Road National Series Round One Preview
The 2023 Road National Series kicks off on Sunday, March 26th, as Blarney Cycling Club hosts the opening round.
The Road National Series heads down south and to Cork for the Donal Crowley Memorial Race, the first of seven rounds of exciting racing.
With the road season getting underway earlier this month, the best riders from around Ireland will do battle in Blarney in what is sure to be a thrilling opener.
Here’s everything you need to know:
The Route
Riders will take on the challenging roads north-west of Blarney and will contend with some tough climbs, including the spectacular Nadd mountain climb, in both the men’s and women’s races.
The men’s race features 140km and 1,460m of climbing as riders take on two laps of a hilly circuit before heading back towards Blarney for the finish.
You can view the men’s route map and profile here.
The women’s race will be 90km in length and over 900m of climbing as the peloton race through one lap of the circuit before making their way back to Blarney.
You can view the women’s route map and profile here.
Race HQ And Start Time
The Race HQ is at Blarney GAA Club - T23 KP73
Sign-on for riders is at 10 am and all races are scheduled to get underway at 12 pm.
Quotes Corner
Event organiser Declan Shine said:
"On behalf of Blarney Cycling Club, I take this opportunity of welcoming you all to our annual event – the Donal Crowley Memorial Road Races. This year will be tinged with great sadness with the recent passing of Patsy Crowley, Donal’s brother. Patsy’s contribution to cycling in Blarney alongside Donal was immeasurable and they both played integral roles in the successes the club experienced over many years. It is our goal to hold an event worthy enough to honour both Patsy and Donal. May they rest in peace."
"Once again, we can promise an excellent race comprising of tough terrain in keeping with a National Series event. It is a spectacular route and will be exciting for both riders and spectators. The event has all the ingredients of a classic road race, with top class fields from across the country along with our own Blarney Cycling Club riders. The route goes over Nadd mountain this year from the Banteer side – once for the Women's National Series race and twice for the Men's National Series Race. This is the highest point of the race and offers spectacular views too."
"Blarney Cycling Club was established in 1886 and we wanted to host an event worthy of the rich tradition of cycling in Blarney over many decades. For anyone preparing for the Ras Tailteann or Ras Mumhan, this is a must ride event. In addition to the National Series Races, we will also host an A3 race too. To all our sponsors and supporters of the club, again a special thank you for your continued support – without this, we simply could not hold such a prestigious event such as a National Series event."
Find out more about the 2023 Road National Series here.
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