Get on your bike with 2013 An Post Cycle Series
19 March 2013
The five events in the Series take place across the country between May and September. The Series is a joint initiative between An Post and the Irish Sports Council, encouraging people to get on their bikes, into their communities and enjoying the great outdoors.
Seán Óg O’hAilpín, who is on board as a Cycle Series ambassador for a second year, took to cycling initially as a way of keeping fit between Championship training but his recent retirement from inter county hurling has allowed him more time spent on his bike and he is looking forward to taking part in the An Post Rebel Tour in September once more.
“I love to keep fit, even more so now that I am not playing Championship hurling anymore, and cycling is ideal for me. You get a great sense of freedom on the bike and it’s also one of the toughest and most challenging sports, yet anyone can do it, so that side of it really appeals to me.
I really enjoyed last year’s An Post Rebel Tour, the route around Glengarriff was stunning and it was brilliant to see people of all ages on their bikes. I’m looking forward to it again in September and I plan on taking the longest route this time round!”
Last year’s An Post Cycle Series saw another steady increase in participation numbers with almost 16,000 people taking part. Each event caters for every type of cyclist, from families to serious amateurs with a variety of routes ranging from a family 10k spin to the more challenging 56k, 60k, 100k, and 160k distances.
Paralympic medallist Catherine Walsh is encouraged by the growing level of interest in cycling in Ireland and feels the Cycle Series is a great vehicle for growing the sport. “It’s great to see so many people getting on their bikes for leisure events like this. It shows that the interest in cycling is there; during the Paralympics I certainly felt a huge amount of support for the sport. I’ll be taking part in the Sligo event in May with my tandem partner Fran Meehan, and I’m sure it will be another fantastic day out”.
At today’s launch in Grand Canal Square, Dublin, Irish Sports Council Chairman Kieran Mulvey expressed his support for the cycling participation events: "The An Post Cycle Series has continued to grow year on year and is now a key part of the cycling calendar each summer. The Series demonstrates the great potential of the Local Sports Partnerships to encourage greater participation opportunities in sport with the support of local communities and clubs."
The 2013 An Post Cycle Series gets underway on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th May with the An Post Tour of Sligo. This will be followed by the An Post Tour De Burren in Clare on Saturday, 22nd June, while the An Post Meath Heritage Cycle Tour will take place on Sunday, 28th July. The Sean Kelly Tour of Waterford takes place on Saturday 24th and Sunday, 25th August and finally the An Post Rebel Tour of Cork will be on Saturday, 14th September. Each county’s event is organised by the Irish Sports Council’s Local Sports Partnerships in conjunction with their city, county and cycling club partners.
Comedian and cycling enthusiast, PJ Gallagher, is no stranger to the An Post Cycle Series having participated in last year’s Meath Heritage Cycle Tour. “I’m delighted to be involved as an ambassador this year, I took part in the Meath Series last June with a couple of friends and we had great craic. I’m also club secretary at Clontarf Cycling Club, which was only set up last October and now has over 80 members, so I’m sure plenty will be joining me on the roads of Meath”.
Sligo: An Post Tour of Sligo, Saturday, May 4 and Sunday, May 5
Clare: The An Post Tour De Burren, Saturday, June 22
Meath: Heritage Cycle Tour of Meath, Sunday, July 28
Waterford: Sean Kelly Tour of Waterford, Saturday, August 24 and Sunday, August 25
Cork: Rebel Tour, Saturday, September 14
