Join Stephen Roche in Boyne Valley cycle

The Boyne Valley Classic, the final event of the inaugural ŠKODA Celtic Cycle Series 2016, will take place on Sunday 18th September. Stephen Roche, Irish cycling legend and Tour de France winner, will be just one of over 1,000 cyclists taking to the saddle for the Drogheda event.

The renowned Tour de Conamara kicked off the first of the three events in the ŠKODA Celtic Cycle Series with the GranFondo Hibernia Cycle in Ennis taking place last month bringing the total number of participants in ŠKODA cycling events in 2016 to over 4,000.

Three are two route distances available to all participants on the ŠKODA Boyne Valley Classic -  a moderate 96km route and a more challenging 143km for more seasoned cyclists. The route will bring participants along some of the best cycling roads in Louth and Meath passing through the famous Boyne Valley. The route will take cyclists through the centre of Drogheda and then out towards the coast through Termofeckin and the seaside summer resort of Clogherhead before diverting inland. The event passes through some of The Boyne Valley historic monuments while offering a great social occasion.

To ensure all participants and their bikes are in good shape in advance of the cycle, ŠKODA’s local dealership, Western Motors in the M1 Retail Park are hosting a registration event between 2pm and 5pm on Saturday 17th September. During this time all participants can sign-in for the cycle and collect their goody bag while they will also be served with refreshments and a pre-race meal. A dedicated bike mechanic will also be on hand for last minute fine tuning free of charge and cyclists can avail of discounted ŠKODA cycling merchandise.

The event kicks off from Western Motors at 9am with a team of masseuses from the Institute of Sports Massage Therapy awaiting returning cyclists to attend to any stiff limbs.

Simon McCormack of Western Motors said: “We are delighted to welcome the ŠKODA Celtic Series to the north east. The region possesses some great routes for cyclists taking in the Boyne Valley and the Louth coast line. We welcome all participants to Western Motors on the Saturday where in addition to registration cyclists can avail of bike mechanic services and some carb packing pasta dishes. Post cycle on Sunday we will have complimentary physiotherapists on hand for any stiff cyclists. We will also have cycling clothing on sale at very competitive prices. On behalf of ŠKODA and all the staff at Western Motors I wish everybody a safe and pleasant cycle.”

Stephen Roche commented: “I have fond memories from my early career of cycling and competing in the north east and the Boyne Valley region. I am really looking forward to saddling up once again for what I expect to be an annual event on the Irish cycling calendar. An excellent route has been selected taking in some wonderful and varied landscapes from the medieval town of Drogheda to the ancient Boyne Valley and Newgrange.”

The first 800 people who register for the ŠKODA Boyne Valley Classic will receive a ŠKODA Multi Tool and pair of ŠKODA Branded Cycling Socks.

For further information or to register for the ŠKODA Boyne Valley Classic go to www.celticseries.ie or visit www.boynevalleyclassic.com.To check out the two routes and to join the ŠKODA Cycling Club on Strava go to; www.strava.com/clubs/skodacycling