Clare’s largest cycling event has been cancelled.

Confirmation has been issued on Monday that the ŠKODA Ring of Clare Cycle will not be going ahead in 2020.

Hosted in Ennis, the cycle has been one of the largest sporting tourism events held in the region and one of the country’s largest national cycling leisure series. In excess of 4,000 participants are traditionally involved in the Ring of Clare cycle.

Local hoteliers will also feel the brunt of the decision with between 2,500 to 3,000 bednights generated to the local economy from the cycle.

Event organiser Mark O’Connell confirmed the event had been rescheduled for July 2021. He outlined that the decision to cancel was “the wisest option at the moment with such a level of uncertainty around social distancing, venue capacities and how events need to react to emerging health guidelines”.

Registered cyclists can defer their entry until next July or receive a refund of their registration fee.

All ŠKODA Celtic Series have been cancelled. Head of Sponsorship and Events with ŠKODA, Ciara Breen stressed that a collective approach is needed to overcome COVID-19. “Each of the events attract a lot of participants who make a holiday of the events and we need to support those visitors make new plans. Our event research has shown that the vast majority of participants travel from outside the host county to Ennis and surrounding areas with a large influx from overseas cyclists”.

“In the past few years some of the ŠKODA Celtic Series events including the Ennis event have welcomed cyclists from over 15 different countries. It is a further blow to the local tourism economies losing sport tourism events such as these that generate between 2,500 and 3,000 bednights for the local economy between national and international visitors attracted to the event”.