Carrick-on-Suir gears up to host Tour de France style L'Etape Ireland cycling event

Carrick-on-Suir is gearing up to host the Tour de France L'Etape Ireland cycling event that will bring thousands of cyclists and spectators to the town on Sunday, September 28.

The hometown of cycling greats Sean Kelly and Sam Bennett will host the start and finish of the event that will give leisure cyclists and more serious cyclists the chance to sample the challenges of competing in a Tour de France type stage in Ireland.

So far close to 2,000 cyclists from all over Ireland and as far as the UK and France have registered to take part in L’Etape Ireland and registration will remain open up to the week of the event.

Cyclists taking part in L’Etape will have a choice of an 100km route and more difficult 150km route, which have been been designed and vetted by the team behind the Tour de France.

Both routes will take cyclists along some of the country’s most breathtaking scenery and epic climbs in counties Waterford and Tipperary.

Participants will start off cycling along the N24 to Kilsheelan and onto the outskirts of Clonmel where they will cross over the River Suir and into county Waterford. They will travel up Tickincor Hill, by Powers the Pot and through the Comeraghs into the Nire Valley.

The 150km cyclists will pass through Ballymacarbry, Fourmilewater, Newcastle and Goatenbridge and pass close to Clogheen on their journey to Cappoquin and will be cycling around the Comeraghs returning to Carrick-on-Suir on the R676 via Lemybrien and Mahon Bridge.

The 100km cyclists will branch off in Ballymacarbry onto the R671 where they will pass through Touraneena and Kilbrien Lower before taking the R676 to return to Carrick-on-Suir via Lemybrien.

There will be King and Queen of the Mountains Climb competitions at Tickincor Hill near Clonmel and Seskin Hill, Carrick-on-Suir with the winners securing a Polka Dot Jersey. There will also be a sprint section where participants can battle it out for a Tour De France Green Jersey.

“About 95% of people taking part will be leisure cyclists and the remaining 5% are racers who take the sport really seriously,” said Race director, Oliver Kirwan of Elite Events Management.

“Cyclists can register to take part online through the L’Etape Ireland website. We are encouraging as many people as possible to take part. Registration will remain open up to the week of the event,” he added.

The start and finish village in Carrick-on-Suir will feature an expo of Tour de France and cycling history with one of Sean Kelly’s old bikes among the exhibits. The expo will take place Saturday, September 27 and Sunday, September 28.

Mr Kirwan said they hope to host a children’s cycle in Carrick-on-Suir over the weekend and there will be a crafts and artisan food market at Carrick’s Ormond Castle on the Saturday.

He paid tribute to Tipperary and Waterford County Councils for their support of the L’Etape Ireland event. He said there will be public notices about road closures to facilitate the event in the coming weeks.

“I want to thank Tipperary County Council and An Garda Síochána for co-ordinating the road closures.”

He stressed to residents along the L’Etape route that the road closure will only be for a short period of time.
More information on the event is available on the L’Etape Ireland website.