Classy Irish rider Jonathan Maunsell will go head to head with some of the best in the world at next weekend's European Marathon MTB Championships in Limerick (Photo: Gareth Gibbons)
By Gerard Cromwell
While the Giro d’Italia has left our shores, Irish cycling fans have another top class international cycling event to look forward to next weekend when the European Marathon Mountain Bike Championships get underway in Ballyhoura.
Hosted by biking.ie, the first ever official UCI championship event to be held in Ireland will take place at the Ballyhoura Mountain Bike Trail Centre just outside the village of Kilfinane in County Limerick.
Registration and practice takes place next Friday, June 13th, with the Expert Men and Masters getting racing started at 11am the next day.
This race will be followed by the 75km veterans event for those aged between 40 and 49 years and the classic veterans race for those 50 years plus. The expert women, and junior men's and junior women’s races will be 23km and get underway just ten minutes after the vets' event.
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There is also another 23km fun race for men and women at the same time.
Next Sunday sees the big guns roll away from the start, with the whopping 93km elite men’s race beginning at 11am, followed 45 minutes later by the 75km elite women’s event.
Some of the big names already signed up to compete include the current world marathon champion Christophe Sauser of Switzerland, Olympic XC champion Jaroslav Kulhavý of the Czech Republic, Dutch legend Bas Peters, UK champion Sally Bingham and 2013 Irish women’s title holder Jenny Fay.
Irish international Ryan Sherlock and women’s national road champion Mel Spath will also line up along with a full domestic field including current cyclo-cross champion Roger Aiken and current mountain bike champion Robin Seymour.
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World champion Christophe Sauser of Switzerland will be in the field next weekend in Ireland.
Up-and-coming riders Leah and Jonathan Maunsell, who ride with the local club, Team Ballyhoura, will also ride the elite race.
Despite being just 16 years, Irish development squad rider Leah Maunsell is already making waves at senior level in Enduro mountain bike racing where she is a regular on the podium.
On a route comprised of three different loops, spectators can see the elite riders pass through the finish three times every lap and several times out on the tight technical single track.
The course is a mix of wide forest roads, trail centre single-track and natural technical features embedded in some of the most picturesque countryside that Ireland has to offer. Riders will set off in a massed start with the first to cross the finish line in the elite races being crowned European Champion.
Spectator entry is free and on race days, a food village will be set up beside the start-finish area displaying food from local producers.
While there will be no spectator parking in the Ballyhoura Mountain Bike Trails Race Village as it will be taken over by the exhibitors and team areas, parking is located 1.5km from the race village and complementary shuttle buses will run every 15 minutes to take you to the heart of the action
The event is run in conjunction with the Rocky Mayhem Music Festival in Kilfinane where spectators and riders alike can enjoy Lisa Lashes on Friday’s Dance Mayhem night, the Frank and Walters, O Emporer and Windings on Saturday and local bands deuces Wild, Handipaks and more on the final night.
Irish Olympian Robin Seymour is one of the well known home riders set for the Euro showdown.
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