After last year's inaugural National Gravel Championships, this year's Irish title races will once again be hosted by a Galway Club, Gaeltachta CC.
There are four Irish titles to be won of a day of competitive racing, this Sunday, at Shannapheasteen Forest, Galway Wind Park, Connemara. There is still time to enter - at this link - but don't hestitate any further as entries close tomorrow, Wednesday, September 24th.
After the success of last year's promotion - when Stephen Clancy (Novo Nordisk) and Ellen McDermott (Keukens Redant Cycling Team) claimed the titles - and the growing popularity of the discipline in Ireland, a day of very competitive racing is in store.
The medals will be fought out mainly on a circuit - which you can view at this link - and that course opens at 9am on the day and sign-on opens at 10am. The races will be between three and five laps, as below:
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- Women | 55KM (3 laps) 12 noon
- M50+ | 70KM (4 laps) 12 noon
- M40 | 70km (4 laps) 2.30pm
- Gravel Open/Men | 85km (5 laps) 2.35pm
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The women's race is for senior, junior and masters riders. The Open event is for senior, junior and Masters 30 riders, The Master 40 race is restricted to Masters 40 riders only and the M50+ is for both Masters 50 and Masters 60 riders.
The National Gravel Championships come at an exciting time for gravel riders in the Republic, where access to gravel terrain - especially for organised events - has been at a premium, unlike in the North.
However, in June gravel events were given the green light in the Republic after agreement was reached between Cycling Ireland and Coillte, the state-owned commercial forestry business.
This was followed by the formal opening of an application process to allow clubs and other promoters to apply to run events this winter.
