Bikes strewn around the place; a sign that cyclists have flocked to the area to check out the new course. And now the local businesses are looking at installing facilities for cyclists as there is still a long lead in to the Ironman race.
A Co Cork hotelier has said his business and others close to him have been overwhelmed with the number of cyclists coming to their area to train on a new Ironman course.
The influx of cyclists has given a huge boost to businesses in Youghal, especially as it has come outside of the tourism high season.
The owner of the Old Imperial Hotel in the town shared a photo of bikes strewn all over his premises. And he believes the local businesses will now have to install bike racks and other facilities for the riders.
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Hotelier Dan Leahy estimates that about 25 per cent of his business of late is accounted for by the cyclists coming to the area to train on the Ironman course.
Ironman Ireland Cork will be the first full distance Ironman ever held in the country. It takes place on June 23rd.
But while it is still some time away, the triathletes are wasting no time in seeking to assess the course and train on it as preparation for their race effort in four months time.
The event includes a 3.8km sea swim from the sandy Claycastle beach in Youghal. There follows the 180km bike leg on an undulating course.
And the event is then concluded on what is billed as a fast and flat 42.2km course that passes through Youghal.
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It is estimated the event will be worth an estimated €8 million over the next three years; with the event to be staged three times.
However, that estimate may have to be revised upwards if so many of the 2,500 triathletes continue to turn up in Youghal to get the measure of the cycling course in advance.
Dan Leahy said he had been doing his best to facilitate all the riders who had stopped in his hotel for refreshments or who had opted to stay in the Old Imperial while in the area.
But he believed given the number of riders coming into the area, and the fact they are likely to be a regular feature for the next three years; he and other business owners would up their game to prepare for them.
He had begun offering a late check-out specifically for the cyclists so they could train on the course on the day of their departure and be able to return to their rooms and shower and get packed.
And even the numbers stopping for water warranted investment in bike racks.
“We have had visitors from all across Europe, the UK, and from all parts of Ireland,” he told the Cork Echo.
“I think people are just blown away that it is the first Ironman in Ireland and, also, east Cork is very accessible.
“It is 40 minutes from Cork Airport, two-and-a-half hours from Dublin, and one-and-a-half hours from Rosslare.”
And while the numbers of cyclists coming into the town was already big, he believed it was continuing to increase.
“We struggle for industry in Youghal, so we rely on tourism and this has been a massive boost,” Mr Leahy said.
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