Race Around Ireland: Starts Saturday 28th August

Sunday August 28th 2016 will see the return of Race Around Ireland for the 8th year. This World Cup cycling event is regarded as one of the toughest cycling challenges in the world. Racers will be taken across Ireland on a 2,150km journey (that’s to the moon and back) on some of the toughest terrains, but some of the most beautiful landscapes to be seen.

Race Around Ireland is an Ultra Marathon Cycling Association (UMCA) World Cup event and it is the 2nd highest ranked race in the world. The Race is also a qualifying event for the Race Across America.

The race is a time trial where solo racers cover the entire distance by themselves and team racers travel the route in relay. Solo racers, Tandems (yes we have a tandem team) and 2 person teams are allowed 132 hours to complete the race, where 4 person and 8 person teams are given 96 hours.

The race will start at intervals from 3pm on Sunday August 28th at the magnificent Trim Castle. Once the clock starts here, it won’t stop until each rider reaches the finish line at the end of the 2,170 km (1,350 miles) circuit. The racers then travel north from Trim taking in the Giants Causeway, Malin Head, the Cliffs of Moher, the Ring of Kerry, Mizen Head and much more of Ireland’s stunning scenery before finishing up in Moynalty at the steam threshing museum. As well as cycling through rolling farmland, steep mountain climbs and rugged coastlines, the racers will also have to contend with the weather, energy sapping road surfaces, livestock on unfenced roads, sleep deprivation and nutritional issues.

Teams will cycle in a relay format day and night to finish the event in less than 4 days. Solo riders will spend up to 22hours at a time on the bike to be competitive. Some teams will be extremely competitive in this event and for others it will be an opportunity to take part in an adventure and an amazing experience to raise funds for charities that they have chosen. This year, the race will see riders coming from England, Scotland, Monaco, Austria, Denmark, Switzerland, America and of course Ireland.

Each racer and team is accompanied by a crew; these people are the lifeline for each racer, they are drivers, navigators, friends, chefs, psychologists and motivational coaches all rolled into one. Each racer will require at least four crew members to help them along their journey of 2, 150km. As well as support from their crew, the racers also receive support in each town they cycle through. Cups of tea, showers, a bed for an hour, a chat etc are just some of the much needed gifts given to our racers by the public.

In past races we have had some amazing endurance cyclists including Valerio Zamboni and Bernhard Steinberger, but Race Around Ireland is a race open to all, and we challenge and encourage people of all capabilities to join us. This year we have some solo ultra-cyclists such as Isabella Pulver who won Race Across America last year, but we also have racers who are competing for charity and as a personal challenge. Each team, each duo and each racer has a story to tell and a reason why they are taking part, including our tandem team from the Isle of White who aim to be the first tandem team to complete the race, and Team SOS who are competing for suicide or survive, a mental health charity that aim to prevent suicide in Ireland. Each year we also have corporate teams who take part and this year DHL have an eight man team competing while raising money for Aoibheann’s pink tie, a children’s cancer charity. For more info on our racers click here

There will be live GPS tracking of the racers, which will allow family, friends and supporters to follow their riders and be able to cheer them on from the side-lines.

Racers will finish the race at the Moynalty Steam Threshing museum, with the first team expected to finish on Wednesday August 31st, and the last solo racer expected to finish in the early hours of Saturday September 3rd.

Race Around Ireland is a Navan Road Club event and we are proud to be working with Trim Town Council and Meath Tourism and also our partners; Generali, DHL, Carvalho Custom, Castle Arch Hotel Trim, Europcar, Ordnance Survey Ireland, BlackBlox, Sneem Hotel, Essence Coffee, Connemara Lake Hotel.

If you want to meet the riders and crew, they will be arriving in Moynalty at the Steam Threshing Museum from Friday August 26th and will continue to register up till Saturday August 27th.

For more information on the race and racers please check out www.racearoundireland.com and our social media accounts: www.facebook.com/RaceAroundIreland, @RaceAroundIrl on Twitter and Race Around Ireland on Instagram. If you are interested in helping with the event or taking part, you can email us at info@racearoundireland.com or call Event Manager Alan Heary at 0879008845.