The Tour de Kilkenny is back for 2022.
Shelved over Covid restrictions last year, one of the biggest road cycling events in the county returns later this summer.
Marble City Cyclers’ Tommy Lanigan joined guest presenter Brian Redmond on The Way It Is on Monday evening to talk about this year’s event.
If you’re considering taking part this year but need to get some training in, they’ve got you covered with a programme aimed at getting you up to speed, more comfortable on the road and ultimately back in the saddle.
“It’s Monday nights from now on from 7pm, we meet at Lahart’s garage on the Waterford Road and we take beginner road cyclists through the skills of group cycling”, says Lanigan of the training programme.
“We encourage them to get involved with the club, certainly get involved in cycling and maybe get fit enough to ride the Tour de Kilkenny at the end of July”.
Three flavours
When it comes to this year’s Tour de Kilkenny, it’s set to come in three separate flavours, each tailored towards different skill levels and each providing their own challenges.
“The one we’re encouraging people to think about at the moment is 70km and it’s a route that will take you out to Graignamanagh, Thomastown and back to Kilkenny.”
“Someone starting out with a half-decent road bike and a little bit of fitness should be able to manage that by the end of July, starting from a fairly low base.”
“We’ve got another one that’s longer, tougher, and goes down through South Kilkenny, across through Tullogher and into Mullinavat – that’s 110km.”
“The third one is not so much for professional cyclists, we’re all amateurs, but the longest cycle is 160km with quite a bit of climbing. Anyone who thinks Kilkenny is a flat county should get out on a bike.”
You can listen to the full interview below or in the KCLR app.
Find out more by visiting TourdeKilkenny.com or visit Marble City Cyclers on Facebook.
