Clare sees return of 520km cycling competition
MORE THAN 520km of Clare will be cycled this coming week, as the Eurocycles Eurobaby Junior Tour competition kicks off.
The 43rd tour will see 16 to 18 year old cyclists take on six stages of county Clare landscape, from Tuesday, July 11 to Sunday, July 16.
135 entries have been made for this age category, with teams from as far as Canada, Portugal and the Netherlands travelling to the Mid West region for the competition.
The competition kicks off in Treacys Hotel, Ennis, shortly before heading to Barefield and doing a round trip of 48km. The overall winner of the competition will get €400, with more runner up prizes up for grabs.
Stage two sees a west coast route of 103km, with cyclists passing Spanish Point, Lahinch and the Cliffs of Moher. Stage three goes west from Ennis to Kilkee and 93.7km along the Shannon Estuary.
A number of climbs face the athletes in stage five, with an 87.5km via Tuamgraney and Scarriff, while the final stage, six, remains the same as previous years, with an eight lap circuit on the outskirts of Ennis and finishing at the Watertower on Clonroadbeg.