The 2016 An Post Cycle Series is aiming to add substantially to the 100,000 that have taken part over the past six years.
Five events will take place in Clare, Sligo, Meath, Waterford and Cork over the summer, each of them with a high profile ambassador leading the way for cycles that will stretch from a 10K family spin through to a challenging 160K.
Eight time All-Ireland winning hurler and former Kilkenny sharpshooter Richie Power, will be to the fore in the first of the events taking place in Sligo on April 30th and May 1st.
He will be joined on the Series Cyclists team by former Irish International women’s rugby captain, Fiona Coughlan who will be taking on the Rebel Tour in Cork, Cycling Ireland Paracyclist Peter Ryan, musician Bressie and cycling legend Sean Kelly.
The five event series is a joint initiative between An Post and Sport Ireland through the letters network of Local Sports partnerships. Over 16,800 people in total took part last year and with more people cycling at all levels, the numbers are set to increase again.
Richie Power, who recently retired from Kilkenny’s inter county setup is hoping that by taking to the saddle he’ll be able to keep active and maintain the levels of fitness he has shown throughout his career.
“I’m retired now from senior inter county hurling due to an ongoing injury with my knee so cycling is the perfect fit for me. I’ve always seen the bike as a good way to keep fit and any time I’ve gone for cycles, I’ve really enjoyed them.”
“It’s a great way of getting out in to the fresh air with your friends and I’m looking forward to just giving it a go and trying something new.”
We caught up with Fiona Coghlan, who has switched leadership of the Irish Rugby team for playing senior Gaelic Football with Clontarf, and getting to the Dublin Intermediate Final last year.
“I cycled everywhere as a kid but it wasn’t part of my training regime through my rugby career so I’ve a bit of work to do to get back in the rhythm for Cork.”
“I have been meaning to cycle to work over the last few years so this is just the nudge I need.”
“I’ll be getting into this over the summer, getting miles into my legs so I can build up my endurance.”
“I’m not sure what distance I’ll be up for yet but Glengarriff is a gorgeous part of the world, I’ll bring down some family and friends and we’ll have a great time.”
Cycling Ireland paracyclist Peter Ryan will take part in the An Post Tour de Burren in June, incorporating the event in to his training schedule ahead of the Paralympics in Rio this summer.
“Taking to the bike changed my life in so many ways,” said the former Tipp hurler who was struck by partial blindness as a young player and switched his energy towards para cycling.
“It is now a huge part of my life. It’s fantastic to see so many people signing up to the events and what I love the most is that each of them cater for everyone, so it’s a very social day out.”
“The Cycle Series is an event for everybody, all ages and all fitness levels and is all about encouraging people to get active through cycling and developing habits of regular exercise which will ultimately lead to enhanced quality of life,” said Sport Ireland CEO John Treacy at the launch, while An Post Chief Executive Donal Connell explained the reasons for their continued involvement.
“An Post is supporting Irish cycling at every level.”
“We are working with well-known sports people and advocates for mental health and well-being to spread the word about the benefits of the sport for families, for people who want to be active and outdoors and of course there are wider benefits in terms of tourism and economy.”
“An Post Cycle Series is now in its seventh year and in 2016 well over 100,000 cyclists will have gotten on their bikes and taken part since the first event. It’s a great achievement for everyone involved.”
Image Credits: Sportsfile
