500 people from throughout Ireland and the UK have so far registered for The Sky Ride Etape Hibernia, an international cycling event taking place in County Clare on August 22nd.
IMG, in partnership with Sky, Fáilte Ireland, Shannon Development, the Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau, Clare County Council, last month announced details of the country’s first closed road cycle event.
The event organisers expect to attract 2000 entrants from throughout Ireland and abroad this year, bringing significant economic benefit into the local economy, with numbers increasing considerably over the next five years. The mass participation event, which is being marketed internationally and nationally, is open to all standards of cyclists, aged 18-80. The cycle will start and finish in Ennis and travel through County Clare, taking in part of West Clare’s spectacular coastline.
Meanwhile, IMG has announced that it has engaged the services of Sports Academy International to market the cycling event as well as secure some well known celebrities as event ambassadors. IMG, along with its partner agencies, is also planning to run a competition for County Clare’s 124 primary schools. Competition details will be announced in the coming weeks.
Jo Dytch of IMG said: “The popularity and growth in road cycling is very exciting and is clearly reflected in the interest generated by The Sky Ride Etape Hibernia to date.”
“Along with our partners we are looking to lead the way in providing a prestige event for cycling in Ireland and to establish a major fixture on the Irish sporting calendar delivering a significant boost to the local economy. This event will bring a welcome boost to the tourism in Clare annually and will see the most scenic parts of the County and its coastline exposed to the world’s cycling enthusiasts and media”, she explained.
Sky, the UK and Ireland’s leading entertainment company behind the Sky Ride series of events, is the title sponsor of The Sky Ride Etape Hibernia. The sponsorship supports Sky’s aim to encourage one million more people of all ages and abilities to get cycling by 2013. Sky Ride consists of a range of initiatives to get people back on their bikes, with activities like mass city cycling events on traffic-free streets through to local group rides.
As well as Sky Ride Etape Hibernia, IMG have extensive experience organising mass participation events including the internationally renowned events the Macmillan Cancer Support Etape Caledonia, Tour de Suisse, Melbourne Marathon, The London Triathlon, Triathlon de Alpe d’Huez and UK Challenge
Details of The Sky Ride Etape Hibernia are available from www.etapehibernia.com or [email protected].
ENDS
Notes To Editor:
– High resolution images are available on request. TV and Radio interviewees also are available on request. Please contact Mark Dunphy of Dunphy Public Relations on 086-8534900 or [email protected]
– 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 on IMG mass participation events visit: www.challengerworld.com
