Explore the southwestern part of Ireland with this new and thrilling GBI cycling tour.
You will be amazed by beautiful sceneries speckled with weathered stone remains of Celtic ruins, lushly green pastures with flocks of grazing sheep, spectacular views of rugged cliffs and sandy white beaches as well as the timeless charm of Irish pubs floaded with traditional music.

Enjoy the Irish Summer on a cycling trip you'll never forget.

Céad míle fáilte roimh Éirinn!

May 1^st - 4^th, 2019

Check out our tour pics

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General information

The very southwestern part of Ireland is the destination for a new and thrilling GBI cycling tour.
We will cycle for four days along the spectacular coastline and through the beautiful back country. We follow parts of the Wild Atlantic Way, one of the longest and most impressive coastal routes of the world.

Enjoy the Irish Summer on a cycling trip you will never forget.

Tour highlights:
- Discover the vivid city of Cork
- Enter the beautiful back country on two wheels
- Enjoy stunning views at the Ring of Kerry
- Let's get enchanted by picturesque villages
- Visit the colourful houses of Eyries
- Drink a pint of Guiness and enjoy the traditional folk music in an Irish pub

Ireland is a very hilly island, even at the coast. You must not expect long climbs, but in combination with wind and occasional rain there might be tough challenges for you. Even though there are very few cycling paths, we will often use minor roads that can be quite narrow. But sometimes we have to cycle on major roads, e.g. the ring of Kerry.

We have designed the tour to show you the beauty of this area while pedalling. Enjoy the Irish Summer and stay at very lovely locations.

The Global Biking Initiative (GBI) wants to show you the most interesting places in Europe the sportive way. We are proud of our international participants, that makes it easy for everybody to make new friends from other countries. Our main goal is the continuous support of charity projects worldwide. We achieve this by engaging the participants to raise funds that support charity projects in their home countries.

Here you'll find an abstract of all information regarding this tour.

Tour summary (PDF)

More information needed?

There might some things missing on our event page or you have some specific questions?

Feel free to contact us.

Oliver Harzen

Tour organisation

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Charity

As the GBI is a charity ride, you have to register for a GBI country (typically your home country) and raise funds in addition to the participation fee for the local supported charity in this country. The minimum donation for this event is 50 €. Each participant is kindly requested to raise more than the minimum donations to support our charity projects.

No clue how to raise funds?
Uncertain how and who to ask for donations?
Check out our tipps for your fund raising activities!

More information

Tour description

Track 1

Track 2

Itinerary

Day 1: Cork - Bantry
From the tour start in Cork we follow the river Lee for a while. Later we leave the river and turn to tranquil byways through the surrounding countryside. Pleasant green hills are our companions on the way to the days destination in Bantry.
Track 2 leads along the southern coast, following the Wild Atlantic Way, and through the village of Skibereen to Bantry.

Day 2: Bantry - Kenmare
Today, the Ring of Beara is on our tour schedule. Although the route always runs close to the coast, some challenging ups and downs are waiting for us. In Adrigole we turn from the coast and climb the scenic Healy Pass.
Track 2 loops to the outer parts of the peninsula, while passing Eyries with its colourful houses and tackles Healy Pass another time that day. We finish the day by following the coastal road along Kenmare Bay to our destination in Kenmare.

Day 3: Kenmare - Killarney
From Kenmare we head to the famous Ring of Kerry. Significantly increased traffic indicates that the road is a touristic highlight. We see rugged landscapes, white sandy beaches and picturesque villages while cycling this scenic route. Behind Waterville, Track 1 turns into the peninsula's highland, following the Glencar valley and the panorama of McGillycuddy's Reeks fills the horizon. A little later we reach Killarney, located on Lough Leane.
Track 2 has some scenic views and an option with the standout climb of Coomanaspic with 22% max. incline and beautiful Valentia island.

Day 4: Killarney - Cork
At the beginning of the day we cross the Killarney National Park, well known for its scenic beauty. The castle ruin of Ross Castle and the manor house Muckross House are ideal for a short stopp.
Track 2 starts with a detour to the mountains. We climb to the Gap of Dunloe, the most picturesque pass in the Ring of Kerry, the Black Valley and later to Moll’s Gap, before enjoying an amazing panorama at Ladies’ View. On the way to Cork we reach Macroom and follow the river Lee to the tour destination in Cork.

Stage overview

Date	Route	Track	Distance	Climb
May 1st, 2019	Cork - Bantry	1 2	92 km 118 km	960 m 1740 m
May 2nd, 2019	Bantry - Kenmare	1 2	102 km 126 km	1100 m 1630 m
May 3rd, 2019	Kenmare - Killarney	1 2	125 km 168 km	1280 m 1910 m
May 4th, 2019	Killarney - Cork	1 2	94 km 141 km	980 m 1610 m

The tracks of the different stages differ in general regarding their length and the climb as well as the surface.
A detailed description can be found here:

Track 1

Recommended for all kinds of bikes including road bikes. Only paved roads on the track. Shorter and less challenging than track 2.

Track 2

Recommended in particular for road bikes, the distance is longer and more climb than on track 1.

Venues

Day 1 - Tour start

Cork

The Kingsley Hotel, Victoria Cross, Cork, Ireland

The tour will start at the GBI tour hotel.

Day 1

Bantry
Hotel website

Hotel The Maritime, The Quay, Bantry, Ireland

We stay in a luxury 4* hotel with a view over the Bantry bay. An indoor pool, jacuzzi, sauna and a fitness room welcome the guests in the wellness area of the hotel.

Day 2

Kenmare
Hotel website

The Kenmare Bay Hotel & Leisure Resort, Sneem Road, Kenmare, Ireland

We stay the night in this comfortable hotel hotel with indoor pool, jacuzzi and sauna.

Day 3

Killarney
Hotel website

Heights Hotel Killarney, Cork Road, Killarney, Ireland

This lushly land hotel hosts us for the night in Killarney.

Day 4 (Tour finish)

Cork

The Kingsley Hotel, Victoria Cross, Cork, Irland

We finish the tour at the GBI hotel in Cork.

Teams

Each GBI participant cycles in a team, guided by an experienced teamleader. Teamsize is limited to ten riders maximum because of legal requirements.

You can choose a team, which fits best to your experience, your objectives and your preferred track.

Find your team

TEAM Ring of Kerry

Teamnumber 1

21 km/h

Languages: English

The main focus is to have fun, see a lot of the lovely nature and cycle with an appropriate speed on each stage.

TEAM Healy Pass

Fragkiskos Vellis

Teamnumber 2

23 km/h

Languages: English, Greek

We will be riding the long routes. We will ride in disciplined group, sharing the load of pulling the group and using all the rules of group riding. We will aim for a few short (10 min) stops and a longer (45 min) one (preferably in a nice “foodie pub”) after the ~60-70% of the day’s ride. We will enjoy the ride (riding in a brisk pace) but we will also enjoy the surroundings, the views and the whole GBI experience!

TEAM Irish Summer

Ken Schneider

Teamnumber 3

25 km/h

Languages: German, English, Dutch

The main focus is to have fun and see a lot of the lovely nature, but also to cycle with a more ambitious speed and the longer distance than the teams of track 1.
This team is recommended for road bikes, but also other bikes are welcomed.

TEAM GBI-Support

Teamnumber 10

0 km/h

Registration for GBI Staff only!

There is no appropriate team for you?

Set up your own team and define the team specifics as you like.

Apply as a teamleader