Race organiser Alice Sherratt and Sean Kelly at the launch of the route for the 2013 Junior Tour of Ireland
By Brian Canty
The route for this year’s International Junior Tour of Ireland was announced this week, with some of the best U18 riders in the world set to convene on Co Clare in early July for a six-day extravaganza of racing.
The event has been moved from its traditional base in Co Mayo, with the riders this year due to cover some of the hardest climbs – and most scenic roads the country has to offer.
Not that those on the start-line in Ennis on July 2ndwill be too concerned with the likes of the Burren and Cliffs of Moher as backdrops. The race is over 500 kilometres in length and will again be a largely international field with teams expected to come from as far away as South Africa and the US, not to mind the UK.
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There will also be a large presence of domestic riders vying for stage and overall honours and with the likes of the Nicolas Roche Performance Team and an Irish team both expected to be on the start line, hopes are high that a home based rider can improve on Cormac Clarke’s third place last year.
Three of the 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 two category 1 climbs (Castle Hill in Doolin and Gallows Hill in Cratloe), four category 2 climbs and a whopping 15 category 3 climbs.
Comparing the 2013 stages to previous years, tour secretary Gary McIlroy stated: “The climbs may not be as hard as we have had before but the volume of climbs makes this one of toughest routes in recent years. 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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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 (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.
The main sponsor of the 2013 Junior Tour of Ireland is www.thewarehouse.ie, owned by Clare man and renowned sports patron Martin Donnelly. Other sponsors include the I.V.C.A (Irish Veterans Cycling Association), Cycling Ireland and Stena Line Ireland.
For more visit www.juniortourofireland.com.
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