The Tour De Conamara is run by Skoda cycling. Skoda has a cycling series across Ireland and for more info on this you can check it out here. However, for this post I’m going to focus on the Tour De Conamara. To put it simply, this was one of my most enjoyable events. It was organised perfectly, the scenery was amazing and to top it all off the weather was great.
Registration
You can register the evening before in Clifden (the hosting town) or in Galway (a nearby city that can accommodate many more people), or the morning of the event in Clifden.
I was staying in an Airbnb outside of Clifden so registered Friday evening. It was a simpy quick process. Simply show your booking ticket to the guys at the centre. They scan it and hand you your pack and that’s it. Your pack contains your race number, bike number plate, wrist band (very important) and event water bottle.
You could hang around and buy the event or skoda jersey but we arrived late and needed to get food before the restaurants stopped serving at 9pm.
The event
It was great to be already registered. All we had to do was show up to the line. We arrived at the line at 9.15 so there was only a 15minute wait. Thank god we had registered the evening before because there were hundreds of people there already. It would have been a nightmare to push through and register.
There was a real buzz in the air. The crowd was gathering, the music was pumping and the sun was shining. It was only now that it struck me that this was the first big event since before Covid. I missed this.
After a short race briefing we were let loose. I’d say I was somewhere in the middle of the group but it still took a good 2 – 3 minutes after the front before we could get moving because of the amount of riders. As soon as you leave Clifden you are surrounded by beautiful countryside. Pics below are taken just 5km into the ride.
We ride south at first and then follow the meandering coastline east. Pictures below are from Roundstone (23km) and the route now has us riding north before looping east and then south again.
There is still a constant stream of cyclists and this brings along a sense of safety as people in cars can’t get to you. The marshalls and members of An Garda Siochana (Ireland’s police force) do a great job here at controlling traffic at junctions and any small villages that ride through.
The road surface is good throughout with only a few rough patches. Saying that, I was still glad to have my 32mm tyre. The route is also surprisingly flat up to this point with only a few small hills.
At 50km in we reach our first checkpoint. There were bikes everywhere! You’re greeted with some live Irish music before hitting the queue for food. You need to show your arm band at these checkpoints to prove you’re part of the event. There was a great selection of sandwiches, wraps, a variety of flapjacks and bananas. Also as much tea and coffee as you want. You can also use the toilets here if needed.
Getting going again, there were still plenty of cyclists around but the constant stream was gone but groups formed and I found myself zipping along chatting to people from all over Ireland as the group rotated. It was a very comfortable and friendly atmosphere.
We were heading north again. This part seems a little hillier but still nothing really steep. They’re more draggy climbs than steep. We fly through Maam cross (85km), thanks to the marshalls. There is one of the tougher climbs after that but you’re then treated to a fantastic 3km freewheel all the way down to checkpoint 2 (90km). This was the same great set up and checkpoint 1.
After leaving cp2 you have 50 km to the finish. There are 3 – 4 biggish climbs but again, these aren’t too steep, just draggy. The scenery here is, in my opinion, the best of the ride. And even the best I’ve ever seen.
The time flies by as you take in all the views. You start to pass a lot more people now as you have merged with the 80 km riders. Clifden (140km) finally arrives and you’re presented with a finishers medal when you pass under the finish line.
The after event
Once you get your bike parked you can then go and get a burger from the BBQ, which goes down real well, and join the other hundreds of people in a real festival atmosphere. The music is blaring and there is beer available to purchase if you want. We stayed for about an hour sharing stories from the road and getting merry under the afternoon sun.
As I said above, this was a great event that ran really well for them. I heard that there was horrible weather the last time it ran and it was miserable. So I guess I was pretty lucky in that way. I recommend this event to anyone. After a little training anyone can do it as the hills are not really that challenging compared to other events I have done in that area.