This article is from page 60 of the 2011-08-23 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 60 JPG
SUNDAY saw the second running of the Sky Ride Etape Hibernia around the closed roads of Clare.
Nearly 2,000 riders took on the 134km circuit with Australian David McIntosh first over the finish line in a time of 3.53.29 hours (only 12 seconds faster than the 2010 winning time).
The first Irish man home was West Clare club man Jarlath Hassett just four minutes behind the winner. Last year’s winner and wearing number one in the 2011 edition of the event, Phillip Colleran was unable to match last year’s result however he did cross the line in ninth place, finishing in four hours.
Lizzie Wiltshire was the fastest female in 4.26.54 hours. She just edged last year’s fastest Jo Millin by two seconds.
The field of riders from 14 countries saw Irish cycling legend, Sean Kelly starting alongside Irish starlet, World Youth Champion Kate Veale and former British Champion and Great Britain international Dean Downing.
This second running of the event attracted over 1,200 riders from outside of Ireland. Coupled together with partners, families and friends, this resulted in hotels, B&Bs and hostels being full to the bring for the duration of the weekend.
Sunday’s event was the result of eight months of careful planning, activated by over 300 event staff made up of 50 volunteers, 30 Garda, 20 moto marshalls, 30 medics, 40 traffic management team, 60 stewards, plus sponsors, council members and over 25 local businesses who were directly involved in the events success.
On completing the 134km, Sean Kelly said, “That was exciting. I really enjoyed the second Sky Ride Etape Hibernia. The closed roads made for an enjoyable event and the pace was steady and achievable.
.At the finish, Kelly was the centre of attention with fans asking for autographs and posing for photographs.
Kate Veale said, “This was my first cycling event and I was a little apprehensive about the distance but it was amazing to have so much company on the roads, I’m used to training solo and the camaraderie was just brilliant. I’ll definitely do more cycling in the future, I love the challenge of any endurance sport.” For more on the Sky Ride Etape Hibernia visit www.etapehibernia. com.