No More Sean Kelly Tour

greenspurs

Its not on this year

greenspurs

"The organisers of The Sean Kelly Tour of Waterford have completed a review of the event in recent months. This included consideration of the changed environment for events of this nature, as well as exploring possible new opportunities for cycling and outdoor recreation in Waterford. With this in mind, the Sean Kelly Tour of Waterford will not be taking place this year"


Part of the statement on the SKT facebook page

terrydel

Saw that on facebook yesterday evening, in a lot of ways not surprising. I think the route change was a big mistake, and with all the competition around now, events are gonna fall by the wayside.
Did Mr. Kelly himself pull back from it I wonder? Hes known for liking a shilling so I wonder if there wasnt anything in it for him anymore?
Shame as with old route it was a great event. The climb up Mahon was great with the big group, a bit of an Alpine feel to it.
I do understand the issues around it tho, it was often in bad weather and the descent is very dodgy at the best of times.

andy69

I wonder what they mean by "...changed environment for events of this nature..."

These big-big events not welcome anymore?...
An Post pulling out killed them, and Sport Ireland not pumping in enough money?...

Just curious anyway - we actually stopped going to Waterford because of the issues getting accomodation (meanie guts landlords wanting only week-long rentals), and because (apart from just one year) the weather was always crap. Sunny south-east me backside!

greenspurs

The committee changed the route as numbers were dropping, and the "4 climb" route was seen as too difficult (understandably) by cyclists that were thinking about going.
The change then peed off the 'hardier' cyclists that felt the new route was too 'easy' (easier?) than the old route.

There isn't money there from companys looking to sponsor events, as cyclists are getting an awful lot of bad media, and the organisation involved in such a massive event each year must be exhausting for those involved.

Its a pity .....

Takca

andy69 wrote: »

I wonder what they mean by "...changed environment for events of this nature..."

These big-big events not welcome anymore?...
An Post pulling out killed them, and Sport Ireland not pumping in enough money?...

Possibly, the Yeats Tour of Sligo is also not on this year, which was also part of the Sport Ireland Cycle Series... I also see no sign of the Rebel Tour of Cork on the cycle Ireland Calendar. So do only two cycles remain in the series?

Tour De Burren 2018 -- Sat, Jun 16, 2018 9:00 AM -- Munster
Meath Heritage Cycle Tour 2018 -- Sun, Jul 29, 2018 8:00 AM -- Leinster

death1234567

Did someone get the calculation wrong?

Lumen

Maybe Kelly has managed to turn all of his donkeys into racehorses and has retired from sportiving.

velo.2010

Lumen wrote: »

Maybe Kelly has managed to turn all of his donkeys into racehorses and has retired from sportiving.

Still does the Sportactive camps out in Majorca as far as I'm aware.

Never managed to get down to the SK Tour. Had an idea to go down in 2011 but got injured beforehand. Seems those early years were the best time to do it.

Didn't Orwell's randonee have to react to a route change in recent years too? I think they added a second slightly easier route to make up for the change.

I think more and more people are just venturing off and doing their own thing these days and avoiding pricey sportives.

LennoxR

greenspurs wrote: »

The committee changed the route as numbers were dropping, and the "4 climb" route was seen as too difficult (understandably) by cyclists that were thinking about going.
The change then peed off the 'hardier' cyclists that felt the new route was too 'easy' (easier?) than the old route.

There isn't money there from companys looking to sponsor events, as cyclists are getting an awful lot of bad media, and the organisation involved in such a massive event each year must be exhausting for those involved.

Its a pity .....

If that's true it's a sad day.

I did it in 2013 and found it great, the weather was fine and it wasn't too hard as there were flat intervals between climbs. It was much easier in that respect that events in Wicklow.

Grassey

velo.2010 wrote:

I think more and more people are just venturing off and doing their own thing these days and avoiding pricey sportives.

It's likely, when I got the missus into cycling we'd do sportives every few weeks and entry + travel + food + accommodation for weekend was reasonable. Then prices started going north year on year that a weekend was was ridiculously expensive if you were doing multiple events. So much so that I think the last time we did Waterford we drove down that morning did the spin then drove back, and realised figured that 6 hours driving wasn't worth it for a 4 hour spin.

JK.BMC

Just casually observing these events from a distance, I wonder is this simply a reaction to 'charity cycle/sportive fatigue' in the country? I have no doubt that some cyclists have realised that many of these events have a cost that simply can't be justified; at the end of the day, how many t-shirts and goody bags does a serious cyclist want before they realise you can ride these roads for free any time anyway, and instead target a major European sportive/challenge in better weather, better roads and probably better food/drink options? Also, how many country towns/villages genuinely want hundreds/thousands of cyclists on the roads at any time? I'm not against it myself but I think the toothpaste is out of the tube regarding large, mostly unco-ordinated or dispersed groups of cyclists riding sportives on open roads in Ireland. Too many potential hazards, plus genuinely poor value for money too if you ask me.

velo.2010

@Grassey
I think the first wave of new cyclists back around 2008/9 - thanks to the BTW scheme and people generally moving to cycling for economic reasons - got their buzz cycling with lots of others in those first few years and simply moved on. More work, new families and realising, like yourself, that its simply handier to head off and do a route on your own time and save the entry cost.

JK.BMC

velo.2010 wrote: »

@Grassey
I think the first wave of new cyclists back around 2008/9 - thanks to the BTW scheme and people generally moving to cycling for economic reasons - got their buzz cycling with lots of others in those first few years and simply moved on. More work, new families and realising, like yourself, that its simply handier to head off and do a route on your own time and save the entry cost.

Probably a truth in that, yes.
Actually I met a guy today, first time on about 3 years. We both did the Sean Kelly Tour in 2012, along with 20 others from our club. He was mad into the bike for a while, owned 4 or 5 of them; he told me he only does the odd bit now, has just the 1 bike and cycles when it suits him. Like me, he has no interest in spending money/time on these events any more. Cycling is a wonderful sport, being doing it all my life; the 'sportive' phenomenon is a relatively late arrival, hell bent on making money out of its participants most of all; like the 'parish field day' and the 'poker drive' It's day will come and go.

ford2600

JK.BMC wrote: »

Probably a truth in that, yes.
Actually I met a guy today, first time on about 3 years. We both did the Sean Kelly Tour in 2012, along with 20 others from our club. He was mad into the bike for a while, owned 4 or 5 of them; he told me he only does the odd bit now, has just the 1 bike and cycles when it suits him. Like me, he has no interest in spending money/time on these events any more. Cycling is a wonderful sport, being doing it all my life; the 'sportive' phenomenon is a relatively late arrival, hell bent on making money out of its participants most of all; like the 'parish field day' and the 'poker drive' It's day will come and go.

Kelly kind of watered down his own brand; he had his name stuck on a lot of sportives around the country. He was like Shaws in the finish; almost nationwide.

It was in trouble in 2016 and 17 was a disaster.

I left Clonmel in car and passed 50/60 of the stragglers in one and twos scattered all over the road in 17. Clonmel Dungarvan road is a pretty miserable last 40km finish to an event. They had intended a different finish but seemed to not bother about a week out.

velo.2010

Interesting... Yeah, I know one or two guys like that as well. There is also the phenomenon of guys getting back into it after a few years off completely. Some others simply need the goal of training for racing to keep up the motivation.

I always loved watching cycling on TV, had a road bike for a number of years but only got into riding seriously in 2009 as a distraction from life stuff. I've had a wobble now and again but have kept it up for that long.

And yes, I went sportive mad in 2012 to make up for a missed 2011 because of injury. I did 10 events or so but got the first warning of, as you mention, the greed and organising ineptitude when I did an event out in Ashbourne. Thereafter I made sure to carefully select what events I would do in future.

Kaisr Sose

JK.BMC wrote: »

Probably a truth in that, yes.
Actually I met a guy today, first time on about 3 years. We both did the Sean Kelly Tour in 2012, along with 20 others from our club. He was mad into the bike for a while, owned 4 or 5 of them; he told me he only does the odd bit now, has just the 1 bike and cycles when it suits him. Like me, he has no interest in spending money/time on these events any more. Cycling is a wonderful sport, being doing it all my life; the 'sportive' phenomenon is a relatively late arrival, hell bent on making money out of its participants most of all; like the 'parish field day' and the 'poker drive' It's day will come and go.

Yes, they are over done. Very classic Irish phenomenum - everybody piles in like Tulip mania.

For me, seeing some GAA clubs running Sportives on the back/coat tail of CI with new cycling club set up almost as a SPV to deflect risk from their own PI insurance sums it up.

noby

As a veteran of the 100k I noticed a drop off this year in the shorter routes. These are the people who are just as happy to do the new greenway rather than the SKT, I reckon.

Personally I'll miss it. I'm not active enough to be a regular on the sportif circuit, but enjoyed the challenge of a local end of summer 100k.

velo.2010

noby wrote: »

As a veteran of the 100k I noticed a drop off this year in the shorter routes. These are the people who are just as happy to do the new greenway rather than the SKT, I reckon.

Undoubtedly another factor is the greenway when you consider the location and when it opened. There were huge numbers using it when I did it on a weekday last summer.

Limestone1

terrydel wrote: »

Saw that on facebook yesterday evening, in a lot of ways not surprising. I think the route change was a big mistake, and with all the competition around now, events are gonna fall by the wayside.
Did Mr. Kelly himself pull back from it I wonder? Hes known for liking a shilling so I wonder if there wasnt anything in it for him anymore?
Shame as with old route it was a great event. The climb up Mahon was great with the big group, a bit of an Alpine feel to it.
I do understand the issues around it tho, it was often in bad weather and the descent is very dodgy at the best of times.

He didn't show last year and there was some talk of a disagreement with him so you may be spot on there.
I'm surprised they have stopped it completely though as it brought a lot of people to the town. Maybe the Greenway is doing a good enough job of that on its own.

Lumen

I suspect the real reason is commercial, i.e. some falling out over money, but it would be ironic if segregated infrastructure is pushing cyclists off the road.

That said, maybe the proliferation of leisure events was using up goodwill that would be better used on road racing. There's nothing to stop leisure cyclists riding around in small groups, but you can't have a bunch race without a bunch.

Macy0161

JK.BMC wrote: »

Cycling is a wonderful sport, being doing it all my life; the 'sportive' phenomenon is a relatively late arrival, hell bent on making money out of its participants most of all; like the 'parish field day' and the 'poker drive' It's day will come and go.

I don't know whether the sportive's day is done, as they pre-date being called sportives, but putting on some boring 100km route to raise money for bogball might be.

For me, and the people I would discuss it with, we look for interesting/ challenging routes, and to be looked after when we're there if we're paying cold hard cash.

I'm still a sucker for a name though, and am in for the SRAC, mainly because of the names that are going to be there!

trek climber

Takca wrote: »

Possibly, the Yeats Tour of Sligo is also not on this year, which was also part of the Sport Ireland Cycle Series... I also see no sign of the Rebel Tour of Cork on the cycle Ireland Calendar. So do only two cycles remain in the series?

Tour De Burren 2018 -- Sat, Jun 16, 2018 9:00 AM -- Munster
Meath Heritage Cycle Tour 2018 -- Sun, Jul 29, 2018 8:00 AM -- Leinster

I received an email last week from the organisers in Sligo to say that the Tour of Sligo was not going ahead this year.

Dizraeligears

Peak Mamil was a couple of years ago.

snottybridge

I'm awaiting a reply from the organisers of the Rebel Tour to see if its going ahead this year, would be a pity if its gone aswell.

marvin80

I presume Sport Ireland couldn't justify pumping large amounts of money into the cycle series - there's other sports looking for funding (which is only fair).

On sportives in general - if there well organised, have good routes and at a fair price they'll be successful - Tour de Kilkenny, Donegal Spring Sportive etc..

However, some sportives are taking the pi*s with prices - big example would be the Ring of Kerry - I've no interest in them.
Also, like someone mentioned above, if accommodation providers jack up their prices for the weekend of a sportive I won't bother going near it - I planned a few this year but when I looked up accomodation it was turning into expensive weekends so left them there.

I really enjoyed the An Post sportives I completed - you got a great mix of cyclists from around Ireland doing them. I'm sad to see them finish.

Esroh

I'm not surprised the loss of An Post sponsorship has had a knock on effect.
Sports Ireland has a 'Sports for All's agenda.A good thing but it means the Classic European Sportive idea of a 120km + over tough terrain to replicate a One-day Race or Stage is no longer what people do.
Those events like Wicklow 200 or those who have developed a reputation like TofKk will continue to be to cyclists what a marathon is to runners.
In Running everyone is rewarded for running 5km so cycling 50/60 km is now the aim .
I have been involved in the leisure side of the club for 11 years and seen the change. People think in Kms now and 100km is now what 100miles/160km was as a goal.
The logistics of running the Routes used in the Series originally would be a hard without the support of a serious sponsor.

LennoxR

Esroh wrote: »

I'm not surprised the loss of An Post sponsorship has had a knock on effect.
Sports Ireland has a 'Sports for All's agenda.A good thing but it means the Classic European Sportive idea of a 120km + over tough terrain to replicate a One-day Race or Stage is no longer what people do.
Those events like Wicklow 200 or those who have developed a reputation like TofKk will continue to be to cyclists what a marathon is to runners.
In Running everyone is rewarded for running 5km so cycling 50/60 km is now the aim .
I have been involved in the leisure side of the club for 11 years and seen the change. People think in Kms now and 100km is now what 100miles/160km was as a goal.
The logistics of running the Routes used in the Series originally would be a hard without the support of a serious sponsor.

But ironically I don't think many cyclists are interested in doing events that are not a challenge. A bit of a catch 22 situation. It's a shame in a way but having said that, I haven't done a sportive since 2014, and like people have suggested, have just been doing my own thing with friends.

Macy0161

LennoxR wrote: »

But ironically I don't think many cyclists are interested in doing events that are not a challenge. A bit of a catch 22 situation. It's a shame in a way but having said that, I haven't done a sportive since 2014, and like people have suggested, have just been doing my own thing with friends.

I think the limited funds really have to go into the lower distance, what might be considered entry level (or perhaps more time limited might be a fairer term), events if the aim is to get more people more active.

Having said that, the skoda series still seems to be doing ok, so there is still a market for the sponsored bigger events?

1bryan

LennoxR wrote: »

If that's true it's a sad day.

I did it in 2013 and found it great, the weather was fine and it wasn't too hard as there were flat intervals between climbs. It was much easier in that respect that events in Wicklow.

rode it around then, too. Whichever year was the last year that Seskin Hill was on it. I found the route very dull, the climbs aside. I recall the first 80 odd kms being flat an primarily into a head-wind. It was only after the food stop in Clonmel that things got interesting.

They've also had their issues with route selection. Seskin Hill was very dangerous when you rejoined the main road at the top. Because you were doubling back onto the route you'd just come, the road was thick with cyclists and it was almost impossible to get a gap to get into the road. So people took risks. But, at least they reacted to it by removing the climb.

Then a couple of years later they had problems with Mahon Falls when they ran it on a day with poor weather. Again, Mahon Falls ended up getting pulled.

I was glad to have done it but didn't feel overly inspired by it. It seemed just a bit too big in terms of numbers, and though they wanted the most interesting route possible, it wasn't always possible to do.

I hope they find a way to keep the saturday family ride going. That was really good for the kids, and the participation numbers were always huge.

RowanHarley

LennoxR wrote: »

But ironically I don't think many cyclists are interested in doing events that are not a challenge. A bit of a catch 22 situation. It's a shame in a way but having said that, I haven't done a sportive since 2014, and like people have suggested, have just been doing my own thing with friends.

Ya I got bored of being stuck in a group that might only average 28km/h over 100km. Although, I have to admit, Portumna had a great sportive! A great course with a lot of fast riders from A3 and A2. It's been the closest I've got to a race experience, and gave me and idea of where I need to get to to do well

greenspurs

RowanHarley wrote: »

Ya I got bored of being stuck in a group that might only average 28km/h over 100km. Although, I have to admit, Portumna had a great sportive! A great course with a lot of fast riders from A3 and A2. It's been the closest I've got to a race experience, and gave me and idea of where I need to get to to do well

Sportives aren't meant to be races for A4s and A4s to see 'how they are going' ! :rolleyes: "Might only average 28" - I guess you are one of 'those' cyclists that so many sportive riders complain about !!!

Ever do the RoK ? :rolleyes:

RowanHarley

greenspurs wrote: »

Sportives aren't meant to be races for A4s and A4s to see 'how they are going' ! :rolleyes: "Might only average 28" - I guess you are one of 'those' cyclists that so many sportive riders complain about !!!

Ever do the RoK ? :rolleyes:

Seems aweful expensive!

greenspurs

RowanHarley wrote: »

Seems aweful expensive!

Sorry, that must have went over your head !

ednwireland

Personally I just thought they were too expensive for what they were offering. I stopped doing the tour of sligo three years ago and I only do club sportives that are reasonably priced . Quality might be varied but a better value day out. And sponsorship is getting very hard to get.

Macy0161

greenspurs wrote: »

Sportives aren't meant to be races for A4s and A4s to see 'how they are going' ! :rolleyes: "Might only average 28" - I guess you are one of 'those' cyclists that so many sportive riders complain about !!!

Something for everyone really, I'd have thought? Normally the faster people go off the front never to be seen again (by me), rather than it cause issues?

Mercian Pro

Sorry to see the SKT gone. I agree it wasn't quite the same challenge with Mahon Falls taken out but it was still a good event in a county I don't get to often enough.
From observation, I didn't think there was a significant drop off in numbers last year so I assume the lack of a main sponsor is what killed it. Sport Ireland were never going to be long-term sponsors of any sportif and presumably only stepped in last year on a once off basis.
Of all the former An Post sportives, the one I will miss most (assuming it goes) is the Rebel Tour. On a good day the scenery out around Allihies would take your breath away (or maybe it was those short sharp climbs) and on a bad day struggling back into the finish at Glengarrif made it all worthwhile. Looks like I might be heading to the Causeway Coast rather than the Beara Peninsula this September.

RowanHarley

ednwireland wrote: »

Personally I just thought they were too expensive for what they were offering. I stopped doing the tour of sligo three years ago and I only do club sportives that are reasonably priced . Quality might be varied but a better value day out. And sponsorship is getting very hard to get.

Good point. At least with racing, you're given the opportunity to progress and as well as that, it can also be a good bit cheaper

gmacww

Personally speaking I think sportives have lost the run of themselves price wise over the past few years. I haven't done the Wickla in a couple of years as the last time I did it (first year the new committe took over) you could see how it had thinned out in terms of support both food and people wise. The price increase as well now at €60 means that event is no longer on the calendar.

The SKT was one I did a few years ago and it was great. Shame it's gone but I see it happen with quite a few. Some strange issues around with regards to sportives and sponsors / charities in recent years though. I know of one popular one around these parts where the charity which has gotten a lot of money from the event since it's inception doesn't want any association with it anymore. Word on the wire is that this is the last run of it this year. Shame and a very strange landscape at the moment.

greenspurs

Macy0161 wrote: »

Something for everyone really, I'd have thought? Normally the faster people go off the front never to be seen again (by me), rather than it cause issues?

If they all fecked off to the front together, then they could play TourDeFrance the whole way round, that would be ok.
but its the guys that rock up late/start late, and they race through everyone else that most people that are cycling in Sportives have the issues with....
Have a look at the RoK comments on BookFace/webpage etc ...

greenspurs

RowanHarley wrote: »

Good point. At least with racing, you're given the opportunity to progress and as well as that, it can also be a good bit cheaper

At least with racing , youre not at a Sportive, only doing 28km/h ...... :rolleyes:;)

Macy0161

greenspurs wrote: »

Have a look at the RoK comments on BookFace/webpage etc ...

Not going to subject myself to that! In my one time experience of the RoK, it wasn't the faster and/or club cyclists that were causing the issues (and I certainly wasn't or still am not in that category). They tend to be able to cycle in a straight line in a predictable manner for starters!

The Noble Nudge

Pity I've done the last 5 SKT's..liked the original 160km more than last years but it was still a spin out of the big smoke and its surroundings.
I guess An Posts few bob made the difference...

velo.2010

gmacww wrote: »

I haven't done the Wickla in a couple of years as the last time I did it (first year the new committe took over) you could see how it had thinned out in terms of support both food and people wise. The price increase as well now at €60 means that event is no longer on the calendar.

I know of one popular one around these parts where the charity which has gotten a lot of money from the event since it's inception doesn't want any association with it anymore. Word on the wire is that this is the last run of it this year. Shame and a very strange landscape at the moment.

Interesting you mention the W200 and the food stops. The two lads from A1 racing on Youtube did the event last year. Their biggest complaint was the lack of food at the stops. And these lads are basically Pro level and were not among the stragglers, so it must have been bad for them to mention that.

I think I know the other sportive you mention and that's been an issue for a few years now. Its been a shadow of itself for some time.

JMcL

Shame to see it go, the organisation was always very good, and the council loved it for pulling a large crowd into the county at the end of summer. I don't think the price of the SKT really went up appreciatively over the years I did it (2012 through to 2017), but I don't have receipts to hand to could be off the mark there.

I'd say An Post pulling out was the nail in the coffin, but numbers in 2017 were way down - I think the 100km was about 800 undersubscribed. The past 2 years have been plagued by absolutely foul weather as well, and 2017 was reliably forecast as going to be foul for the best part of a week in advance which probably kept away a fair few that would have rocked up in the last few days.

A mate has been involved with coordinating the ambulances etc over the years and the problem with the Mahon Fall is that 1) it's a shocking road at the best of times, even more so in bad weather, 2) if an incident does happen it's hard to get an ambulance in (they once parked an ambulance beside that nasty bend on the descent just to get people to scrub off speed)

As somebody else mentioned the number of sportives stuck on to scrape together a few quid has rocketed over the past few years which probably hasn't helped

guanciale

I do about 1 audax event per season as well as running my own one.
For people who Want a tough cheaper ride its a great option. For those that want to ride along in the big bunches then obviously spotifs are where its at if not racing.
Interesting that some big name sportifs are suffering & being cancelled, whereas Audax is holding its own.

The permanent routes on audax ireland website can be ridden at any time which is great in terms of flexibility. You get the sense of achievement of doing an 'official route', can use it towards medals (for those that like that).

Mercian Pro

I think it would be a mistake to write off sportives on the basis of one major sponsor pulling out. One of the reasons numbers are down on some events is that there is now way more choice every weekend from March through to October. I suspect the same numbers are out but spread more thinly over more sportives. Some of the new additions are well run, offer good value for money and support local charities. Others unfortunately don't tick any of those boxes.

Overall, they still offer a great chance to cycle in new places, meet new friends (especially Boarsies) and push yourself a lot harder than if you were on your own. INMO some of the really good ones can provide some of the best cycling experiences on this island.

Macy0161

velo.2010 wrote:

Interesting you mention the W200 and the food stops. The two lads from A1 racing on Youtube did the event last year. Their biggest complaint was the lack of food at the stops. And these lads are basically Pro level and were not among the stragglers, so it must have been bad for them to mention that.

Was due to do it again last year, but couldn't at the last minute. The lads that did, say never again. They ended up finding somewhere to buy food.

magicbastarder

someone should organise a sportive called the 'no more sean kelly tour'.
on second thoughts, that's a stupid idea.

boege

I think in the case of the SKT the loss of a prime sponsor was a deathblow. All the high attendance An Post tours will struggle without headline sponsorship and I suspect/hope the Burren tour might just survive.

In the case of the SKT, the 2-3 years of bad weather on top of loss of sponsor was a hit too many to take. The change of circuit may have been done for cost reasons but I was shocked at the decision when it happened as 'Kelly' meant toughness (of route).

I do think there is another issue coming to the fore and I am seeing it also in the race scene; volunteers to support an event. Volunteerism is clearly in decline. Its a complex area but too many small clubs is not helping. I suspect this is why the charity supported event is becoming more common.

Ras Donegal has been cancelled and adequate support for the event was cited as a factor. Still in shock on that one!

AviationUK

Now, wouldnt it be nice if all the respective towns and villages cycle clubs got together and "marshalled" a route over the sean kelly route on that particular weekend this year?...

Nobody can stop you cycling a route, nobody can stop you from standing at the side of the road as long as there is no "organiser"...