The scenery and the action from the Junior Tour in Co Clare next month should lend themselves to a great one-hour TV highlights special on Setanta TV (Photo: Stephen McMahon)
The organisers of next month’s Junior Tour of Ireland have pulled off a massive coup in securing the TV channel Setanta to go on the race and produce a highlights programme when it is complete.
Once the race has been broadcast, Setanta has itself put arrangements in place to broadcast the show in other countries; a great opportunity to showcase the best of Ireland’s up and coming riders not to mention to the fantastic countryside around Co Clare where this year’s action will unfold from July 2nd to 7th.
A one-hour highlights programme will be supplied by sports TV company Irish Sports Network, with Setanta, Premier Sports in the UK and a number of channels in Africa also taking pictures.
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Setanta presenter Will Downing commented: "The International Junior Tour of Ireland is an exciting event that always showcases the best young talent in cycling, and we're delighted to be able to put a large spotlight on the up-and-coming stars in the sport right now."
Race organiser, Alice Sherratt said she was delighted with the new deal and believes the action out on the roads will make for a great programme.
“The volume of climbs featured in the six stages makes this year’s Junior Tour of Ireland one of the toughest in recent years. We look forward to what will be a very competitive event with some of the world’s best junior cyclists competing against each other. We are also delighted that Setanta will be providing international TV coverage which will help showcase the event to a much wider audience.”
The Stena Line Ireland Team for the 500km race has been confirmed as Thomas Fallon, Eddie Dunbar, Matthew Doyle and Dylan Foley. Teams representing all four Irish provinces and clubs from all over Ireland also will be participating, while international teams will be travelling. There will be two from Holland and one from the US, France and Britain.
Three of the race stages will start and finish in Ennis with the remaining three finishing in Barefield, Cooraclare and Gallows Hill. The race will feature 21 categorised hills consisting of 2 Category 1 Climbs (Castle Hill in Doolin and Gallows Hill in Cratloe), 4 Category 2 Climbs and 15 Category 3 climbs.
The stages incorporate all parts of the County including the Burren, the Lough Derg area, along the Shannon Estuary and some of the county’s main population areas, including Ennis, Kilrush, Ennistymon, Newmarket-on-Fergus, Sixmilebridge, Scarriff and Killaloe.
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The main sponsor of the race is www.thewarehouse.ie, owned by Clare man and sports patron Martin Donnelly. The race is also supported by Clare County Council, Kingspan Insulation, Cycling Ireland, Stena Line Ireland, Dectek, Spin 11, and the Irish Veterans Cycling Association.
Stage details
Stage 1 of the Tour on Tuesday 2nd July involves an 11km Individual Time Trial take place in Clarecastle.
The 118km stage 2 on Wednesday 3rd July will begin in Ennis and finish in Barefield, passing through Newmarket on Fergus, Sixmilebridge, Truagh, Killaloe, Ogonnolloe, Tuamgraney, Scarriff, Killanena and Crusheen.
Stage 3 on Thursday 4th July will take place over 103km and will start and finish in Ennis passing through Inch, Connolly, The Hand, Miltown Malbay, Spanish Point, Lahinch, Liscannor, Cliffs of Moher, Kilfenora and Corofin.
The 109km stage 4 on Friday 5th July will once again start and finish in the Clare County Capital and will take cyclists through Corofin, Kilnaboy, the Burren National Park, Ballyvaughan, Black Head, Fanore, Doolin, Castle Hill, Kilshanny and Ennistymon.
Stage 5 on Saturday 6th July will see cyclists compete over an 80km route through West Clare. The Stage will start in Ennis and finish in Cooraclare and will pass through Kildysart, Labasheeda, Kilmurry McMahon, Kilrush and Kilmihil.
The final stage 6 on Sunday 7th July and will see competitors begin in Ennis and finish on a climb at Gallows Hill in southeast Clare. En route, cyclists will pass through Barefield, Crusheen, Maghera, Tulla, O'Callaghan's Mills, Broadford, Truagh, Sixmilebridge and Cratloe.
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