James Moss (in yellow) is the reigning champion, but he faces a fantastic field in the Tour of the North which is now under the new management of Joan McCullough and her team.
With the biggest weekend of the year just days away now, the confirmed start list has been released for the Northern Ireland showpiece event, the Tour of the North.
The Velosure Giordana squad from the UK is down to ride and boasts the 2012 winner James Moss in its ranks. He is the reigning champion following the cancellation of the race 12 months as a result of snow t
there's something of back to basics feel about the start list. It's the strong domestic names and teams that dominate, with an absence of the UK-based pro or semi-pro teams we have seen in the past.
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The race is under new management of course, with Joan McCullough of Ballymena taking on the role of race director along with her father Alan Mark, who had previously held the post.
They stepped in after the previous race organisers had been forced to cancel due to difficulties with securing grants from local councils used to the run the race, though promoted the event with distinction and left behind a great legacy.
The race kicks off with the stage 1 Antrim coast leg of 68mile from Ballymena at 12 noon on Saturday.
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It features the category 2 climb of Shane’s Hill after 11.8 miles, the cat 2 Muine Rd climb after 30.3miles, the cat 3 Garron Tower ascent after 43 miles and then the closing cat 1 Glenariff ascent at 56.7 miles, leaving 11 miles to the finish on Frys Rd Ballymena.
On Sunday morning, the field faces a short 2.4 mile TT, with the first rider off at 10am. That afternoon it’s back to the road race format, with 67.6 mile to be contested, starting and finishing Ballymena.
The riders face the cat 3 ascent of Kilnock Hill after 4 miles and again after 25.3 miles before facing it on the third circuit at 46.5miles.
The concluding stage on Easter Monday is the longest, at 71.8 miles. There are two climbs; the cat 2 Cam at 32.1 miles and the cat 1 Springwell at 41.1 miles.
April 19th to 21st: Tour of the North
Official start list
- James Moss (Velosure Giordana)
- Brad Morgan (Velosure Giordana)
- Tom Bustard (Velosure Giordana)
- James Cullen (Velosure Giordana)
- Richard Hepworth (Velosure Giordana)
- Adam Petrie-Armstrong (Northern CC-D Kane)
- Fraser Duncan (Northern CC-D Kane)
- Mark Kane (Northern CC-D Kane)
- Conor Murphy (Northern CC-D Kane)
- John Neill (Team Madigan)
- David Neill (Team Madigan)
- Curtis Gilmore (Team Madigan)
- Nigel Laffin (Team Madigan)
- Bryce Irvine (Team Madigan)
- Matty Blaney (North Down CC)
- Paul Ferguson (North Down CC)
- Dave Watson (North Down CC)
- James McMaster (North Down CC)
- Connor Hanna (North Down CC)
- Ronan Sherman (BCC Biesty's Centra RT)
- Stuart Laverty (BCC Biesty's Centra RT)
- Bryan McKinney (BCC Biesty's Centra RT)
- Ryan Patton (BCC Biesty's Centra RT)
- Steven McAllister (BCC Biesty's Centra RT)
- Kenny Wilson (Audi-East Antrim CC)
- Gordon Scott (Audi-East Antrim CC)
- Gary Cranston (Audi-East Antrim CC)
- Philip Belshaw (Audi-East Antrim CC)
- Derek Finnegan (Audi-East Antrim CC)
- Steven Fiddler (Dave Hinde RT)
- Giles Brett (Dave Hinde RT)
- Dave Lowe (Dave Hinde RT)
- John McGlaughlin (Cookstown CT)
- Cathal McGlaughlin (Cookstown CT)
- Stephen Hutchinson (Cookstown CT)
- Leo McAllister (Cookstown CT)
- Conor McAllister (Cookstown CT)
- Mark Baines (Spirit Bikes RT)
- Ed Clements (Spirit Bikes RT)
- Chris Dredge (Spirit Bikes RT)
- Jack Waller (Spirit Bikes RT)
- Andy Marriott (Spirit Bikes RT)
- Niall Clark (Cuchulainn CC)
- Tomas McCabe (Cuchulainn CC)
- Gary Shields (Cuchulainn CC)
- Karl Morgan (Phoenix CC)
- Fergus Rooney (Phoenix CC)
- Mike Millar (Phoenix CC)
- Alastair McAuley (Phoenix CC)
- Brian Stewart (Phoenix CC)
- Joseph McCrory (Carn Wheelers)
- Jonathan Taylor (Carn Wheelers)
- Eunan McAleese (Carn Wheelers)
- Cathal Doyle (Carn Wheelers)
- Patrick Kelly (Carn Wheelers)
- Bobby Kane (Bann Wheelers)
- Nigel Quigley (Bann Wheelers)
- Chris McCann (Bann Wheelers)
- Sean McGreevy (Velo Café Magasin)
- Mark Millar (Velo Café Magasin)
- Joe Henry (Velo Café Magasin)
- Niall O'Hagan (Velo Café Magasin)
- Chris Beattie (Ballymena RC-CRC)
- Simon Taggart (Ballymena RC-CRC)
- William Loughridge (Ballymena RC-CRC)
- Matthew Brennan (Ballymena RC-CRC)
- Clifford Grant (Ballymena RC-CRC)
- Sean Featherstone (Newry Wheelers)
- Des Woods (Newry Wheelers)
- Gareth McCullough (Newry Wheelers)
- Craig Sweetman Stamullen)
- Cian Delaney (Stamullen)
- Colm Lavery (Stamullen)
- Jordan Hargreaves (Champion Systems)
- Ben Kellett (Champion Systems)
- Dillon Byrne (Champion Systems)
- Samuel Jackson (Champion Systems)
- Sebastian Baylis (Champion Systems)
- Eddie Dunbar (Cycling Ireland Juniors)
- Mark Downey (Cycling Ireland Juniors)
- Dylan O'Brien (Cycling Ireland Juniors)
- Michael O'Loughlin (Cycling Ireland Juniors)
- Stephen Shanaghan (Cycling Ireland Juniors)
- Gareth McKee (Cycling Ulster)
- Peter Hawkins (Cycling Ulster)
- Mark Buchanan (Cycling Ulster)
- Ryan Reilly (Cycling Ulster)
- Jude Sand (Cycling Ulster)
- Damian Lagan (North Pole CC)
- Rory Devlin (North Pole CC)
- Marcus Christie (North Pole CC)
- Ronan McLaughlin (North Pole CC)
- Jack Beezer (Glasgow Wheelers)
- Robert Friel (Glasgow Wheelers)
- David Griffiths (Glasgow Wheelers)
- Steven William Lawley (Glasgow Wheelers)
- Andrew Whitehall (Glasgow Wheelers)
- Tim Foppen (WTOS Delft)
- Thijs Nijveldt (WTOS Delft)
- Bob Vervloet (WTOS Delft)
- Ruben van den Eude (WTOS Delft)
- Arian Stolwijk (WTOS Delft)
- Sean McIntyre (Shelbourne Orchard Wh)
- Lindsay Watson (Shelbourne Orchard Wh)
- Glen Dunwoody (Shelbourne Orchard Wh)
- Lee Clarke Shelbourne (Orchard Wh)
- Martin O'Loughlin (Iverk-Carrick Wh)
- Declan Mulholland (Clann Eireann)
- Thomas Simmons (VC Glendale)
- Stephen Butler (DMG)
- Michael Butler (DMG)
- Alastair Gribbon (Carn Wheelers)
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