A Moment in Time: The Mayo Centra Team down but not out in Bundoran (Photo: Oliver Whyte)

By Brian Canty

It’s the photo that probably defines the essence of the county rider in Ireland’s biggest race, and maybe even defines the An Post Rás itself.

The Mayo team – pictured here left to right – of Michael Flanagan, Michael Brady, Donal Harrington, Padraig Marrey and JJ Flaherty had clearly had it tough on the road into Bundoran on stage 5.

Four of the riders – with the exception of Marrey – had never ridden the Rás before, so you can imagine what depths they dug to to get around, with all five finishing.

The photo was taken by Westport-based GP Oliver Whyte after the leg from Westport into Bundoran.

Dr Whyte explained to stickybottle the circumstances around his capturing of such a unique moment in time:

“It was at the finish of the Bundoran leg and it was maybe around five minutes after the lads had finished.”

“I just happened to be waiting around for them to come in and took a random picture on my iphone. They were looking a bit whacked and I thought it would make a nice shot. It was on a footpath at the side of the road and they were pretty exhausted looking.”

Asked why he thinks the picture works, Whyte said: “I think it’s because it’s natural. They didn’t really see me taking the picture and just the perspective as well. It wasn’t at eye-level.”

“They were absolutely out of it, they could hardly even look up, they were just really flattened and that was supposed to be after one of the easier stages. It was a bit flatter but it actually turned out to be one of the hardest stages. Normally the pictures you’d see are when they’re looking clean and fresh and energetic and going along at 70 kph but you never really see how they feel at the end.”

The county men in question are from left, an engineer, a plasterer, a truck driver, a postman and a fish-farmer.

Because four of them are so new to the sport, it was an incredible achievement for all to finish; an achievement that former Ras stage winner and current route planner Stephen O’Sullivan singled out as an example of the spirit of the race and proof that the eight day was not out of the reach of the average county rider.

In further recognition of the Marrey-led band of brothers, ‘Cycling Weekly’, the UK’s best-selling cycling magazine put Harrington on the front cover with the headline: ‘How I went from a cat 4 to riding with pro’s’.