Junior Tour Launch held in Castlebar

Kelly voices support for new-look Junior Tour

The Irish International Junior Tour for 2010 was launched on Tuesday night in Castlebar, the Co Mayo town which has hosted the event for the past five years.

This year’s race starts on Tuesday, July 6 and continues until Sunday, July 11. The cyclists will cover over 470 kilometres in six daily stages through the scenic – and gruelling -hills and mountains of Mayo.

At the launch, tributes were paid to long-term supporter Martin Donnelly whose sponsorship ended with the 2009 race. Support this year comes from various sources, including Subway – who are sponsoring the green points jersey – Castlebar Town Council and Achill Tourism.

Present to wish the race well was former world No 1 professional Sean Kelly who said: “This race is so important to the grassroots of the sport in Ireland. It’s very important that the youth have a race like this. These are difficult times not only at the grassroots but at the top level. I hope the race goes well this year as this is a fabulous part of the country for cycling – when the sun shines.”

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny, the local TD and a keen cyclist, recalled his time as Tourism Minister when he worked with Sean Kelly to bring the 1998 Tour de France to Ireland. He also expressed the hope that the race would continue in Castlebar.

The International Junior Tour – for riders in the 16 to 18 age bracket – has been a major event on the international calendar for many years. Riders who have made their mark on the event and gone on to greater things include current professional stars Nicolas Roche and Mark Cavendish, and ex-world junior champion Mark Scanlon.

In addition to the leading Irish riders, this year's Junior Tour will include teams from the Netherlands, South Africa, Belgium, the USA and the UK.