2500 cyclists expected to contribute 250,000 euro to the North Clare Economy

The An Post Tour de Burren is this year taking place on the 23rd June in Ballyvaughan, County Clare. The event, now in its 7th Year, has grown from strength to strength over its life. Speaking about the 2012 event, co-organiser, John Sweeney co-ordinator Clare Sports Partnership said, that: 'We are once again delighted to be able to partner with the Burren Cycling Club to host this flagship cycle sportive in the county and indeed the country. We have had to cap the number of places on the event for this year to ensure that the quality of the event is maintained. The An Post Tour de Burren has a national reputation of being a quality event, in a unique environment, and we want to maintain that.'

Nicholas Johnson, Managing Director of Aillwee Cave and the Burren Birds of Prey Centre added: "that over the past number of years and with the involvement of An Post and the Irish Sports Council the An Post Tour de Burren has earned a reputation as a top quality event and has attracted a large number of cyclists to the event and to the area". He went on to say "that participants in the event not only get to cycle an amazing event but cycle one of the most outstanding routes in the country".

In a comment from Barbara Faulkner, Chair of the Clare Tourism Forum: "Ballyvaughan and the Burren area are delighted to welcome back the An Post Tour de Burren cycle. The success of this event over the past number of years has helped raised the profile of the area and provided a huge boost to the local economy. It is estimate that again this year the event will bring a revenue of €250,000".

Patrick O'Donoghue from the Burren Cycling Club said: 'We are delighted once again to have the support of An Post and the Irish Sports Council to promote this important event for Ballyvaughan. We really appreciate the sponsorship that they give. Without it, there is no way that the event could be at the stage that it is. I would also like to thank the staff of Clare Sports Partnership for their partnership on the event. They have been invaluable to us since they came on board in 2008.'

The there are 4 exciting routes this year in the An Post Tour de Burren. Three of the routes have brand new elements to them. Patrick O'Donoghue explained:'We have spiced up the routes this year. We are very conscious that a number of the cyclists may have been on the course before, so we changed them to offer variety over previous years. We are very thankful to the work that Clare County Council are doing in ensuring that the roads are in top shape for the event. This is the same every year, and we always get comments from the participants complementing the road surface. Our big routes this year are 66km, 108km and 162km. All routes can be seen on www.tourdeburren.com. We will be doing a leaflet drop to houses along the route that will experience an increase in the number of cyclists on the 23rd June. We also have our family cycle of 12km that attracts 200 families. This is a very safe event with no danger of traffic to the cyclists due to the marshalling.'

Monies raised from the An Post Tour de Burren are reinvested back into the community through the work of the Clare Sports Partnership and the Burren Cycling Club. Over 150 Volunteers are used on the day, and these are sourced from local sports clubs and groups who get a donation from the organising committee for their help. This year there are 6 sports clubs that will benefit directly from this scheme. - The Goya Gang, Lisdoonvarna Camoige, Kilfenora Gun Club, Liscannor GAA, No Limits Surf Club, Fanore Defibrillator Group. The Coast Guard will also be on standby to give a hand at Castle Hill, Doolin.

For full details on routes and to register for the event, see www.tourdeburren.com. Registration closes when 2500 registrants are reached.