World-class cycling will hit the roads of West Limerick this weekend with the staging of the 2020 All Ireland Cycling Championships. Tour De France cyclist Nicolas Roche will be a star attraction, but he won’t be the only one, as there will be local talent in the form of Adare’s Paul Kennedy, Óisín O’Sullivan, Autumn Collins, Jordan Luke, Bryan O’Riordan, Ryan Mullen, Lucy O’Donnell, Darragh O’Mahoney, Cannice McNay and others.
The event kicks off with a time trial tomorrow, Thursday, morning when the cyclists tackle a 22km out-and-back course from Newcastle West to Rathkeale. On Saturday the action moves to Knockaderry where cyclists will complete five laps of a 17km circuit which includes the difficult climb of the White Forge on each lap. Saturday afternoon will see the main event, with Nicolas Roche hoping to win a title he has won previously, though he will be pushed all the way by very strong local talent, including Rockchapel native Darragh O’Maho-ney, and Cannice McNay.
On Sunday, the women’s junior and elite races will take place on a circuit which takes in parts of the Bruff Line before finishing in Knockaderry. Newcastle West Cycling Club would like to point out that the championships will follow Covid-19 guidelines and that spectator access to the course will be extremely limited. With RTÉ cover-ing the event, potential spectators are being directed to TV highlights, while Eurosport will be showing race highlights in the coming weeks. For more, see pages 5 and 79.