Thankfully,
John Paul Phelan has not yet built his “Wall”, but it’s only a matter of time.
Forget Brexit’s impact on the movement of free travel across Europe. JPP will
have the Diese folks needing visas to cross the River Suir, to access all
things North of Ferrybank.
I
would guess that over 500 took part in the “Tour De Kilkenny”. Okay, so this
was not the Tour De France. It’s not a three week cycling marathon, but a one
day event with a choice of four cycling routes. The four circuits were 44km,
77km and 110km long. For the “Big boys and girls” there was a challenging,
energy sapping 160km meander. Each specifically tailored to an appropriate
cycling ability – which was refreshing to see.
Settling
for the 160km route, a handful of others and I, would discover that County
Kilkenny was far from flat. In fact there was circa 1900 metres of climbing, in
our five hour journey around the black and amber stronghold. We would, through
gritted teeth and sweat stinging eyes, see some stunning countryside and
beautiful picturesque villages. A touring route that our fiercest rival can be
very proud of. The marshalling was top notch. Starting and finishing in
Kilkenny Rugby Club, made access, parking and quick egress very easy indeed.
This
event will in the next few years, undoubtedly replace our own Sean Kelly Tour Comeragh
Challenge. SKT will not return in 2018, after a wonderfully successful run. It’s
so regrettable to lose such a big event, for whatever reasons. But we have to
make sure we replace this, with an equally big event, or we’ll be left behind.
There were participants from Northern Ireland, the North West and all across
Ireland, descending on Kilkenny, to take part in this Sportif. Given the void
of a large cycling event now existing in County Waterford, they’d adopt Kilkenny
for this “Race”.
The
success of the Greenway has been astonishing and it will continue to attract,
at least in the short term, more and more people to Waterford. However, if we
don’t keep polishing this wee jewel, it will lose its sparkle. Would it be too
difficult to develop Waterford as a cycling hub? We certainly have the routes and
infrastructure, but like all these ideas, we need drivers and enablers to make
this happen.
Others,
specifically our neighbours, are seeing the success of the Greenway through big
green eyes. They want to be part of the cycling revolution that, like it or
not, is taking place. Waterford needs to drive on with its competitive
advantage and ensure that we, above any other County, make cycling a real money
spinner.
Last
week, in the medical journal “The Lancet”, a report was published directly
linking exercise to better mindfulness. Over one million people took part in
the study. We all know that we should be more active. It is now more and more
apparent that regular workouts are not only good for the soul, they do wonders
for your mind. This is across all age groups and abilities. If we, as a
society, are to openly tackle topics such as childhood obesity, adult diabetes
and even mental health issues, we need to start somewhere.
I
know myself, that I do most of my writing whilst out on my penny farthing, thus
exercising my mind. You just cannot help be inspired by the countryside that
surrounds you. Also, as I’m not zooming along in the Mini Cooper S, I notice so
much more, just by travelling at a slower pace. The sights and sounds that we
are lucky enough to experience in this wee corner of Ireland, are undeniably
exceptional and very special.
Unfortunately,
I fear that if we Waterford Inc, are not brave enough to grasp this nettle, we
may well be once again left in the wheel tracks, struggling to catch up. There
are opportunities out there, right now and we must liberate those champions to
bring home the medals.
Opportunity
knocks around every bend.
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