Stars lead the pack on tough charity cycle

MORE than 1,800 cyclists including sports stars and celebrities took part in Ireland’s first closed-road mass participation cycle event yesterday in Co Clare.

The inaugural Sky Ride Etape Hibernia attracted cyclists from all over Ireland and Britain, as well as from throughout Europe and the USA. Participants cycled 130km of traffic-free roads in some of the west’s most scenic locations, including the Atlantic coastline and the Burren region.

Thousands of spectators turned out from early morning in excellent weather conditions to cheer on the participants, who included cycling legend Sean Kelly, British Olympic gold medallist Denise Lewis and Sky News presenter Dermot Murnaghan.

Irish comedian PJ Gallagher, who had been due to take part, had to withdraw late last week after injuring his knee in training.

Waterford cycling legend Sean Kelly, one of the most successful road cyclists of the 1980s, said the course was tough.

“It wasn’t easy. The roads up here are never easy. I had a lot of people asking if there was any flat road at all here but it was a beautiful day. It was great to be here and great to see so many people coming out for the first event,” Kelly said at the finishing line.

The event, which will run for the next five years, is believed to have been worth €2m to the local economy over the weekend.

The cycle was organised by IMG, in partnership with Sky, Fáilte Ireland, Shannon Development, the Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau and Clare County Council. Sky Television is the main company behind the Sky Ride series of events.

Jo Dytch, of IMG said: “This represents a milestone day for mass participation events in Ireland considering this is the country’s first closed road non-professional cycle event.

“Along with our partners we now look forward to establishing Sky Ride Etape Hibernia as a major fixture on the Irish sporting calendar over the next five years delivering a significant boost to the local economy.

“The feedback from participants today was overwhelmingly positive, with many commenting on the spectacular, challenging and fun nature of the route.”

The event organisers have named three charities that will benefit from the event. DEBRA Ireland and Clare Crusaders have been chosen as the national and local beneficiaries respectively, while Sky Rainforest Rescue has been nominated as the international charity.