Ireland to Host 2014 European Mountain Bike Marathon Championships

The European Marathon Mountain Bike Championships roll into Ballyhoura in the south west of Ireland on the weekend of the 14th and 15th of June 2014 for two days of riding on some of the most picturesque trails in the country. This is the first time Ireland has hosted a UCI Championship event and amateur racers can get a taste on the Saturday before some of the top professionals in the world compete for the European Marathon Champions jerseys on the Sunday.

Ballyhoura Mountain Bike Centre was the first purpose built mountain bike trail centre in Ireland and was designed by Welsh trail builder Daffyd Davis. The trails were designed with minimum impact on the environment and maximum use of natural features. They wind through an area of outstanding natural beauty with moss-lined singletrack, deciduous and coniferous forests and lush countryside. The Ballyhoura Mountain Bike Centre is Ireland's largest mountain bike park and will act as the event centre for the Championships on the 14th and 15th of June.

Saturday's support races are categorized into Expert, Masters, Vet and Classic Vet and feature a course of 75km and 1925 metres of climbing. There is also a Junior and Fun race on 25km of trails. The main event on Sunday 15th sees the Elite Men tackle a course of 93km with 2199 metres of climbing while the Elite Women's field take on a course of 75km and 1925 metres of height gain. Riders set off in a mass start with the first to cross the finish line being crowned the European Champion.

Inspired by the location and unique heritage of Ireland, the course is clover leaf in shape and all senior categories will ride through the start/finish area three times during their respective races making it perfect for spectators. The course is a mix of wide forest roads, trail centre singletrack and natural technical features.

Seefin Mountain at 528 metres is the highest point on the course, towering over the mountain bike trail centre below. The first man and first woman to the summit in the elite races will claim a share of a €528 cash prize fund adding an extra incentive. While it is not as high as an Alp, it is certainly as steep!

Registration is open and costs €35 until the 1st of May. After this it rises to €40 with registration closing on the 12th of June at 13.00.

For further queries contact [email protected] or 00353-83-4173899 <083-4173899>. The official website is www.euromarathonchamps.com. Media accreditation can be applied for on the event website in the relevant section.