Clare Gears Up For Sky Ride Etape Hibernia Weekend

Friday, 20 August 2010 07:23

Written by Denise Lyons

Cycling legend Sean Kelly and British Olympic gold medallist Denise Lewis are among 1750 cyclists gearing up to take part in Ireland’s first closed road mass participation cycle event in County Clare this Sunday.

The Sky Ride Etape Hibernia is being organised by IMG, in partnership with Sky (the title sponsor of the event), Shannon Development, Fáilte Ireland, the Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau and Clare County Council.

Speaking about the significance of the event, John King, Assistant Chief Executive, Shannon Development said:

“We are delighted with the response to the inaugural Sky Ride Etape Hibernia which has attracted over 1,750 cyclists. The number of participants is expected to grow to 5,000 and generate 10 million euro in new revenue for the region over the course of the five year span of the event. A prestigious event like this is a perfect fit with Shannon Development’s strategy of securing more mass participation events, in particular sports events, which can be firmly rooted here in the Shannon Region for many years to come. This high profile event will undoubtedly build on the Region’s growing reputation as a leading sports tourism destination.

He added: "In organising a cycle event lots of preparation needs to be undertaken to ensure it runs smoothly, identifying a suitable route, road closures organised, emergency services. On this note I would like to thank Clare County Council, the Gardai, Ennis Urban District Council, Civil Defence, Ennis Chamber, the HSE, and the Fire Service who have all come on board.”

Mr. King continued: “County Clare is a wonderful place to cycle and a great location for the Sky Ride Etape Hibernia. I am looking forward to participating in the event myself and enjoying an active day out. The fact that the 2010 ‘Lonely Planet Travel Guide’ has named County Clare in the top 10 super cycling routes in the world is testament to the amount of work that has gone into the development of the tourism cycling product in the County in recent times.”

“We look forward to continuing to work with IMG and our partners in Fáilte Ireland, Clare County Council and the Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau to ensure the success of this event in terms of delivering additional visitors and revenue this year and over the next four years,” he said.

Sky Ride Etape Hibernia appeals to cyclists of all abilities and will take riders through some of the West of Ireland’s most scenic locations, including the Atlantic coastline and the world famous Burren Region. The 82-mile cycle on traffic free roads will see riders leave the Shannon Development Information Age Park in Ennis at 7am before travelling through Ruan, Corofin, Kilnaboy, Ballyvaughan, Fanore, Lahinch, Spanish Point, Connolly and Kilmaley. The first riders are expected to arrive back into the Market area of Ennis shortly before 10.30am.

Three charities will benefit from the inaugural Sky Ride Etape Hibernia cycle event. In Clare, the Clare Crusaders, who do Trojan work on behalf of children with special needs, have been named as the local charity to benefit from the event, while the national charity is DEBRA Ireland, another very deserving charity and the international charity is Sky Rainforest Rescue, a project to help save one billion trees in the Amazon Rainforest.

For more information on the Sky Ride Etape Hibernia, including details of road closures, visit www.etapehibernia.com, see www.twitter.com/etapehibernia, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 0044(0)2082335900