About the event
The Sean Kelly Tour of Waterford came about because of the desire of the people of Waterford 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. Finally, it came about because of the willingness of local authority and development agencies to come together with the cycling community to plan and deliver this exciting event.
2010 saw the fourth running of the event and it was an unrivalled success with 4400 riders registering to take part across the four events.
For a flavour of what participants said about the event: What they said
As part of the overall event, there are four different routes of varying degrees of difficulty. 2010 saw the introduction of the
10 km Kelly Ten which took place on the Saturday of the event. The Kelly Ten is suitable for all the family aged 7 and upwards. This was a great success and very enjoyable for all participants last year and all concerned are once again looking forward to it in 2011. The
50 km Kelly Cruise should be accessible to almost everybody who does some regular cycling. The
90 km Kelly Coast was a new route in 2010 and will definitely feature again in 2011. Taking in Waterford's breathtaking Coast Road this route is aimed at the experienced touring cyclist. But the
160km 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, and, that is what this event is about – participation, fun and sporting challenge.
Are you up for it? Go on – get on your bike, and get ready for the Sean Kelly!
The 2011 event will be held on Saturday 27th (Kelly Ten) and Sunday 28th August and is part of a bigger overall objective to make County Waterford an extremely cycle-friendly place, firstly, for visitors to the County - whether from home or abroad, but, also for our own communities, because we want everybody to have the opportunity of realising the beauties and benefits of cycling, whilst also experiencing the hospitality and breathtaking scenery of County Waterford.
