The prestigious Tour of Ulster cycle race takes place this weekend, from Saturday 4th to Monday 6th May. The international 3-day stage race is sponsored by Victus and this year’s edition will be based in the town of Banbridge, Co. Down.
One of Ireland’s longest established races, the Victus Tour of Ulster is attracting elite riders and teams from across Ireland including Strata3-VeloRevolution, Dan Morrissey-MIG.iePactimo, McConvey Cycles, the UK including Team Upshift Velo, Pro Vision Race Team UK and the Westland Wil Vooruit team from the Netherlands.
This year’s race see’s the cyclist starting and finishing all three stages in Banbridge during the 2019 May Bank Holiday weekend.
Stage 1, on Saturday 4th May, departs at 11:45am from Banbridge Rugby Club and follows an 89.5-mile circuit taking in the beautiful surroundings around The Mourne Mountains. The 104 riders will be going through Annaclone, Rathfriland, Hilltown, Rostrevor, Bryansford, Castlewellan, Clough, Annadorn, Annacloy, Ballynahinch, Dromara, Moneyslane, Katesbridge, Annaclone before finishing back in Banbridge.
Stage 2 Sunday 5th May action begins at 9:45am, taking in another 95.8 gruelling miles around the scenic Mourne Mountains. The riders will take in Dromore, Annahilt, Ballynahinch, Spa, Clonvaraghan, Moneyslane, Rathfriland, Hilltown, Bryansford, Castlewellan, Leitrim, Finnis, Dromara, Kinallen, Katesbridge, Annaclone before finishing back in Banbridge.
Bank Holiday Monday 6th May, sees the cyclists rolling out at 9.45 and bringing the action to a close with seven laps of a 10-mile circuit.
The circuit itself starts on the Ballygowan Road and takes left at the crossroads heading for Loughbrickland before making its way back to Banbridge for what is sure to be an exciting finish.
For full race details, check out www.tourofulster.com for more details on the route and riders or why not follow us on Twitter @TourUlster / Facebook Victus Tour of Ulster for regular updates.
