SATURDAY last saw the first ever L’Étape Ireland transform Killarney into a Tour de France experience, bringing over 1,800 cyclists the area, eager to conquer the iconic views and take on mountain passes along world-class routes that echoed those completed by legendary Tour de France champions.

The overwhelming success of the event has led to the possibility that the Tour de France official L’Étape Grand Depart could come to Ireland in the coming years.

When looking to bring LÉtape by Tour de France to Ireland, official Tour de France scouts singled out Killarney for its similar terrain to the Grand Depart, and approached Killorglin based Elite Events Management to manage and host the event.

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As organisers of iconic Irish cycles like the Ring of Beara Cycle, Ride Dingle and the Wicklow 200, Elite Events Management are the market leaders in cycling events in Ireland, and so were perfectly positioned to deliver an event of this scale and reputation.

L’Étape Ireland 2024 started and finished in Killarney town centre with a choice of two routes developed in conjunction with Tour de France: an 135km and a 98km route, both designed to showcase the best of the Kerry countryside and mountain passes.

The overall winner of L’Étape Ireland 2024 men’s race was John Dowley who finished in 3 hours 36 minutes 02 seconds, and the winner of the women’s race was Sara McGeough who finished in 4 hours 9 minutes 36 seconds time.

They were each presented with an iconic Tour de France coveted yellow jersey, a place at  L’Étape du Tour de France 2025 and a limited edition Tour de France branded Tissot watch. See full race results below.

L’Étape Ireland was delighted to welcome official charity partner Down Syndrome Kerry in 2024, due to receive a significant donation from contributions by participants when they registered for the event.

Cycling L’Étape Ireland this year were former pro-cyclists Dan Martin and Imogen Cotter. Dan represented Ireland at the Olympic Games and won stages of the Tour de France, and Imogen Cotter is a former professional cyclist who raced at elite level.

Greg O’Shea a former Irish rugby international and TV’s Love Island winner also completed the cycle.

Supporters, family members and locals were able to join participants at the finish line to enjoy the L’Étape Ireland event village on Cathedral Green. Refreshments, music, stalls and cycling memorabilia were open to everyone and free to enter.

Anyone interested in taking part in L’Étape Ireland 2025 can register their interest on the official event website or email info@eliteevents.ie and the link will be sent onto them.

Results

135km Mens Race

1st John Dowley 03:36:02

2nd Shane Fleming 03:42:13

3rd Rod Fleming 03:42:14

135km Women’s Race

1st Sara Mc Geough 04:09:36

2nd Hilary Hughes 04:11:13

3rd Amy Young 04:17:49

98km Men’s Race

1st Barry Kelly 03:00:08

2nd Thomas Chaix 03:09:27

3rd Simon Allen 03:16:33

98km Women’s Race

1st Regina Sheehan 03:33:29

2nd Lisa Hegarty 03:34:51

3rd Siobhan Ardener 03:43:26

King of the Mountains

1st Milo Donaldson 00:30:05

2nd John Dowley 00:31:54

3rd Luke Keaney 00:32:24

Queen of the Mountain

1st Ronnie Barry 00:38:19

2nd Hilary Hughes 00:38:23

3rd Catherine Kiely 00:39:27

Men’s Sprint Race

1st Mark Mc Glynn 00:00:51

2nd Mark Dunleavy 00:00:55

3rd Anthony Cronin 00:00:56

Women’s Sprint Race

1st Catherine Kiely 00:00:56

2nd Ronnie Barry 00:01:03

3rd Zoe Greene 00:01:06

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