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Last Updated: 6 Apr 2018 - 3:10:13 PM |
The summer may be fading! Or, was it here at all? In all honesty, the Kerry Group Ras Mumhan, the An Post Ras and the Junior Tour avoided the thundering showers of rain amongst other promotions up and down the country. Maybe they have a direct line to you to the man above.
If it is written down somewhere, the YOUTH TOUR undertaken by the James Harkin and Co. will truly deserve the Order of Merit for filling the gap when under unavoidable circumstances the Mayo Youth Tour gracefully withdrew.
But this Youth Tour which started all of eleven years ago in the 'Kingdom' of Kerry and moved up the country to the Province of Connacht . Now it is in Donegal where surely the Sam Maguire will be heading on the third Sunday in September., but for the moment the Errigal Youth Tour will be all the rage.
They may hold centre stage as far as youth is concerned, but the sixth edition of the Suir Valley Three Day holds the attention in Clonmel.
Whereas down in Co. Wexford, Gorey to be precise the 'South East Road Club' stage the inaugural SERC GP. For reliability you cannot stand in the way of the Navan/Avonmore outfit to stage promotions when others are thinking of the long weekend.
Back in the Sunny South East, Wexford Wheelers on Sunday do their piece of a leisure cycle for a deserving cause.
ERRIGAL INTERNATIONAL YOUTH TOUR 2012
Errigal Cycling Club in North West, Donegal will be the place to be this August Bank Holiday weekend.. They will host the “Errigal International Youth Tour 2012.” The event is a very prestigious one and has the backing not alone by Cycling Ireland and Cycling Ulster but the membership of the various clubs up and down the country are well and truly behind this massive venture by the local club. Errigal Cycling Club is delighted to be hosting an event of its stature.
The event itself will be mainly based in the Churchill area of County Donegal with the event HQ being Gartan Outdoor Education Centre. The event in 2012 will be family orientated and community based and with an ideal headquarters in Gartan Outdoor Education Centre. The event is superbly located in safe environs for children. Gartan Outdoor Education Centre is set on 87 acres on the shores of Gartan Lough and really is a very special place. The event itself relies on the support of the local people a long the stage routes and also the local business people that have expressed their generous support.
Young cyclists have confirmed their participation in the 2012 event. A very large contingent of riders from Britain are also entered, and the presence of large numbers of British riders always lends an edge to the competitiveness of the racing.
“During the past months members of Errigal Cycling Club have been preparing for this event with great efficiency and a huge thanks to all our club members who have helped in any way to bring it all together in a short space of time.
Go n’éirí an t-ádh libh,” said. Derek Alcorn, Chairman of the promoting club.
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MOUNTNUGENT GRAND PRIX
Navan Avonmore CC provide the action in Co. Cavan on Saturday evening. All categories are catered for. Ten laps of 4.8kms circuit will be contested and as usual the excitement will be increased for the onlookers with lap prizes on offer which is a bonus. For more info the man at the end of the mobile will be Noel on 087-2727801.
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| One of the race favorites Ryan Sherlock of Cycleways |
SUIR VALLEY 3 DAY
The Suir Valley is now part and parcel of the August Bank Holiday weekend. This event is based in Clonmel and this time around they are using the tried and trusted course from the 2011 edition.
What a man! Ryan Sherlock of Cycleways will be back in Muster this weekend in search of glory. If anything, Ryan has to be one of the most honest cyclists in the peloton. Each event he gives 110%, but is not always rewarded for his efforts.
Last weekend in Castlebar in the Tour of Connacht he was the outright leader going into the final stage organised by the Connacht members. And, again he was denied an overall victory. Still, at the prize presentation he was the smiling Ryan as he accepted his prize from John Brennan. Similarly in the Kerry Group Ras Mumhan going into the final stage he was the man in control and again the wheels came off the wagon.
When I spoke to him at the end of the Connacht event, “now for the Suir Valley. Yeah, the group slipped off the front and I was holding them at 30-40 seconds and then all of a sudden it was one forty five minutes and the alarm bells went off. But, nobody came round me and I was isolated,” said Ryan.
On current ratings, Ryan along with Sean Lacey of the Dan Morrissey-Speedy Spokes team are the pair to watch, but I'm sure the EuroCycles train will be in town and they have Fraser Duncan who is showing that magic that everybody knows that he is capable of.
Stage 1 Clonmel to Fermoy, Ballyduff, Lismore, then up the Vee, Ardfinnan, Clonmel with same finish as stage 1 last year, which has the finish outside Clonmel on a short hill. 120km 1pm START
Stage 2 same as every year, the famous circuit they train on down there, Clonmel, Dungarvan, Carrick, Clonmel. 100km very fast circuit
Stage 3 Hill climb - 2km
Stage 4 Monday same as last year - 120km.
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INAUGURAL SOUTH EAST R.C. GRAND PRIX
The South East Road Club stage the inaugural SERC GP on the same course as last years Falling Leaves Classic.
Race HQ will again be Gorey Rugby Club, where changing facilities are available and refreshments will be served afterward. The route is a testing one, based on a 13.5km circuit, which includes the drag at Kilmurray (which is within yards of the home of the late Sam Darcy)..
Last years A2/A3 race saw a strong break establish early on on that infamous hill only to be dragged back with a lap to go for John Doris of Epic MTB. That chase was sufficient for the EPIC participant to land the top prize.
Bray Wheeler participant Liam Blanchfield, figured strongly in this years' An Post Gorey Three Day promoted by the Usher Irish Road Club, wearing the leaders jersey on the last day, only to miss the decisive break on the return to Blessington, won the A4 race last year.
Race organiser John Maguire hopes that this tough and fast, yet safe route, a generous prize fund, new perpetual trophy, and guaranteed sunshine on an August Bank Holiday (must be going to share the sun with the Youth Tour in Donegal) will attract a large field, and john looks forward to a keenly contested race.
Details:
Race HQ: Gorey Rugby Club - Sign-on opens: 10:30
Race 1: Combined A2/A3, 6 laps, distance 81km. Start Time: 12:00
Race 2: A4, 4 laps, distance 54km, Start Time 12:05
Full details, including directions to Gorey RFC, and route profile, can be found on the South East Road Club website.
Contact: John Maguire, 086 8582046.
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WEXFORD WHEELERS in action on Sunday
Wexford Wheelers cycling club based in the town, boasts a membership of over 70 members, ranging from under 12 to under 80 years of age. They share County Wexford with four other clubs, based in New Ross, Enniscorthy, Gorey, and Arklow, each club with a healthy balance of membership.
For the past few years, Wexford Wheelers have run a summer sportive in aid of the Irish pilgrimage trust, http://www.irishpilgrimagetrust.com. The 'Wheelers' run the sportive in support of the Irish Pilgrimage trust respite home Cois Cuain in Kilrane Co Wexford. The Irish pilgrimage trust opened Cois Cuain as a respite home for groups organisations and families caring for young people and adults with special needs. The trust travels on pilgrimage to Lourdes with young people with special needs from all over Ireland.
Each club sportive route is unique and designed differently, to meeting the perceived needs of the potential sportive rider. Some sportives are classed as the toughest, the most scenic, the most popular, the fastest etc. Wexford wheelers positioned their sportive to be different, inspired by the notion, that County Wexford offered many sights, that few people saw, regularly enough. The tour of Wexford incorporates several points that the cyclist is encouraged to stop and take in, to stop at and experience the individual destinations, rather than reach the end destination.
One of the first primary points for visiting in the 160 km tour of Wexford on August 5th, will be the 12th Century Cistercian Abbey at Dunbrody Abbey. The Abbey Farmhouse opposite Dunbrody abbey provides a cafe, and a spacious site to safely park up the bikes, and take in the sights and silhouette of WexfordsRock of Cashel: the Dunbrody Abbey. En route the tour passes by south of the John F Kennedy Arboretum and Sliabh Coillte, and through the WW2 bombed village of Campile, to next arrive at the vista overlooking the fishing village of Ballyhack, and the River Suir Peninsula, with Crook peninsula on the opposite shoreline.
The Tour passes through Duncan non village by the 16th century Duncannon fort, built in anticipation of an attack by the Spanish Armada, and heads towards the 19th century Loftus Hall on the Hook Peninsula, for a water stop at the recently reopened venue. Loftus Hall all now focuses on bike tours around the Hook Peninsula incorporating a visit to the legendary Loftus Hall.
The tour then moves towards a major tour destination that is the Hook Light House, passing by hidden bays and coves such as Dollar Bay. The 800 year old Hook light house is the oldest operating light house in the world with 115 steps to the viewing balcony. At the Hook light house, another cafe operates during the summer offering good food and hot lunches, with a Bar B Que operating for the cyclists, while the visitor takes in the crystal clear water of the Hook Head. The opposite Crook head on the far side of the peninsula, coining the Cromwellian phrase to take Waterford City by Hook or by Crook.
Leaving the Hook Light House, the tour travels towards the sleepy seaside holiday village of Fethard- on-Sea, before entering the small village of Saltmills and on towards Bannow Bay, the location of the first Norman landings in Ireland in the 12th century at Baginbun Head, in Bannow Bay.
The tour then enters the grounds of the 12th century Cistercian Tintern Abbey. Here the tour can stop in the grounds to take in the splendour of the grounds and the gracefulness of the remains of the building. The tour returns to the main road to progress towards Wellington Bridge and onwards towards Cullenstown strand, and a coastal route with views out to sea of the offshore heritage Keeragh Islands and continuing to hug the coastline, the tour of Wexford soon brings the Saltee Islands, off Kilmore Quay into view.
At Kilmore Quay, the local chipper provides the freshest seafood, amongst the visiting yachts and fishing boats of the enclosed harbour. The village is alive in the summer with many visitors, and provides a fitting memorial to those locally lost at sea, near the village center, Kilmore provides the last refuge for rest before a straight run back to Wexford town for refreshments and the tour completion.
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THE BULL RAID - 12 HOUR MTB RACE
The Bull Raid 2012: Bellurgan Park to hold 12 Hour Mountain Bike Race over August Bank Holiday Weekend On Saturday the annual Bull Raid mountain bike race will take place at the beautiful Bellurgan Park in County Louth. The event is designed for mountain bikers to have fun and be competitive. All levels of cyclist, beginner to expert, are welcome. The race runs for 12 hours non-stop, with mixed teams and solo riders competing, and a six-hour format is also an option. The course length is approximately 11 kilometers and the winners are the racers who complete the most laps in the time frame.
Bellurgan Park is the home Cuchulainn Cycling Club and is the perfect setting for The Bull Raid, the purpose built circuit through Tippings Wood and the mountains of the Cooley Peninsula making the venue one of the premier mountain biking locations in the country. The estate is situated just north of Dundalk and is just five minutes from the M1 motorway (exit 18) on the Carlingford Road.
The Bull Raid 12 hour mountain bike race kicks off at 7.30am on Saturday 4th August, with the 6-hour race starting at 1.30pm. Camping facilities are available on site from 4pm on Friday 3rd August and a pasta party for competitors will be held on Friday evening. A full barbecue and bonfire will be held for all racers on Saturday night at the prize-giving.
Sign-in for The Full Bull takes place at 6.30am on Saturday morning, while competitors for the six hour format can sign in between 11am and noon. Online registration for the race is open until Wednesday 1st August. Late entries will also be accepted on the day. More information about The Bull Raid 2012 and online registration are available at www.twelvehourmountainbikerace.wordpress.com.
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