DRD Minister calls on cyclists in Balllymena to ‘saddle up’ for Maracycle

The Maracycle comes amidst Bike Week which is developed and promoted by DRD Travelwise NI and will take place from 16th to 24th June 2012. Bike Week is designed to encourage the public to get on their bikes to enjoy the numerous health, financial and environmental benefits associated with cycling.

It is expected that the two-day 220 mile maracyle event, which takes place over the weekend of the 23 & 24 June, will attract up to 1000 cyclists from across the island of Ireland and overseas.

Wishing all participants well in advance of the Maracycle event, Minister Kennedy said: “I am very encouraged about the uptake in this event and am delighted that my Department is supporting the event through its Travelwise NI initiative.

“Travelwise urges people to take up cycling, particularly for the journey to work. I hope the Maracycle participants will inspire others to adopt this sustainable mode of travel. It’s healthy, it’s fun, environmentally friendly and it’s a relatively cheap mode of transport.”

Winnie Orr, Event Organiser at Co-operation Ireland said: “Maracycle is a great event to undertake as a team, and we are delighted that a number of employees from Haldane Fisher have taken on the Company Challenge in support of Co-operation Ireland. It is an ideal way to build team spirit and camaraderie. We are also delighted to have the Department for Regional Development/Travelwise NI as sponsor of the Company Challenge alongside the main sponsor, DHL.

Maracycle is one of the largest cross-border charity cycling challenges on the island, A great deal of effort goes into the organisation to ensure the safety of the cyclists, as well as doing our utmost to make the cycle a fun event for all the participants.

There is still time to enter and there are a number of different options available for cyclists of all fitness levels. Contact Co-operation Ireland on 028 9032 1462 or email [email protected] for more details.”