Saturday 5th August at 9am is rapidly approaching for the start of the annual Tour De Kilkenny organised by Marble City Cyclers
“This will be the 14th year of the event which has become one of the highlights of the Cycling Ireland sportive calendar.
The latest date for pre-registration is Sunday 30th July. This can be done online only via the tourdekilkenny.com website or Eventmaster.ie.
Having registered participants then pick up their sportive pack a the Rugby Club on Friday evening from 6.00 to 8.30 pm or, if they prefer, early on the morning of the event
This year Cycling Ireland has designated the Tour as one of five well-established and challenging sportives that they are prominently supporting for 2022. This should bring added outside interest to the event.
It is expected that over 600 cyclists will descend on Kilkenny Rugby Club for an early morning start that will take them over many parts of the county. Thanks to Mick O’Donovan and his team at Kilkenny Rugby Club the cycle is organised from there with extensive and safe parking.
Our regular visitors come from Kerry, Cavan, Monaghan, Galway, Wexford, Dublin and all parts of Ireland. In this way, the sportive contributes to the local economy with many participants making it a family weekend in the City. Kilkenny County Council have been hugely supportive of the event in past years as they see such promotions as part of the city and county cycling strategy.
The local clubs, Kells Angels, Callan CC, Deenside Wheelers, Kilkenny Pedallers, Kilkenny Triathlon Club, and Kilmacow CC are great supporters of the occasion. Last year 22 counties were represented with 212 cyclists from Kilkenny attempting the routes.
The entry fee covers the cost of food, route marshalling and a hefty contribution to each nominated charity.
Since its inception, the Tour has been a significant fundraiser for local charities and has raised close to six figures for a wide variety of local good causes.
This year the recipients will be the Irish Kidney Association, Amber Womens Refuge, Irish Pilgrimage Trust, Thomastown Mens Shed and WaterGarden and Tullogher Community
Group. Volunteers from each of these organisations will help to marshal and feed the cyclists en route and in turn, will earn valuable funds for their respective organisations.
The website tourdekilkenny.com has a wealth of useful information about the event and about the demands and needs of sportive cycling.
The 160km route is considered by the experts as one of the very toughest cycles on the National sportive calendar and thus attracts a host of hardy cyclists. This year there will be a cut-off time of 1.30 pm at Mullinavat on the 160km route. Those arriving after that time will be redirected back up the main road to the Rugby Club.
Many find to their surprise that Kilkenny is anything but a flat county and veteran route-maker Brendan O’Reilly has managed to find lots of challenging ascents”.
For further information about the event contact any of the Marble City Cyclers, email the club at [email protected] or phone 0868192947 who will be more than happy to help
