Killarney cyclists were particularly prominent in the TransAtlantic Way ultra race which started on July 9th and saw the riders race from Derry to Cork, much of it along sections of the Wild Atlantic Way.
There were two separate races within the event and the ‘short’ course was won by 66-year-old Tom Daly from Killarney Cycling Club. Tom covered the 1,680 Km, with 19,134 metres of climbing, in a time of 6 days and 11 hours. Tom had previously won a number of Masters national track championship titles with the Killarney club.
The longer course covered 2,430Km and the Cassidy brothers – Benny (30) and Donnacha (32) – came second and third respectively. Benny, a former member of Killarney Cycling Club, covered the course in 5 days and 23 hours, averaging more than 400Km per day. They are sons of Brenan Cassidy who is a former Chairman of Killarney Cycling Club. Benny was a former elite road racer before taking up ultra-racing. He came second in this event before and in 2019 came 12th in the Transcontinental Race that covers 4,000km between the Black Sea and the Atlantic coast in France.
These events are even more challenging given that the riders are self-supported: they have to carry all the kit they need and have to source food and accommodation by themselves along the way. The TransAtlantic Way terrain is also noted for being extremely challenging with much of it very steep and on poor roads.
This year’s event was confined to Irish residents because of Covid and there were 22 starters. The Race Director, Adrian O’Sullivan, speaking after the leading riders finished said: “I don’t know what they put in the water in Killarney to make them so tough. In the world of ultra bike-racing, the TransAtlantic Way is notorious as one of the toughest there is. It has unrelenting steep climbs and energy-sapping roads, and to have three riders from one town doing so well is remarkable”.
