Ireland’s Shannon Region has won the right to host the 2011 Single Speed World Championship.
The Ballyhoura Mountain Bike Trail, located on the borders of counties Limerick, Tipperary and Cork, will host the event which will feature an estimated 500 competitors from more than 30 countries around the world.
The Championships are being hosted by Sports Academy International with the support of Shannon Development. The event takes place on Saturday, 27 August 2011.
Tomas Madigan: Joint CEO of Sports ai explained: “We successfully beat off competition from around the world to host the annual event, which was held this year in New Zealand. Since 1999 the event has attracted participants from throughout the globe and we are delighted to be able to bring hundreds of competitors to the southwest next August, bringing a much needed boost to the local economy.”
Speaking about the importance of the event Dr. Vincent Cunnane, CEO of Shannon Development said: “Winning this prestigious and colourful event for Co. Limerick continues to endorse the Shannon Region as a premier sports and event destination, which brings over EUR60 million in revenue annually. With Limerick City’s designation as the European City of Sport for 2011 and the array of events already secured for the Region, 2011 is going to be a fantastic year”.
The Single Speed World Championship, or SSWC, is an annual event. It is only open to bicycles with a single gear ratio. Those bicycles can be either singlespeeds or fixies. Most of the bicycles used in these races are mountain bikes. However, many people take part in the race on cyclo-cross bicycles, racing bicycles and bicycles defying easy categorization.
Karen Brosnahan from Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau said: “Tomas Madigan from Sports ai is a true ambassador for the Shannon Region. He competed in a sports event in New Zealand to win this event for Limerick beating South Africa and Italy his worthy opponents. We are very proud of his efforts and all the more as he was one of the first people to sign up to the sports ambassadors’ programme we operate in partnership with Shannon Development.”
