Press Release

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Press Release: 25/02/2008

The Irish National University Cycling Road Race will be held on March 9^th in the Phoenix Park, co-hosted by DCU, TCD, and UCD. The defending men’s team from Queens University Belfast and women’s team from UCD return to try to retain their title from last year, as well as many other riders who competed in last years highly successful race in Belfast.

This year the race will be held on closed roads around a rolling 7km circuit in the Phoenix Park Dublin. There will be 7 laps for the men’s race and 4 laps for the women’s race, with sprint primes to be announced. The race is aimed at students of all abilities, newcomers and experienced riders alike. No prior racing experience is needed, however basic bike handling skill are.

This event will be considered in the selection of the Irish team to compete in the World University Championships that are due to be held in Holland this year. Riders who are interested in riding on the Irish team can contact CUSAI for further details on the selection process.

One day licences have been kindly supported by Cycling Ireland, so that there will be no licence cost for riders wishing to participate. This is a good opportunity for students who are newcomers to the sport to give it a go.

The Time Trial will also be held on March 9^th, on the Boot Inn Circuit.

Sign on for the day will be in the Phoenix Park from 9-10am sharp, facilities will be provided in DCU for car parking and bike storage. There will also be a room provided at lunchtime in DCU for eating/recovering before the time trial. Details and directions for facilities in DCU will be given to riders at sign on.

The road race will start at 10:00 sharp from the sign on station on the Furze road. All riders are expected to attend the pre race briefing. The race will start with a split, controlled lap.

The first rider in the time trial will start at 3pm, with riders going in reverse order from the finish of the road race. The overall championship will be decided on point’s basis, with equal points available in both the road race and time trial.

All students who are studying in Irish 3^rd level institutes are eligible to compete (this includes foreign nationals studying in Ireland), along with those Irish students currently studying abroad. Riders who hold valid 2006/2007 student cards (i.e. those who finished college last year) are also eligible for participation.

Prize giving, showering, changing facilities and food will be available in DCU after the end of the time trial.

Further information can be found at www.ucd.ie/cycling , or by contacting Greg May at Gregory.c.may(at)gmail.com , race entries to the same address with the title ‘Race Entry’