Race brings continental flavour to Nenagh

Though they’re less than a year in existence, the Visit Nenagh-Team DMG cycling club have already made a significant impression on the Irish scene, and this Sunday they’ll host their inaugural club race, a race team founder René Van Dam described as like a “continental-style classic”.

The biggest teams in the country are due to descend on the area for what is expected to be one of the longest and hardest one-day races of the 2012 calendar and Van Dam has warned those coming down what to expect.

“It’s a scenic route, put it that way,” says Van Dam. “I used my knowledge as a cyclist to choose the best routes, (there are three races for the various categories); and they are challenging, with rolling roads. We wanted a route that was good for spectators, with international-style climbs. These sharp, steep little climbs like you’d see in the Tour of Flanders are ideal because that makes it attractive for spectators but also for riders to make a real impact.”