Some alterations to the original plans for the Irish start to the Tour de France in July were revealed when the route details and timetables were announced in Dublin on Wednesday.
College Green will be the starting point for the prologue time trial over a circuit of three-and-a-half miles in Dublin on Saturday, July 11th. The first man is timed to leave the starting hut at 3.25 p.m. and, with the rest at one minute intervals, the last man - depending on the number of teams involved - is scheduled to go at 6.33 p.m. and finish in O'Connell Street at approximately 6.40 p.m. The organisers are contemplating a reduction in the number of nine-man teams from the usual 22 to 21.
The next day, Stage one will start in O'Connell Street at 11.15 a.m. with the publicity cavalcade an hour ahead, and after a neutralised spin to Dundrum, the racing is due to get under way at 11.45 a.m. with the finish in the Phoenix Park timed for 3.50 p.m. - before the football World Cup reaches its climax in Paris.
Dublin Castle will be the headquarters for the Dublin section and then on Monday, July 13th, after a transfer to Enniscorthy, the stage starts there at 10.00 a.m. with the Cork finish scheduled for 2.48 p.m.
The erection of barriers for the road closure in Dublin will get under way on Thursday night, July 9th, at nine o'clock, but the course is not expected to be completely closed until Saturday morning, with practice for the riders from 10.0 to 12.0.
The route for the time trial is along Nassau Street, around Merrion Square, then Fitzwilliam Street, Leeson Street, St Stephen's Green, Cuffe Street, Kevin Street and Patrick Street, down Winetavern Street and then along Ormond Quay and Bachelor's Walk into O'Connell Street.
On the Sunday morning the racing will start at the Stephen Roche monument in Dundrum and will take in Bray, Wicklow, Arklow, Woodenbridge, Avoca, Rathdrum, Laragh, the Wicklow Gap, Hollywood, Blessington, Brittas and the Tallaght by-pass. Then the route is along Templeogue Road, Cypress Grove Road, Greentrees Road, Walkinstown Avenue, Naas Road, Tyrconnell Road, Emmet Road, St John's Road and Parkgate Street into the Phoenix Park. There will then be a lap of almost five miles with the finish line, after 112 miles, 200 yards before the Phoenix monument. There will be bonus sprints at Bray, Arklow and Blessington, with Wicklow Gap a third category king-of-the-mountains checkpoint.
Enniscorthy hosts a 10.00 a.m. start to stage two for the 128 miles to Cork from where the big logistic exercise of transporting the Tour to France gets under way for the stage from Roscoff to Lorient on Bastille Day, July 14th. The route is through New Ross and Waterford, then a detour to take in Carrick-on-Suir, but Sean Kelly Square is not included there because of the very narrow twist into Main Street.
After that, it's on to Dungarvan, Youghal and Midleton before going through Cork city to finish on the Carrigrohane straight. There will be bonus sprints at Waterford, Carrick-on-Suir and Youghal with a king of the mountains also after leaving Carrick.
Pierce Butler has resigned from the FIC Board because of pressure from work commitments in Galway. His place, with responsibility for under-age racing affairs, will be filled at the next meeting.
