Official launch of 2008 Tour

World-renowned cyclist, Sean Kelly, is inviting fellow enthusiasts to test their pedal power and join in a scenic cycle tour through County Waterford in mid-August. It was over the very same terrain that Kelly mastered his craft. The Sean Kelly Cycling Tour of Waterford was officially launched by the cyclist himself at the Mahon Falls on Wednesday March 19th.  The tour will be held on Sunday, August 24th, in the beautiful and cycle-friendly County Waterford and consists of three different routes to test the mettle of cyclists of various abilities and endurance levels. The organisers of the Sean Kelly Tour of Waterford are nothing if not ambitious and have set themselves a target of getting upwards of 1500 leisure cyclists into the saddle on 24th August. The tour is on its way towards becoming the biggest cycle sportive in the country. The shortest route the 50km ‘Kelly Cruise’ is a gentle tester for those who spend a good bit of time in the saddle. The 100 km ‘Kelly Legacy’ is a more testing route that Sean Kelly has made rightly famous. It is indeed one of his legacies to cycling. It is a safe yet demanding route that is suitable for the experienced touring cyclist. Without actually entering the mountain terrain, it is basically a circuit of the Comeragh Mountains.  The 160 km Kelly Comeragh Challenge is only for the very experienced, the very fit, and, maybe even, the foolhardy. It requires guts and ability in abundance but, the whole event can provide a hell of a challenge for all levels of ability.

Commenting on this year’s event Sean Kelly said, “It is fantastic to be involved in an event which is so successful, there is huge demand for tours like this, last year we had 1000 participants, which we certainly didn’t imagine happening, this year we are aiming for bigger and better. It was heartening to see huge amounts of people out training for the tour last summer in particular with obesity levels and health issues on the up; it is great to see people participating in exercise young and old.”

This is the second year of the annual event which helps raise needy finance for the National Council for the Blind. The tour was the brainchild of Waterford County Council, Waterford Sports Partnership, 8 local cycling clubs, Waterford Community Forum who wanted to pay tribute to the name of Sean Kelly in a manner befitting his legendary cycling status. It also came about because of Sean Kelly’s willingness to lend his name to an event which would benefit his own area and his own people.

Commenting on the tour Rosarie Kealy, Sports Co-ordinator with Waterford Sports Partnership says that “We were delighted with last year’s event and look forward to seeing many more people, young and old, getting active and getting out on their bikes training for and participating in the 2008 event. There’s a route to suit everyone!”

Also commenting at the launch was Waterford County Manager, Ray O’Dwyer, “The 2007 Seán Kelly Tour of Waterford was an unqualified success in many ways. The 2008 Tour will be even bigger and better. We expect 1500 participants, making this one of the biggest events of its type in Ireland. The local cycling clubs and local communities across the Déise have come together with Waterford County Council and Waterford Sports Partnership to plan a unique event to celebrate Sean Kelly’s achievements and to showcase our county and its wonderful scenery. We hope to get more people - young and old - active, to bring more cyclists to our county and to put Waterford on the map as the country’s prime cycling destination”.

Sean Kelly was one of the finest cyclists that Europe has ever seen and it was in the beautiful County Waterford in the South East of Ireland that he learned that craft. Now, in paying tribute to the name of Sean Kelly, The Sean Kelly Tour can give a fan firsthand experience to pedal the hills and valleys where Kelly’s bike once flashed over the cobbles.