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Circumnavigating Tasmania is a dream opportunity for many cyclists, particularly those from the mainland, but to do it for a worthy charity makes it all the more special. A group of cyclists set off from StGiles disability support service in Launceston on Friday on their 1125 kilometre anti-clockwise journey around the state. StGiles client Emma Barnett, 8, rang the bell to send the group on its way, including her father Jonty Barnett as they look to raise funds for the service. Related: Cycling fundraiser for StGiles seeks participants Mr Barnett's participation in an Italian cycle tour with Yvette Fuser, the tour organiser, lead to the establishment of the inaugural Tasmanian tour. Ms Fuser said it was the perfect way to launch the new cycling tour, which will be held from November each year as a lead-in to the Launceston Cycling Festival. "A lot of mainland cyclists want to circumnavigate Tasmania, but they can't on their own and need support. This event will help them to achieve this," she said. "StGiles does such phenomenal work - everyone in Tasmania knows about the important work they do." The first leg of the nine-day tour takes the cyclists 108 kilometres from StGiles to Gowrie Park. They then head to Tullah and Queenstown before making the climb to Tarraleah on Monday at an elevation of 2000 metres. The second half of the tour takes in Hobart, Port Arthur, Swansea and St Helens before the cyclists ride back into Launceston on April 6. Ms Fuser said going anti-clockwise meant the cyclists could tackle the challenging mountainous climbs first.

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