An international cycling event gets underway in Clonmel today.
Cyclocross is a hybrid of road racing and mountain biking where the riders compete on off-road tracks which include obstacles that require the cyclist to dismount before getting back on the bike.
Powerstown Park hosts Verge Cross Clonmel, where over 350 riders from multiple countries will be competing over Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday’s action is centered around juvenile events whilst tomorrow sees professional riders competing with UCI points up for grabs in three races.
A 3-kilometre track has been assembled in the Powerstown Park car park, with the main races of the weekend getting underway on Sunday at 12.
The races start with a sprint between all-riders battling for position before doing laps of the track for up to an hour.
Race organiser John Dempsey says this makes it a brilliant sport for spectators:
“Yeah it’s a brilliant spectator sport because from one vantage point in Powerstown Park you can see 70% of the lap without moving.
“If you walk around then, you’ll see the different areas in the wooded area and stuff like that and we have a couple of big bridges built in as well that the riders will be going up and over.
“It’s a brilliant spectator sport and it will be a good day out for spectators and people are travelling just to spectate which is good to see.”
