-----------------------

Sunday

After eight days of racing the Ras finally came to an end on Sunday afternoon.

All five of Team Isle of Man-Microgaming's riders made it to the finish.

Highlight of the race was Ken Hanson's win on stage one and the day that he spent in yellow on stage two.

It was also good to see 19-year-old Warren Flynn make it to the finish after he took a real battering on stage seven.

There were other notable performances from Andrew Roche who was in a 110-mile breakaway on stage six and Graeme Hatcher's similarly epic break the following day.

In Ireland they say that anyone who has not completed the Ras can't consider themselves to be a real bike rider so anyone completing the race can only gain in confidence from what they have achieved.

For me it has been a real privilege to see the race from the Isle of Man team car.

I came to the Ras intending to work as a journalist looking at how a stage race team worked behind the scenes.

Due to circumstances I ended up helping out team manager Gary Hinds in the team car handing up drinks bottles to riders and pitching in with the daily routines involved in moving the team from one hotel to the next after a hard day of racing for eight days running.

But what has impressed me most has been the spirit in the team.

Ken Hanson arrived from the states not knowing how he would get along with his new team mates and Staffordshire rider Martin Ford was also a relative newcomer although he has guested for Team Isle of Man before.

Both Hanson and Ford paid their own way so that they could ride the Ras with the team.

The team masseur Paula Dowling also met the riders for the first time only hours before the race began.

If there had been friction or a clash of personalities amongst any of the eight individuals who made up Team Isle of Man's Ras squad the last eight days would have been a nightmare.

But everything gelled together and there was a real sense of everyone working for each other.

The team worked well on the road and when riders were having a tough day their team mates helped them out.

Team manager Gary Hinds held it all together working long hours after each stage cleaning and repairing bikes.

And the journalists covering the Ras worked hard too!

This week has reminded me of what a great sport cycling is and how it emphasises the importance of team work.

Only one rider can get the glory of crossing the line first but no rider can make it on their own in a race like this.

They all need a support network of team mates and those that help behind the scenes.

Being involved with stage races like the Ras leaves you with a great feeling of taking part in something really special.

For me it's the second best feeling in the world.

-----------------------

Saturday

Stage seven was the toughest so far for most of the riders in the Ras.

On paper it wasn't the hardest stage, but it was tough enough and made all the more difficult as it came after six days of racing.

The battle for the yellow jersey reached a peak today meaning that riders with ambitions for overall victory were attacking all day so the pace was hot right from the off.

It was a hectic day in the team car too as the hot weather meant we ran out of water to hand to the riders, so I had to climb into the boot of the car across a load of spare wheels to find any spare bottles of water we had.

Doing this while team manager Gary Hinds was driving the team car at break neck speeds to keep up with the race made it a bit more difficult but it's all part of the job for those who are part of a Ras team's support crew.

After the stage finished in Roundwood in County Wicklow we had an hour's drive to our hotel.

On the way there the three riders in the back of the car, Martin Ford, Ken Hanson and Warren Flynn, all fell fast asleep as the efforts of seven days of hard racing start to take its toll.

I'm tired from having to rush around doing stuff to help the team and take pictures and compile reports, so I can only imagine how exhausted the riders must feel.

But the experience has reminded me of just how much effort these guys have to put in just to finish races like this.

Young 'Woza' Flynn looked completely shattered after Saturday's stage, he said it was the toughest day he had ever spent on a bike.

After the stage he asked me what the profile was like for Sunday's last stage.

I knew the profile looked like a saw blade so I was bit hesitant to show him the route map.

When he saw it his morale took another nosedive but after a decent meal his spirits lifted and he has enough old heads around him in the team to help him through to the finish.

That's what everyone in the team, riders and support crew alike, is looking forward to now.

The finish.

Day after day on the road and living out of a suitcase and in a different hotel every night takes its toll after a while.

We all want to get to the finish now and go home to our own beds and get back to normal.

Today is Saturday, and I usually spend Saturdays watching Soccer AM with a bit of crumpet in one hand and a nice hot mug of tea in the other.

But today it was a rushed breakfast and the usual Ras routine of loading bags into the team van and filling dozens of bottles with energy drinks for the riders.
But we all know that next week, when we are all back in our normal routines, we will be thinking back to the good times we've all shared on this race.

And Woza, who at the evening meal declared that he was going to sell his bike and take up fishing, will hopefully be looking at the finisher's medal he has for completing his first Ras.

Sadly, us support crew don't get medals only the memories of being involved in a great race, with a great team and in a beautiful country.

And that's reward enough for me.

-----------------------

Friday

The Great Andrew Roche may not be a contender for overall victory in the Ras anymore, but today he showed there is life in the old dog yet.

Just two miles into the stage he went clear with nine riders and the break stayed away all day despite some hard chasing by the Irish National Team and the Rapha-Condor British pro team.

Riding 110-miles averaging more than 25mph is no mean feat in itself but Roche was still disappointed at having to settle for fifth at the finish.

This week Roche has been getting some good natured stick from his team mate Martin Ford.

The pair have known each other for years having race with and against each other on many occasions.

Roche has got the nickname 'The Great' Andrew Roche this week, but Ford, who is very much Team Isle of Man's resident comedian' added the word 'grandfather' to Roche's new moniker.

Ford, who at 34 is just two year's younger than Roche and no spring chicken himself, has taken great delight in teasing our senior rider about his age all week.

But joking apart all of the team recognised the efforts that Roche made today and we all feel that he deserved to notch up the stage win.

It was a great ride and showed that Roche still has a lot offer the team.

In the team car it was a bit chaotic today as our race radio packed up with 60 miles to go so for a while we had no idea what was going on up ahead in Roche's breakaway group.

After getting info from other team's we eventually got a spare radio from one of the motorbike riders who follow us in the race convoy.

We were helped by Chris Truett, manager of the Kinesis team, who looked after four of our riders with drinks while we drove the team car up to Roche's group.

Yesterday it was us helping Kinesis, on the Ras it's a case of you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours.

Due to the tension of having a man in the break the calorie intake was higher than normal with me and Gary Hinds in the team car as a stack of Rocky bars and chocolate mini rolls were scoffed by me and the team boss.

Me and Gary are considering putting a lock on the glove box to stop the riders accessing our stash of grub.

But from the way these guys eat I think it would take more than a padlock to stop them getting to food after a stage.

Things have been so hectic on the Ras that we have almost lost track of everything else that's happening in the world.

But we still hear about Cav's latest Giro win just as we were leaving the stage finish in Clonmel.

Everyone on this race asks us about Cavendish when they see that we are from the Isle of Man.

There are just two days left in the Ras and after that things will return to normal for me.

No more chocolate-only diet, no more lugging luggage from hotel rooms every night, no more racing every day.

This race has been so much fun that I know I'm going to miss it when it's all over.

Being on this race has reminded me what a great sport cycling is and why I became obsessed with it more than two decades ago.

The Ras is far more than just a sporting event.

It's an institution, it's a meeting place for friends old and new, and for eight days every spring it's a way of life for all of those involved from riders to team mechanics and journalist.

Being away from the Island has also made me realise what I miss most about my adopted home.

For me this week has been about much more than just following a bike race.

-----------------------

Thursday

Today Douglas cycle shop Bikestyle played a part in the Ras.

On the race all of the team helpers follow in cars behind the riders, and even though they are on rival teams everyone tries to help each other when they can.

We all know that tomorrow we may need someone's help so it pays to give a favour to others when asked.

On the road to Skibbereen the Kinesis team had a rider in the break and had to move up in their team car in case their man needed drinks or repairs to his bike.

This left the rest of the team's riders without any support car.

In such circumstances it's normal for one of the other teams to be asked to lend a hand, and as our team manager is mates with the Kinesis manager the duty fell to us.

Only trouble was the Kinesis boss had lost Gary's phone number, but he remembered seeing the phone number for Bikestyle as it's on the back of the van the Isle of Man team is using as a second support car in this race.

So we are bowling along in the race convoy when Gary gets a call from Rob Dooley at the Bikestyle shop in Douglas.

'Hi Gary', says Rob.

'Any chance you can support the Kinesis guys in the Ras mate?'

No problem, says the Team Isle of Man boss and we go up the road so I can hand over bottles of energy drinks to the Kinesis team.

This story shows the kind of atmosphere that exists in races like this, not just amongst the riders but amongst everyone involved in the event.

Cycling is a difficult sport to understand, but you only have to come to a few races like this to realise why it can become a passion for some.

This week, having been roped in as a team helper, I've been bottle washer and put on stand by as a team mechanic if there are punctures or crashes during a stage.

So far I've escaped having to do a quick wheel change and I'm hoping our tyres hold out for the rest of the week.

Being on a stage race like this takes up every moment of the day for riders and team staff alike.

When I'm not in the car monitoring what's happening in the race I've been at the hotel either writing reports and going through photos for this website or washing bottles and hauling luggage from the team car and van.

No one has much time to spare but it's all worth it to be part of such a great event.

The Ras has taken over my life for the past five days to such an extent that my main concern in life now is the rear tyre on Ken Hanson's bike.

It's looking worn, although our American stage one winner says it's OK.

I'm not looking forward to having to change a wheel during the stage, I've never had to do it under pressure and I'm a bit concerned I'm going to screw it up.

If one of our guys punctures I think Hanson is the favourite by the look of his tyre.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he and the rest of the team will make it to Sunday without a flat.

Hanson has been a real boost to the team and has fitted in with all of guys like he is from Cregneash instead of California.

And Ken's family in the USA has been monitoring his progress via this website.

I had an email from Ken's step mom saying how much she enjoyed our coverage so I hope you are reading this Marilee and thanks for the kind comments.

But I must warn her that Ken will be a changed man when he gets back to California.

He's discovered Jaffa Cakes and Brown Sauce while he's been here so there may be a bit of change to meal times next time he's back home as he wants to fill his suitcase with these Anglo-Irish delicacies!
And there are still three days to go so Ken may find room for some other edible discoveries between now and Sunday.

As I have to eat on the move while in the team car I've been living on Kit Kats and Coconut Macaroons, at least I have when I can get to them before 'Burgers' our team boss.

Still, some people in the Isle of Man tell me I'm so skinny they think I'm anorexic.

But after a week of eating junk on the Ras no one is going to accuse me of that when I get back to the Isle of Man.

While the riders lose weight, everyone following it tends to pile it on.

And finally, on the subject of food, The Great Andrew Roche has been deposed as the team's eating champion.

Roche started well devouring a huge pre-race meal on Saturday evening and following it with a sizeable dessert.

But young Warren Flynn has since taken Rochey's crown by eating everything within arms reach since the race began.

As riders burn off around 4,000 calories a day being able to cram in food is as important a skill as riding a bike in a stage race.

And 'Woza' has certainly been up to the task as evidenced by an empty jar of Branston Pickle at breakfast this morning.

The jar of pickle, along with a mountain of cheese sandwiches, had been polished off by the teenager in little over a day.

But he's a growing lad, and his performances so far in his first Ras have shown that he's growing up quickly as a bike rider too.

-----------------------

Wednesday

Cycling is a hard sport and today the Ras showed why it is regarded as a hard man's race.

The stage to Tralee was a 98-mile slog through wind and rain and over two hard climbs.

The weather caused more crashes but for the riders it was still a full-on race right from the gun.

Just because the weather is bad and everyone's exhausted from three days of racing doesn't mean the pace is going to let up.

Rain-soaked roads mean there are always more crashes and wet weather means that riders have to come back to the team car to get clothing or to get rid of extra layers if the weather warms up.

And wet roads mean more punctures as grit gets washed onto the road surface.

So at the back of the race it was bedlam all day with team cars and riders all over the road.

There were horns blaring and the race commissaries constantly shouting over the race radio about punctures and crashes.

A 98 mile race lasting four hours seems to pass in a flash when you are caught up with keeping track of what's happening in the race and talking to our riders on the race radio to see if they need drinks or need wet weather gear.

Being on a stage race like this is like living in a bubble.

You very quickly become cut off from the rest of the world as every minute of every day revolves around the race.

In all of the towns we stop in most of the people we see at night are involved with the race too.

Yesterday I met a guy who had ridden the Ras 21 times and spent a total of 43 years on the race as a rider and now as an official.

That sounds obsessive, but after just four days on this race I can understand why some people come back year after year.

What I find difficult to understand is how the riders manage to race at the speeds they do day after day.

It takes a special kind of athlete to do races like this and as a one time weekend racer myself I can only take my hat off to them.

If I'd been faced with riding today's stage in such awful weather I think I'd have been off to see Molly Malone for a pint of Guinness instead of cycling.

I guess that's why I'm just writing about the race rather than riding in it.

But I don't get the satisfaction of getting to the finish on Sunday having ridden more than 700 miles in eight days.

The riders that do get to the finish deserve all the praise they will get, whether you are first or last no one gets an easy ride in the Ras.


-----------------------

Tuesday

To race hundreds of miles around an entire country you have to be a bit nuts.

It's hard, dangerous and out of the 140 riders who began this race only a handful can go home with any prizes.

Sitting in the Team Isle of Man car I've seen just how mad a national stage race can be.

Take a look at the photo of the back of the car.

You can see the Microgaming sponsor's logo on the bumper has been warn away.

This is because riders from other teams who have been dropped from the main bunch ride in the slipstream of team cars to try and get back to the pack.

Some ride so close that their front wheel nudges the bumper.

It's dangerous, but when the race is averaging speeds of nearly 30mph over a four hour period some riders take desperate measures to keep up.

But I've also discovered a little about what makes apparently sane athletes do crazy races like this.

It's a real adrenalin rush just to be sitting in a team car on a race like this so for the riders there is a even more of a buzz to be had.

And the Ras is a bit more special because everyone involved has a real love for the event.

And everywhere we have gone our Irish hosts have given us the warmest welcome.

In County Leitrim we stopped with Martina Fox at the Rynn Country House.
Her hospitality was so good that team rider Martin Ford asked if she would adopt him so he could stay on!

And our Irish physio Paula has been a great help to riders she only met minutes before the start of the race.

At the roadside thousands of children have a break from school to cheer on the race.

The Irish are famed for the warmth of their welcome to visitors and anyone on the Ras will tell you that's what makes this race a special event.

There are five stages to go and the riders will be looking forward to the finish but for me this could go on for another five weeks and I'd still be enjoying it.

For a cycling nut like me it's been like Christmas every day, and the excitement of following the race has made up for missing a certain someone back on the Island.

But the Ras has been a learning experience too.

Today I learned that Ras winners get enormous respect.

I always thought Andrew Roche was just called Andrew Roche.

But, according to a physio from one of the Irish teams, his official title is 'The Great Andrew Roche'.

A suitable nickname for a man who is riding his eighth Ras and won it in 1997.

In fact, everyone on this race has a nickname.

We have Frank 'The Hand', one of the Irish team car drivers who spends the day waving at everyone.

In Team Isle of Man we have the manager Burgers, and in the team we have The Wolf, Fordo, Wozza and the Hatchet Man as well as The Great man.

Due to the fact I've been videoing some of the race I've been labeled Spielberg.

There's worse things to be called I guess.

So far I haven't been called upon to replace a rider's wheel after they have punctured.

When it happens I'll be under pressure to do it as quickly as possible, but if I'm all fingers and thumbs and cause them to lose even more time the riders may think of a new nickname for me!


-----------------------

Monday

It was sad to see our American guest Ken Hanson lose his yellow jersey today.

In terms of sporting disappointments for me it ranks up there with when Wolves lost to Palace in the 1997 playoffs.

It might not mean much to you but anyone close to me will tell you how much that hurt Wolves fans like me.

So it was a bit ironic that Hanson, whose nickname is The Wolf, should be in yellow.

He only had a day but his win on stage one has already made this race a memorable experience.

Leading the Ras was a big thrill for all of the team and we've enjoyed our day of glory brought to us by our Californian star.

After yesterday's stage win there were a few questions asked by some of the other team's on the race about how we had an American in the team.
We joked that he was a cousin of Mark Cavendish but I think a few people on this race may now believe that to be true!

So maybe Ken will become an honorary Manxman again in the future, who knows?

Anyway, he is still not too far down overall and Graeme Hatcher did a great ride today to finish in the second group alongside Hanson.

Andrew Roche, one of the most popular riders in the peloton, was typically honest about his performance and was disappointed to have missed the big break today.

But Roche, who won the Ras in 1997, has been showing good form so this race is not over for him either.

For teenager Warren Flynn this race has been a steep learning curve but so far he is proving to be up to the task.

So far I haven't seen any rides with what is known as the 'Ras Stare'.

Team manager Gary Hinds, himself a Ras rider back in the day, tells me it's the look riders get when they are a few days into the race and totally exhausted.

The effects of racing at ridiculous speeds for hundreds of miles ends up giving some riders a zombie like demeanor when they crawl down to breakfast in the morning.

Being in the team car with Hinds (known to his friends as burgers – Hinds/Heinz, geddit?) has given me a few new insights into the sport.

Today I learned about 'sticky bottles'.

When riders are handed bottles from a team car they have to drop back from the main bunch.

This means they have to chase to catch up so when the rider grips the bottle tightly and the team manager then steps on the accelerator so the rider is given a slingshot to keep them up near the main pack.

We saw a lot of other teams doing this today, although I can neither confirm nor deny whether I saw Team Isle of Man employing this tactic.

But if I was on this race riding I'd want every bit of help I could get as the pace is relentless.

Today's stage was another humdinger with the first hour run at nearly 30mph.

Seeing the faces of riders shelled out of the back of the main bunch makes me realise just what a hard sport cycling is.

Maybe that's why there is such a great sense of camaraderie amongst the riders and everyone on the race.

Everyone knows that we will all have a bad day at some time on this race so we all help out those who are suffering already.

For me, every minute of this race so far has been fantastic.

But there are another six stages to go so I may yet be struck down by the Ras Stare.

We shall see.

-----------------------

Sunday

What a day! A stage win and the yellow jersey for Team Isle of Man-Microgaming.

I spent the day in the team car to see what happens behind the scenes on a national tour.

As well as reporting on the action my job was to hand riders drinks during the stage and run out with spare wheels if anyone punctured.

As a journalist on a bike race I was used to just observing events, now I had a role to play in the race.

For me, as a lifelong cycling fan, it was equivalent to a football fan getting a seat on the bench at the FA Cup Final.

Rolling out of the start town in Navan past cheering crowds was a real thrill.

But there was a bit of pressure too.

In the car we have race radios where we can listen to what is happening up ahead as we and the other team cars follow on behind.

After 30 miles Team Isle of Man's Martin Ford was brought down in a crash.

Team manager Gary Hinds brings the car to a screeching halt and I
I sprint down the road looking for Martin.

I pass a British rider flat on his back being helped up by his team crew.

There's no sign of Martin and for a second I panic thinking that I've run right past him!

As it turns out Martin was up and away quickly and didn't need our help.
In the final kilometres Andrew Roche attacks and me and Gary hope that we will see a Team Isle of Man win.

But he's caught before the line and we have to turn off the race route before the finish.

We park up and by the time we get out the car the race has finished.
I see Roche, Ford and the two other Isle of Man riders Warren Flynn and Graeme Hatcher.

'Who won then?' I ask.

'Ken' says Roche.

Our American guest rider Ken Hanson has won and taken the leader's yellow jersey.

I make a quick dash to the podium to congratulate Ken and see him get the jersey.

It's the perfect end to a fantastic day.

I've learned that being part of a bike race is even better than just being there as a journalist.

It's been exciting, but stressful too.

I've become conscious that the role of team helpers can mean the difference between winning and losing.

With the race being run at an average speed of 28mph any riders who puncture or crash have to back on their bikes as soon as possible if they are to get back in the race.

Seeing a Team Isle of Man stage win and having a race leader has already made this a great experience.

But it's been a long and at times stressful day, and there are still seven more to go.

So when I get back to the Island I'll have a lot of great memories but may need to find someone to cut out the extra grey hairs I'll develop over the next week.