3,000 cyclists to descend upon Smithfield for a festival of cycling
The Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport, Paschal Donohoe TD, will tomorrow morning (Sunday) be in the heart of Dublin City, Smithfield, to welcome over 3,000 eager cyclists and spectators to the inaugural Great Dublin Bike Ride. The first cycling event of its kind to happen in Dublin, this will be a flagship event in Ireland for the European Week of Sport (7-13th September). The Irish Sports Council, in conjunction with Cycling Ireland, has teamed up with the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, Dublin City Council and Healthy Ireland for the Great Dublin Bike Ride.
Three thousand participants are expected to take part in the event, with over 28 nationalities from around the world having already signed up, with some registrations coming in from as far away as Malaysia. Smithfield will be a hive of activity for the weekend and a fantastic expo, showcasing all things cycling, will take place today (Saturday 12th September) in Smithfield Square from 10am – 6pm. Exhibitors include Seesense, Neenan Travel, City Cycles, Pactimo, Alimay Sports, Dare 2 b, Dublin City Council and many more. On Sunday 13th of September, the Great Dublin Bike Ride will be starting at 8am in Smithfield Square with the first participants due back in Smithfield at around 11.15pm.
Spectators are encouraged to cheer on participants at the start/finish line or along the route which can be downloaded at: http://greatdublinbikeride.ie/route/. Official media partners FM104 will also be broadcasting live from the event and local shops and restaurants will be offering a range of discounts for participants and spectators alike.
All participants will receive an exclusive Great Dublin Bike Ride medal, goodie bag which includes a complimentary water bottle and bike seat cover. The first 1,000 entries will receive a unique jersey and remaining entrants will receive an exclusive Great Dublin Bike Ride technical top.
The Great Dublin Bike Ride is based on the successful sportif model used internationally, promoting cycling and mass participation. Two scenic routes (60km and 100km) have been designed for the event with both routes starting and finishing in the heart of Dublin’s Smithfield.
The Great Dublin Bike Ride organisers has been working hard with the Gardaí, Luas, Dublin Bus, Civil Defence and key city councils to ensure the success of the event.
Speaking about the event, Lord Mayor of Dublin, Críona Ní Dhálaigh said: ‘I look forward to welcoming the first ever Great Dublin Bike Ride to Dublin city. Cycling is growing in popularity in Dublin and providing a high quality, safe network for cycling is a key objective of Dublin City Council. This is a wonderful opportunity to showcase this historic city and the scenic routes in Dublin and its environs. I wish everyone taking part the best of luck and I hope they enjoy the event’.
Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Paschal Donohoe TD, said: ‘I want to wish all the participants and organisers the very best of luck with the Great Dublin Bike Ride. The Bike Ride provides a tremendous opportunity for cyclists to participate in a unique event based on physical activity and community engagement. I encourage everyone to come to Smithfield and cheer on our participants. It is wonderful to see the growing participation numbers in cycling both for leisure and active transport. I hope that this flagship event for the National Week of Physical Activity and Sport will encourage more people to take up cycling’.
The Great Dublin Bike Ride provides a cross-departmental, cross-Government approach to mass participation and physical activity. Minister for Health, Leo Varadkar TD, said: ‘Cycling is an accessible activity that provides a gateway to healthy living for everyone. Events such as the Bike Ride are essential in supporting Healthy Ireland’s goal of creating an environment where every individual and sector of society can play their part in achieving a healthy Ireland’.
Chief Executive of the Irish Sports Council, John Treacy, said: ‘We have been working very hard with Cycling Ireland and our partners at putting together an event for everyone to enjoy. We believe events like the Great Dublin Bike Ride will help increase participation across all ages and all abilities. We know from our Bike for Life Groups that participants have been training hard all summer for this event and I’m sure they are now ready for the big challenge’.
The Great Dublin Bike Ride takes place Sunday 13th September 2015. For participants who have registered a full event booklet is available to download at: http://greatdublinbikeride.ie/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Participant-Information-Booklet.pdf
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