*Photograph: Cathal Noonan
2,500 cyclists were treated to scenic views of the county as they took part in the Ring of Clare on Saturday.
Some of the county’s best known cycling landmarks were passed by participants of the second event in the international ŠKODA Celtic Cycle Series. Two route options were presented to the cyclists who travelled from all over Ireland, 120km or 160km.
Starting off in Clarecastle, they were treated to glorious sunshine along The Wild Atlantic Way and this continued through the international tourism award winning Loop Head peninsula and by the Shannon Estuary waters.
A pre-event pasta party took place at the Al Hayes ŠKODA dealership in Ennis where registration was completed. Damien Hayes highlighted that the event “is such an integral part of the cycling calendar each year, so we were delighted to host the pre-race event again this year. The event really brings a fantastic buzz to the area each year, which is great to be part of. All of us at Al Hayes Motors would like to congratulate all the cyclists that took part on the day”.
As the ŠKODA Celtic Cycle Series continues, over 6,000 cyclists take part in three different cycling events in 2019. The series began this year with the sellout Tour de Connemara in May and will conclude with the Tour de Boyne Valley, scheduled to take place on Saturday 31st August 2019.
