Rás riders roll into town

 

The town of Gort received a huge boost on Monday when An Post Rás competitors, fans and support personnel descended on the town for the end of the second-longest stage of the gruelling eight-day event.

Riders covered 157 kilometres from Kilkenny to Gort before setting off from the South Galway town again on Tuesday morning. Pirmin Lang of the Switzerland Atlas Jakroo team was first past the finish line on Monday’s stage two of the 2012 Rás. The Swiss rider sprinted to victory at the end of a particularly hilly stage taking riders through East Clare.

Participants stayed in Gort, Loughrea and Ennis on Monday night before setting off from the Lady Gregory Hotel on Tuesday. The hotel found itself at capacity on a Monday night outside of peak season.

“We had about 150 people staying. It was great and there was a great buzz around town, especially for a Monday evening. Registration was in the hotel on Tuesday so all the teams from Ennis and Loughrea were all there for registration. It was a great opportunity to showcase the hotel and we think they all went away happy.

They said they would love to come back in the next two or three years which would be great. They were very impressed with the town and the finish line and particularly with the road surface and they felt it was one of the best in the race,” said Michael O’Grady of the Lady Gregory.

“Anything like this is good for the town. It showcases the town, it puts Gort on the map and it lets people know where we are and what we have here. Any type of business like that is good for the hotel but it is also good for the town,” he added.

According to Gerry Finnerty of the Gort Chamber of Commerce, large sporting events should be targeted by businesses in the area as they bring a welcome boost to the local economy.

“There was a great response to the cyclists and the teams. Some riders stayed in Ennis and in Loughrea but Gort was fairly full. I think if they were coming again, we should try to make sure every type of accommodation was taken up in the town. The three main businesses to benefit were the food outlets, the filling station and accommodation,” he said.

“I would like to see more businesses, groups and organisations in the town trying to get out there and attract more things like this to Gort. Certainly this was a boost for the town especially on a Monday night. Some of the pubs even had music on which was really unbelievable for a Monday night at this time of year and great to see,” Mr Finnerty concluded.