The late great Bobby Power may have been instrumental in organising the inaugural Carrick Wheelers Challenge Sportive last year, but he didn’t live to see his plans come to fruition, sadly passing away less than one month before it was held in June.
His former club mates have now announced details of the second staging of the event, saying they were determined to go ahead with it following the success of last year and also to keep Power’s memory alive into the future.
Billed as the “toughest sportive in Ireland”, it will be held on Sunday, June 3rd over a very challenging 160km course that will bring the riders up some nasty climbs – including Seskin Hill and Mahon Falls - and through three counties.
Another key feature of the event is the unpaved road the riders will take in through the Curraghmore Estate to the finish.
Participants will ride for three miles on the road; said to be a mix of the white stones of Italy’s ‘strada bianca’ and the cobbles of Paris Roubaix.
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Bobby’s son Cian is the PRO of Carrick Wheelers and is one of the key people helping to organise this year’s event. He said he was delighted the project was continuing.
“My dad put a huge amount of time into it last year and it was actually his idea. We organise a couple of races down here but we were doing nothing in terms of sportives so it was his idea to get it going.”
“He wanted to make it hard; he was very into the idea of making it really challenging because a lot of riders who do sportives are in great shape and as far as they’re concerned the harder the course the better.”
Online registration for this year’s event is now open, click here for details:
Carrick Wheelers Challenge Sportive Route Details
A brief outline of the 100 mile route is as follows
START Carrick Swans GAA club, Parkside, Carrick on Suir – Cregg Road – Skough – Tullaghought loop- Skough – Faugheen – Gap of Rathlarish – Glenbower – Ballypatrick – Kilcash – Grangemockler- Glenbower – Kilsheelan – Tikincor – Nire Valley loop – Rathgormuck TEA STOP – Mahon Bridge – Mahon Falls loop – Mahon Bridge – Kilmacthomas – Carroll’s Cross – Portlaw – Curraghmore Estate – Crahana – finish back at Swan GAA club, Carrick on Suir.
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Yes, it’s quite a route and incorporates some seriously difficult challenges as follows :
Challenge 1. TULLAHOUGHT, a new steep climb to stretch the legs early on.
Challenge 2. THE GAP OF RATHLARISH. A narrow twisting new climb, the surface of which suffered badly in the recent bad weather.
Challenge 3. SLIEVENAMON. The iconic sacred mountain of Tipperary that will be climbed through the village of Kilcash.
Challenge 4. TIGANCOR, another very steep climb once used for a hill climb time trial in the FBD Milk Rás.
Challenge 5. THE NIRE VALLEY LOOP. A loop through the stunning scenery of the Nire Valley with another very tough climb.
Challenge 6. SESKIN HILL. No route in Carrick would be complete without this climb first used by the pros in the Nissan Classic and subsequently as stage finishes for the Rás.
Challenge 7. MAHON FALLS. Again another famous climb in the Carrick area, now being used by the Sean Kelly Tour of Waterford. If you have not done it before, a stunningly beautiful but very difficult five mile long climb.
Challenge 8.THE CURRAGHMORE CHALLENGE. The most spectacular test of them all, a 3 mile stretch off road through the private grounds of Curraghmore Estate. For followers of professional cycling, think of the “strada bianca” of the Giro d’Italia crossed with cobbles of Paris Roubaix!! The final challenge, the ultimate test!!
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