Cyclists urged to get in gear and sign up for Tour de Kilkenny 2023 now!

Cyclists from all over Ireland are getting ready for their annual trek to the Marble City for the Tour de Kilkenny.
Organised by the Marble City Cyclers this year’s event, the 14th edition of the popular sportive, will be held on August 5.
One of the highlights of the Cycling Ireland sportive calendar, this year’s event has been designated as one of five well established and challenging sportives that CI are prominently supporting - this should bring added outside interest to the event.
It is expected that over 600 cyclists will descend on Kilkenny Rugby Club (eircode R95 CH68) for an early morning start (the 160km and 120km cycles start at 9am, the 70km event at 10am) that will take them over many parts of the county. With the help of Mick O’Donovan and his team at the rugby club the cycle offers extensive and safe parking.

The Tour is a regular event for visitors from Kerry, Cavan, Monaghan, Galway, Wexford, Dublin and other parts of Ireland. It contributes to the local economy, with many participants making it a family weekend in the city. Kilkenny Co Council has been hugely supportive of the event in past years, seeing it as part of the city and county cycling strategy.
Last year 22 counties were represented, with 212 cyclists from Kilkenny - among them members of local clubs Kells Angels, Callan CC, Deenside Wheelers, Kilkenny Pedallers, Kilkenny Triathlon Club and Kilmacow CC - attempting the routes.
The routes
As for the routes, the Tour de Kilkenny offers three choices for cyclists - a 70km cycle, 120km cycle and the famous 160km route. Many find to their surprise that Kilkenny is anything but a flat county and veteran route-maker Brendan O’Reilly has managed to find lots of challenging ascents.
The 77km route (Kilkenny, Gowran, Goresbridge, Graignamanagh, Thomastown, Knocktopher, Kilkenny) is for cyclists with a reasonable level of fitness. Refreshments will be available at the car-park near the top of Coppenagh.
The 120km route (Kilkenny, Gowran, Goresbridge, Graignamanagh, Inistioge, Listerlin, Mullinavat, Kilkenny) is quite challenging, with a good level of cycling fitness required. The route tackles several steep climbs at Coppenagh, Woodstock, Brownsford and Listerlin. The main food-stop is located in Listerlin before riders head back to Kilkenny from Mullinavat.

The 160k route (Kilkenny, Gowran, Borris, Graignamanagh, Inistioge, Listerlin, Mullinavat, Templeorum, Kilmoganny, Callan, Kilmanagh, Kilkenny) is one for the hardened cyclists. Organisers expect over one third of entrants will attempt it. The climbing continues from Mullinavat over Ballygowan to Piltown, then tackles the 7.5km climb of Templeorum, 3km climb over Kilmoganny to the Slate Quarries and north to Kilmanagh via Callan. The final sting after 150km of tough cycling is a short but very steep climb over Ballykeeffe before a descent and flat route back to Kilkenny Rugby Club.
The 160km route is considered by the experts as one of the very toughest cycles on the national sportive calendar and thus attracts a host of hardy cyclists. This year there will be a cut-off time of 1.30pm at Mullinavat on the 160km route. Those arriving after that time will be redirected back up the main road to the rugby club.
The post-race pasta party will be welcomed by all who roll back into the rugby club grounds after their cycle. This year, participants are invited to an evening party at the Glendine Inn.
This year, in keeping with most similar events, all participants must pre-register for the tour by Sunday, July 30, via the www.tourdekilkenny.com website or www.eventmaster.ie.
Having registered participants then pick up their sportive pack at Kilkenny Rugby Club’s Foulkstown grounds on Friday, August 4 from 6 to 8pm or early on the morning of the event.
Charity
The entry fee covers the cost of food, route marshalling and a hefty contribution to each nominated charity. Since its inception the Tour has been a significant fundraiser for local charities, raising close to six figures for a wide variety of local good causes. This year’s recipients will be the Irish Kidney Association, Amber Women’s Refuge, Irish Pilgrimage Trust, Thomastown Men’s Shed and WaterGarden and Tullogher Community Group. Volunteers from each of these organisations will help to marshal and feed the cyclists en route and, in turn, will earn valuable funds for their respective organisations.
Further information is available on the website www.tourdekilkenny.com, which has a wealth of useful information about the event and about the demands and needs of sportive cycling. People can also contact the Marble City Cyclers at info@marblecitycyclers.com