Carrick-on-Suir traders decorate their shop fronts to welcome L'Etape cycle event to town

Carrick-on-Suir's shops and businesses have decorated their front windows with bicycles, cycling jerseys and memorabilia associated with the town’s cycling legends to welcome the Tour de France style L’Etape Ireland cycling event this Sunday, September 28.

Traders have pulled out all the stops to welcome the huge cycling event that will bring several thousand cyclists to the home town of international cycling greats Sean Kelly and Sam Bennett.

Cyclists from all over Ireland and as far as the UK and France have registered to take part in L’Etape Ireland that will start and finish from the car park at Greenside where the Swan GAA Club’s Juvenile Hall is located. This will be the location of the L'Etape event village.

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The event kicks off at 9am and its 100km and 150km routes, designed by the team behind the Tour de France, will take cyclists through some of south Tipperary and west Waterford’s most scenic areas. There will be King and Queen of the mountains and sprint races within the event.

Carrick-on-Suir Municipal District Cathaoirleach Cllr David Dunne urged the people of Carrick-on-Suir and its hinterland to turn out in force to support the event.

“The town is looking really well and people are getting into the spirit of L’Etape and looking forward to the spectacle. Hopefully a huge crowd will turn out to see the event and hopefully the weather will be good,” he said.

The L’Etape Ireland event village will feature an expo of Tour de France and cycling history with one of Sean Kelly’s old bikes among the exhibits on both Saturday, September 27 and Sunday, September 28.

A craft and artisan food fair and a series of other events to coincide with the L'Etape Ireland cycle are planned in and around Ormond Castle by Explore Carrick-on-Suir on Saturday.

In addition to the fair, there will be a cycle tour of Carrick and the Blueway at 10am, a yoga session at the Castle, an Irish Record Fair at Brewery Lane Theatre and a children’s L’Etape cycle race starting and finishing from Ormond Castle at 3pm.

The Suir Valley Choir will perform at the Castle at 3pm while at 4pm there will be a display of decorated bikes.

Clonmel composer Eamon O’Malley will perform his original work 24:09 inspired by Sean Kelly’s famous 1985 Nissan Classic time trial between Clonmel and Carrick at Brewery Lane that evening while Cooney’s Bar will host a L’Etape Party night featuring a Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute band gig.

A colourful display of cycling jerseys and a decorated bicycle in John Hearn’s Hardware Store front window on Main Street in Carrick-on-Suir ahead of the Tour de France style L’Etape cycling event

Bourke’s Drapery Shop in Carrick-on-Suir with photos from 1998 when the Tour de France came through Carrick-on-Suir, jerseys and a special bike frame, Team Sem France Loire 1982, previously owned by Sean Kelly.  Pictures Anne Marie Magorrian 

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