Local riders competing in Tour of the North event

On the weekend of 2nd-April 5, five riders from Dromara Cycling Club will take on the best riders from Ireland, Britain and mainland Europe in Northern Ireland's biggest stage race, the Tour of the North International Cycle Race.
By The Newsroom
Published 29th Mar 2010, 09:29 BST
Updated 31st Mar 2010, 16:19 BST

The race takes place over four days with the riders totalling over 220 mile for the whole weekend.

The five riders - namely Darren Weir, Davy McKnight, Ronnie Smyth, Damien McDonald and Gareth Crothers - have trained hard over the winter months and it is now time to see if it has paid off as they aim to stand out in the race and with the experience of Davy McKnight, who has completed the race several times before, there is no doubt that the squad will hope to shine.

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Here is a profile of the stages: Stage 1 - Prologue - Hill Climb up Stormont Hill: This stage will start at the Prince of Wales gates and finish at the chequered flag at the entrance. It was start at 6:30pm, and each rider will set off at 1 minute intervals.

Stage 2 - Ballygowan-Comber - dist. 76.0: This hilly stage will be neutralised to the Jet Filling Station roundabout and will take the riders up steep ascents such as Dree Hill (around 11am) outside Dromara and Castlewellan Hill (around 11:20am) outside Annsbourough. This stage will be a favourite for the climbers amongst the pack. We hope to see lots of local fans cheer on the riders.

Stage 3 - Limavady-Limavady - dist. 79.6 miles: This stage will start and finish opposite Limavady Leisure Centre, and also has 3 King of the Hills climbs to contest, namely Belraugh Road and Cam Forest.

Stage 4 - Ballymena-Ballymena - dist. 69.4 miles: The stage will suit everyone including the sprinters and climbers, as this is the shortest stage apart from the prologue. The race will start on the Larne Road at the roundabout and will finish on the Fry's Road.

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All bets are on for certain riders to take the overall General Classification, with riders such as Martyn Irvine (Planet X), Dean Downing (Rapha-Condor-Sharp) and Geoffrey Demeyere (Decock Sportivo) just to name a few.

So, the race is on, who will take the coveted Yellow Jeresy and be crowned the winner of the Tour of the North? Lets just wait and see…

Good luck to all competitors and especially the riders from Dromara Cycling Club, we hope you do well and do the club proud.

Related topics:NorthNorthern IrelandBritainEurope