1800 Take Part In Sold-Out Sky Ride Etape Hibernia

Added: (Sun Aug 22 2010)

Pressbox (Press Release) - Over 1,800 cyclists took part in Ireland’s first ever closed road mass participation cycling event in County Clare today.

The inaugural Sky Ride Etape Hibernia attracted cyclists from all over Ireland and the UK, as well as from throughout Europe and USA. Participants cycled 82 miles of traffic free roads in some of West of Ireland’s most scenic locations, including the Atlantic coastline and the world famous Burren Region.

Thousands of spectators turned out 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.

The event was organised by IMG, in partnership with Sky, Fáilte Ireland, Shannon Development, the Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau and Clare County Council. Sky, the UK and Ireland’s leading entertainment company behind the Sky Ride series of cycling events, is the title sponsor of the Sky Ride Etape Hibernia. Other sponsors include adidas, ZipVit, Clare Spring Water, Chain Reaction Cycles, The Times, Clare FM, Men’s Fitness and Cycling Weekly.

Jo Dytch, spokesperson for IMG said: “Today 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.”

Ms. Dytch added: “IMG are grateful for the support of the many sponsors without whom staging this event in Ireland would not be possible and we look forward to making it a legacy event for the region. IMG also wishes to acknowledge the cooperation of local communities along the route of the cycle as well as Clare County Council for facilitating the staggered road closures. Special mention should also be made of the assistance provided by the HSE, An Garda Síochána and Clare Civil Defence in ensuring the safety of all participants on the day”.

Mark Deering, Director of Sky Ireland said: “We are proud to be the main sponsor for the Sky Ride Etape Hibernia. Our Sky Ride initiatives this year and last year have encouraged thousands of people of all ages and abilities to get on their bikes. We hope, through events and sponsorships such as this, that greater numbers of people will be inspired to take up cycling.”

Mayor of Clare Cllr. Christy Curtin congratulated the event organisers for delivering what he described “an event that will provide a significant boost to the local economy at a time when the hospitality and tourism sector is struggling to overcome a decline in visitors to the region.” He stated: “I am delighted to learn that this event will take place in County Clare each year up to 2014 and continue to deliver significant economic benefits to the region. Furthermore, the event will see the most scenic parts of the County and its coastline exposed to the world’s cycling enthusiasts and media.”

Mayor Curtin, meanwhile, acknowledged the multi-agency approach to ensuring the success of this year’s event. He continued: “It should also be noted that this closed road event was made possible due to the cooperation and understanding of members of the public in communities along the route of the cycle.”

Speaking about the potential of sports tourism events, John King, Assistant Chief Executive, Shannon Development, and a participant in the Sky Ride Etape Hibernia, said: “Sports tourism is already worth an estimated 60 million euro annually to the Shannon Region economy. In this context the Sky Ride Etape Hibernia is a very welcome addition to the region’s growing portfolio of sports tourism events. Adventure tourism is a lucrative market for the Irish tourism sector with activity tourists spending up to 40% more than the average tourist.”

Mr. King, who himself participated in today’s cycle added: “We will continue to work with IMG and our partners to ensure that this superb event continues to gather more fans and followers year on year and reaches its potential of attracting 5,000 participants and generating 10 million euro over the course of 5 year staging of the event in County Clare.”

Participants of Sky Ride Etape Hibernia have helped to raise awareness for Sky’s charity partnership with WWF, Sky Rainforest Rescue, a project to save one billion trees in the Amazon rainforest.

-ENDS-

Notes To Editor:
- TV and Radio interviewees are available on request. Please contact Mark Dunphy of Dunphy Public Relations on 086-8534900 or media@dunphypr.com
- Images relating to today’s cycle finish are available from Eamon Ward on (00353) 872337975. Images from the start and route are available from Russell Cheyne Russell@russellcheyne.com / 00447795833345 or Peter Sandground Peter@sandground.co.uk / 00447850351083.
- Why Étape Hibernia? 'Étape' is the name for a stage of a cycle race. Hibernia is the Classical Latin name for the island of Ireland
- For more information about Sky Ride visit: www.goskyride.com. For more information on IMG mass participation events visit: www.challengerworld.com
- For more information about Team Sky visit: www.teamsky.com
- Sky Rainforest Rescue is a three year partnership between Sky and WWF to help save one billion trees in the Amazon state of Acre, northwest Brazil. Sky and WWF are working with the Acre state government and local communities to look after the rainforests, encouraging them to conserve trees rather than chop them down; offering incentives for the sustainable use of the forest; working to increase market opportunities for sustainable forest products (like rubber) and protecting the forest by tackling the causes of deforestation.
- There are lots of ways for people to support Sky Rainforest Rescue. For just £3 a month you can sponsor an acre of forest or adopt a jaguar. Alternatively, a donation of £20 will help save 1,000 tress. For more information visit: www.sky.com/rainforestrescue.
- WWF is one of the world's largest and most respected independent conservation organisations, with almost 5 million supporters and a global network active in over 100 countries. WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the earth's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world's biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.