Sun shines as 2,000 cyclists tackle Meath Heritage Tour

Almost 2,000 cyclists of all ages donned their cycling shorts and helmets on Sunday as they took part in the third annual An Post Meath Heritage Cycle Tour. In splendid weather conditions in Trim, cyclists of all abilities lined up to participate in four events, from the very young who participated in the 12km family event to seasoned campaigners on the 100km and 160km. Feedback from all those who took part was very positive, with excellent marshaling and sign-posting and with routes that were challenging but very enjoyable at the same time. A number of overseas visitors also took part in the longer distances, with some even comparing the excellent organisation to that on the Tour de France! Among the groups from all over Meath taking part were 20 riders from Moynalty Cycling Club who lined up at the start of the 100km tour, with in excess of 800 at the start line. Members from the new cycling club in Gormalough took up the early pace-setting as the group left Trim and headed for the Hill of Tara. At the top, the lead group was whittled down to about 60 riders with many groups forming on the road. The lead group then headed for Slane via back roads. After the climb at Slane, the lead group contained about 45 riders with a respectable pace being set and the possibility of breaking three hours was on the cards. With most of the climbs out of the way, the pace picked up as the group went through Bohermeen and onto the main Navan-Athboy road where the smooth surface saw a real increase in pace into Atboy. With 10km to go, a few lads that had not been seen all day at the front moved to drive up the speed, ensuring that the group broke the three hours for the 100km. Five Moynalty riders finished in this lead group with a time of 2 hours 55 minutes. They were Ken Moloney, Paul Kelly, Pat Tierney, Leon Keuck and Pat Reilly. Another five Moynalty riders took on the 160km event with Greg Donaghey faring the best with a time of 4 hours 54 minutes. A total of €2,584 was raised for the St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP) through sponsorship and contributions to collections in Slane and Trim during the Heritage Cycle Tour. SVP North-East regional president Michael O'Keeffe and SVP Navan area president Catherine O'Connor both expressed their gratitude to the organisers of the events and all those who contributed financially to the society. The SVP funds raised on Sunday have came after the society also organised a successful 'pig racing spectacular' at Tara na Ri, outside Navan, the previous weekend, which realised €3,600. A number of community areas opened up their facilities to cater for the cyclists, including Ryan's of Gormanlough; Maguire's Café, Hill of Tara; Jack Quinn's, Scurlogstown; Bohermeen Community Centre, Oldcastle Show Hall and Girley Hall, Fordstown. Mary Murphy, event organiser, paid tribute to the many volunteers, organisations and support staff who gave of their time to ensure that the 2011 cycle tour was a success. She expressed thanks to An Post, the Irish Sports Council, gardai, civil defence, Trim Town Council, Meath County Council, Meath Tourism, OPW, Trim Castle Hotel, Vittel, Dunnes Stores, Cycling Ireland, Cycleways, French/European Market and the Meath Heritage Cycle Tour committee and the board of Meath Local Sports Partnership for working together to ensure the Meath Heritage Cycle Tour was truly a memorable event in 2011. Water was provided by the event's official water partner, Vittel. Meath was one of five counties to participate in this year's An Post Cycle Series and the series will continue in Waterford on 28th August with the Sean Kelly Tour and with the Cork Rebel Tour on 10th September.