Irish cycling has been given a boost ahead of the new season with confirmation that many stage races which were cancelled over the last two years are coming back for 2022.
Those stage races were last run in 2019 and getting them back on the road this year is crucial for their survival and for continuity within the domestic road racing scene.
It is now becoming clear that races planned for early in the season, and some slightly beyond that time frame, which were cancelled over the last two years due to Covid-19 are now confirming their return.
Kerry Group Rás Mumhan has already confirmed it will be back on the roads of Kerry, and Cork, over the Easter Bank Holiday Weekend. Rás Tailteann has also confirmed it will run as a five-day event - from June 15th to 19th - having last been run in 2018 (the 2019 edition was cancelled for lack of a sponsor).
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And now the Gorey Three Day has confirmed it will be on the roads of Wexford through Easter while the Victus Tour of Ulster has also confirmed to stickybottle its race will go ahead this year.
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Furthermore, the Junior Tour of Ireland has also confirmed it will take place again this year; the race set to take place around Ennis in Co Clare from July 12th to 17th. There is no clear update yet on the Tour of the North, but we will bring you any news on that when we have it.
We will also return to other races which were cancelled over the last two years as they confirm their plans for 2022. And stickybottle will also cover events that were not cancelled due to Covid-19, as we do every year.
The lifting of almost all remaining restrictions that were in place to combat Covid-19 means the fact the main stage races in the first half of the season are back on track is perhaps no surprise. However, in the past when established events have not been held for one or two years they have often disappeared from the calendar.
And that means confirmation from many of the stage race organising groups comes as a relief to the road race community, as so much of the season is based around those races.
In 2020 racing was suspended after just a handful of events were run on the opening day of the season, with a ban of sporting and public events staying in place for months.
The Republic and the North then went in and out of lock-down for much of the following 18 months. That created a situation with too much uncertainty to plan stage races meaning only a handful of events were run over the last two years.
