The 2016 An Post Cycle Series Was Officially Launched Today

The 2016 An Post Cycle Series was officially launched today by the 2016 ambassadors; eight time All-Ireland winning hurler and former Kilkenny sharpshooter Richie Power, former Irish International women's rugby captain, Fiona Coghlan, Cycling Ireland Paracyclist Peter Ryan, musician Bressie and cycling legend Sean Kelly. The five event series which is a joint initiative between An Post and Sport Ireland will take place over the summer months between May and September.

All five ambassadors have declared themselves Series Cyclists and will be taking to their bikes this summer to ride alongside the thousands of people who join An Post Cycle Series events. Over 16,800 people in total took part last year and with more people cycling at all levels, the numbers are set to increase again.

The series caters for all ages and abilities, with routes ranging from a family 10k spin to the more challenging 50k, 60k, 100k and 160k distances.

Richie Power, who recently retired from Kilkenny's inter county setup is hoping that by taking to the saddle he'll be able to keep active and maintain the levels of fitness he has shown throughout his career. "I'm retired now from senior inter county hurling due to an ongoing injury with my knee so cycling is the perfect fit for me. I've always seen the bike as a good way to keep fit and any time I've gone for cycles, I've really enjoyed them. It's a great way of getting out in to the fresh air with your friends and I'm looking forward to just giving it a go and trying something new."

Fiona Coghlan, who is on board as a Cycle Series ambassador this year, is continuing to lead the way for women this summer as she is set to take part in Cork's Rebel Tour in September."I'm really looking forward to the day out at the Cycle Series. I'm going to bring a couple of friends along and it'll be a great day out together on the bikes. Cycling is a great way for me to maintain my fitness levels and it's a very social activity too so it ticks both boxes for me. Glengarriff here I come!"

Cycling Ireland paracyclist Peter Ryan will take part in the An Post Tour de Burren in June, incorporating the event in to his busy training schedule ahead of the Paralympics in Rio this summer. The former Tipp hurler is delighted to see the continued rise in numbers in cycling."Taking to the bike changed my life in so many ways and cycling is now a huge part of my life. It's fantastic to see so many people signing up to the events and what I love the most is that each of them cater for everyone, so it's a very social day out."

At today's launch Chief Executive of Sport Ireland, John Treacy commented:"The Cycle Series is an event for everybody, all ages and all fitness levels and is all about encouraging people to get active through cycling and developing habits of regular exercise which will ultimately lead to enhanced quality of life."

An Post Chief Executive, Donal Connell welcomed the ambassadors to the 2016 event saying: "An Post is supporting Irish cycling at every level. We are working with well-known sports people and advocates for mental health and well-being to spread the word about the benefits of the sport for families, for people who want to be active and outdoors and of course there are wider benefits in terms of tourism and economy. An Post Cycle Series is now in its seventh year and in 2016 well over 100,000 cyclists will have gotten on their bikes and taken part since the first event. It's a great achievement for everyone involved."

The 2016 An Post Cycle Series gets underway on Saturday 30th April and Sunday 1st May with the An Post Yeats Tour of Sligo. This will be followed by the An Post Tour De Burren in Clare on Saturday, 18th June, while the An Post Meath Heritage Cycle Tour will take place on Saturday 23rd & Sunday 24th July. The Sean Kelly Tour of Waterford takes place on Saturday 20th & Sunday 21st August and finally the An Post Rebel Tour of Cork will be on Saturday, 10th September. All of the events are organised by the Sport Ireland's Local Sports Partnerships in conjunction with their city, county and cycling club partners.