Finish the Rás

If you are thinking of doing a stage race next season here are some here are my key take aways from a week of racing:

1. Fuel straight after the stage – a recovery shake with carbs within 30 minutes made the next day feel possible.

2. Keep eating, even when tired – it’s easy to lose appetite after long, wet stages, but getting enough carbs back in kept the legs turning and boost recovery, find snacks you enjoy to eat between meals.

3. Lean on support – from teammates’ encouragement to a local rider driving me to physio, recovery isn’t only physical it’s also about having people around you. Listen to your body and make sure it’s safe to continue after crashing, if you do experience pain seek a professional (it’s hard to listen to your body when you are so determined, but ultimately you don’t want to create a long term injury).