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Last Updated: Jun 7th, 2010 - 13:04:51 |
Less than two weeks to go until Belfast and Dublin events
By Craig Brophy
Jun 7, 2010,
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| The Halfords Tour Series |
Ten top Irish and British teams ready as The Halfords Tour Series comes to Belfast and Dublin this month
There are now less than two weeks remaining until the thrill and excitement of elite city centre cycling comes to the streets of Belfast and Dublin
Taking place on Friday 18th June in Belfast and Saturday 19th June in Dublin, The Halfords Tour Series Belfast and The Halfords Tour Series Dublin are based on the hugely successful Halfords Tour Series in the UK, and will bring fast paced, competitive cycling and top name professional cyclists into the heart of each city.
Among the home riders taking part will be multiple Irish Champions David O’Loughlin and David McCann and former FDB Insurance Rás winner Stephen Gallagher, who will lead the AN Post Sean Kelly Cycling Team, Team Ireland and Sigma Sport – Specialized squads respectively.
A number of up-and-coming riders will also be taking the start in the two events, including rising star of Irish cycling Philip Lavery of Team Ireland and reigning U18 Irish Champion Charles Prendergast who’ll race for the Connacht team, while the experience of 2010 Rás Mumhan winner Tim Barry and Neil Delahaye lead the Munster and Leinster teams respectively.
Among the teams crossing the Irish Sea from The Halfords Tour Series in England are CyclePremier.com – Metaltek and Motorpoint – Marshalls Pasta, who will bring Tony Gibb and Ian Bibby respectively, both of whom have been in winning form so far this season. Gibb took the individual win at the opening round of the ten-race Series at Canary Wharf, while Bibby took the honours at round three in Portsmouth.
“I’m delighted by the line-up of teams that we have for our two events in Belfast and Dublin,” said Halfords Tour Series Technical Director Mick Bennett.
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| Halfords Tour Series team Motorpoint - Marshalls Pasta |
“It is great that the likes of Motorpoint – Marshalls Pasta, Sigma Sport – Specialized, Team Raleigh and CyclePremeir.com - Metaltek are joining us for the two races. But I think that the home riders will be keen to impress in front of their local crowds, so I predict two excellent and very fast paced races.
“Like cycling fans in Belfast and Dublin, I’m looking forward to seeing how some of the next generation of Irish stars shape up against names like David O’Loughlin, David McCann and Tony Gibb.”
The ten teams who will take part in the two-race Halfords Tour Series are:
AN Post Sean Kelly Cycling Team
Connacht
CyclePremier.com – Metaltek
Cycling Ulster – Slanes Cycles
Leinster
Motorpoint – Marshalls Pasta
Munster
Sigma Sport – Specialized
Team Ireland
Team Raleigh
The Halfords Tour Series Belfast takes place on Friday 18th June. The main race starts at the front of City Hall at 19:30 and will for 60 minutes plus 5 laps of racing, based upon a one kilometre circuit taking in many central Belfast streets including Donegall Square South, May Street, Seymour Street and Chichester Street.
The Halfords Tour Series Dublin takes place on Saturday 19th June, beginning on Lord Edward Street at 18:00, and lasting again for 60 minutes plus five laps of racing. The 1.3km circuit includes Dame Street, Eustace Street.
Uniquely, The Halfords Tour Series focuses on the teams rather than individual riders. The winning team will be the outfit that claims the most points from the two-events, with points awarded on a 10 down to 1 basis according to each squads finishing position. The secondary Boardman Bikes Sprint competition will also see the best sprinter of the two-round Series crowned in Dublin on the Saturday night.
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The Halfords Tour Series For Belfast and Dublin
Press Release 30 May 2010
The Halfords Tour Series Belfast and The Halfords Tour Series Dublin
The thrill and excitement of top-class professional cycle racing comes to Belfast and Dublin city centres on June 18th and 19th, in The Halfords Tour Series.
Taking place on Friday 18th June in Belfast and Saturday 19th June in Dublin, The Halfords Tour Series Belfast and The Halfords Tour Series Dublin are based on the hugely successful Halfords Tour Series in the UK, and will bring fast paced, competitive cycling and top name professional cyclists into the heart of each city.
Ten teams will battle it out on the streets of Belfast and Dublin for the right to be crowned Champions of the two-race Series. Among them will be the An Post Sean Kelly Cycling Team and teams from Cycling Ulster – Slane Cycles, Munster, Leinster and Connacht, along with five English teams from the main Halfords Tour Series, including the Motorpoint – Marshalls Pasta team of Olympic and World Champion Ed Clancy and the CyclePremier.com – Metaltek team of former World and Commonwealth Games medallist Tony Gibb, who recently took The Halfords Tour Series win at Canary Wharf (see attached picture).
The Halfords Tour Series Belfast takes place on Friday 18th June. The main race starts at the front of City Hall at 19:30 and will for 60 minutes plus 5 laps of racing, based upon a one kilometre circuit taking in many central Belfast streets including Donegall Square South, May Street, Seymour Street and Chichester Street.
The Halfords Tour Series Dublin takes place on Saturday 19th June, beginning on Lord Edward Street at 18:00, and lasting again for 60 minutes plus five laps of racing. The 1.3km circuit includes Dame Street, Eustace Street
The website for the Belfast and Dublin events will soon be launched at www.tourseries.ie and will contain more detailed information including circuit maps.
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Cycling Ireland Announcement of Team for UK Series
After strong rides by Martin Irvine in both the Canary Wharf and Durham rounds in week one the series moves in to week two. The rest of the team (Stuart Henry, Charles Prendergast, Jonny Cole and Daniel Clifford) had a tough introduction to some of the fastest criterium racing in the world, and a real insight into riding fast around corners and up cobbled climbs. The races are run as teams events and the points total of the first 3 riders in each race is what counts.
The team for the second week of the UK Tour Series televised criteriums in Portsmouth (Tue 1st June) and Exeter (Thu 3rd June) is:
Team Ireland:
1. David O’Loughlin
2. Stephen Barrett
3. Stuart Henry
4. Jonny Cole
5. Dominic Jelfs
There are 3 more weeks to go after this week, the events list is:
Further Tour Series events (UK)
Week 3:
Tuesday 8th June – Southport
Thursday 10th June – Kettering
Week 4:
Tuesday 15th June – Peterborough
Thursday 17th June – Stoke
Week 5:
Monday 21st June – Chester
Thursday 24th June – Woking
Below are the dates and times the Halfords UK Tour Series will be broadcast on Setanta Ireland. Just to note these can be subject to change.
Saturday 29th - 3am
Wednesday June 2nd - 9pm
Friday 4th - 9pm
Thursday 10th- 3pm
Friday 11th – 8pm
Wednesday 16th – 9pm
Wednesday 23rd – 00.30
Friday 25th – 5.30pm
*the above list is all first airings* These can also be accessed on ITV4 on the evening following the event.
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