Cycling/ Tour of Ireland: In a huge boost for Irish cycling, it was confirmed yesterday that a five-day professional Tour of Ireland will take place this August.
Backed by Bord Fáilte and run along the same scale as the previous Nissan Classic, the race will feature some the world's top professional teams and riders, including several ProTour squads.
Running from August 22nd-26th, it will begin in Kilkenny and end five days later in front of Government buildings on Merrion Square, Dublin. It will be organised and promoted by the Events Group, previously responsible for the Nissan Classic, as well as Shade Tree Sports.
The race will be ranked as a 2.1-event on the UCI international calendar, the same level as national tours such as the Tour of Britain.
And it will revisit many of the highlights of the Nissan Classic, which ran from 1985 to 1992. St Patrick's Hill in Cork, perhaps the most famous "wall" in the country, will feature, as will other Nissan staples such as the Healy Pass, Moll's Gap and Ladies View. It will also pass through Carrick-on-Suir, the hometown of four-time winner Seán Kelly, who said yesterday the race will be of major significance for Irish cycling.
"It is of huge importance to have the event back on the road again," he stated. "It helps to promote cycling in this country and to get the race back will really help boost interest in the sport once more. It dropped off in the past, and while it has been building up a bit over the past couple of years, a professional event such as this will certainly help it grow.
"It will also help bring through the next batch of strong Irish riders. Things are improving now with young guys such as Nicolas Roche and Philip Deignan and this will certainly be important."
Stage one will take the riders 160 kilometres from Kilkenny Castle to Cork, passing through Carrick-on-Suir and Middleton before finishing with two ascents of the legendary St Patrick's Hill. The following day the riders will pass through the Beara Peninsula, taking in the climbs of the Healy Gap and Moll's Gap along the 167 kilometre route to Kenmare.
Day three covers 190 kilometres from Tralee to Ennis, passing near Brian Boru's fort and through Limerick and Killaloe. The following day is the longest stage, a marathon 212 kilometre leg starting and finishing in Galway City and taking in Cong, Westport and Leenáun.
The event will then be settled with a final leg from Athlone to Dublin. The riders will slug it out on a route through Mullingar and Enfield, up the Strawberry Beds, though the Phoenix park and finishing off with a circuit of Merrion Square.
"This is huge for Irish cycling," said Giant Asia professional Paul Griffin. "A lot of the country's top riders got into the sport due to the Nissan Classic, and now there is a good chance that this will inspire the next generation to get involved."
He and other Irish pros will square up against some of the worlds' top riders in the race. More details will be confirmed in the coming months.
The planned scale of the event is certainly impressive. It will feature 112 of the world's best riders, 300 race personnel and media, 125 official vehicles and 28 civilian motorcyclists.
The TV package will employ several cameras and helicopters, plus a fixed-wing aircraft and will be transmitted live on RTÉ. It will also be shown in the US on the Versus network (formerly Outdoor Life Network), Britain, mainland Europe, Australia, South Africa and Japan.
The principal event sponsor will be Bord Fáilte, while other backers include BMW and Tipperary Water.
"We are very happy to be involved with the race," said Bord Fáilte's Paul Keeley at the launch. "It will be a great event and we feel it will showcase the beauty of Ireland to a huge global audience.
"Eight out of 10 visitors cite landscape as a big part of their enjoyment of the country and there are few sports better than cycling to showcase that.
"Tourism is worth €5.1 billion to the exchequer, 3.1 per cent of our GNP, and so something which highlights the country so well is very important. It will travel through some of the most scenic parts of Ireland and we think it is going to be a great spectacle."
Tour of Ireland Race Route
Stage One(Wednesday, August 22nd) 160km - Kilkenny Castle to Cork (via Clonmel, Carrick-on-Suir, Lismore and Middleton)
Stage Two(Thursday, August 23rd) 167km - Clonakilty to Killarney (via Skibbereen, Bantry, Glengarriff and Kenmare)
Stage Three(Friday, August 24th) 190km - Tralee to Ennis (via Ballybunion, Foynes, Limerick City Centre, Killaloe and Tuamgraney)
Stage Four(Saturday, August 25th) 212km - Galway to Galway (circuit taking in Cong, Westport, Louisburgh and Leenáun)
Stage Five(Sunday, August 26th) 135km - Athlone to Dublin (via Mullingar, Kinnegad and Enfield, before finishing in Dublin for 10 laps of a circuit based at Merrion Square)
