The Tour de Munster rolls into Tipperary tomorrow on the first leg of the annual fundraiser for local branches of Down Syndrome Ireland.
Over 110 cyclists – including the legendary Sean Kelly – will take part in the four day event which sets out from the English Market in Cork at 9am and make their way to The Vee and the descent into Clogheen where they are due to arrive shortly after 1pm.
From there the group will make their way to Cahir and Tipp Town before a late lunch stop in Ballykisteen around 3.40pm.
Then it’s on to Limerick and Killaloe where they will stop for the night.
Chairperson of Down Syndrome Tipperary Linda Gillick says a number of their members are an integral part of the Tour de Munster.
“We have a little dance group that has been performing for the Tour de Munster for many years now – they’re called the Tipperary Treasures. We start practicing….after the Tour de Munster now we’ll start practicing a new dance. The members really involve themselves and once you say its for Tour de Munster they’re there every Monday night practicing their dancing and they live for it.”
Linda says the Tipperary Treasures are looking forward to welcoming the cyclists to the shores of Lough Derg tomorrow evening.
“They perform on the first night of the Tour and its lovely for them as they get to mingle with all the cyclists and also to greet them in Killaloe when they come in and that’s also a very exciting time as well at the end of the evening. They’re finished and its just lovely for them it really is but the dancers are the highlight of the night, the Tipperary Treasures.”
