Get your wheels spinning for the Senior Hurling Championship

0
2328

Galway Cycling Campaign in conjunction with Galway GAA are excited to get behind cycling to the round-robin clash in the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship between Galway and Antrim.

In honour of Bike Week, supporters will have the chance to beat the traffic, lose the parking headaches and soak up the pre-match atmosphere by joining one of Galway Cycling Campaign’s famous Cycle Buses which will help families and new cyclists to get to the match safely and easily.

Better still, when you arrive, you can park your bike in the stadium behind the West Terrace, where racks for 50 bikes will be in place thanks to Galway City Council.

A Bike Valet will mean you can focus on cheering on the Tribesmen in the knowledge that volunteers will keep your bike safe.

The game starts at 2pm. Spectators coming to the match by bike and wishing to avail of the bike valet are asked to arrive at the large entrance to Pearse Stadium at Dr Mannix Road Rockbarton Road (across from Scoil Éinde) where their tickets will be scanned and they will be directed to the supervised cycle parking within the stadium.

If you want to join the Cycle Bus, it will be leaving McGrath’s Field, Knocknacarra at 12:30pm sharp and taking a winding route on quieter streets and links through Knocknacarra before heading south to Salthill.

Reg Turner, chair of the Galway Cycling Campaign said, “This will be a safe, healthy, relaxed and family-friendly way to get to the game, going at a gentle pace suitable for a range of ages and abilities.”

They will have marshals on duty for the event, and a Garda escort will also help ensure the safety of all those taking part.

Families are welcome to join along the route. The cycle will be returning via the same route leaving Pearse Stadium at 4pm sharp.

Cllr. Niall Murphy will be helping the Galway Cycling Campaign on the day. He said “Living beside the stadium I am all too aware of the traffic and parking chaos that happens any match day.”

“Events like this make people realise that they can get to the game without a car. No one will cycle from Antrim to the game, but local fans can get in and out faster by bike.”

There will be spot prizes and goodies on offer for those arriving by bike at the stadium, either on their own or with the family cycle.

This includes free Supermacs vouchers for children cycling to the game, and a prize of a handy, robust “hurl-clip” to attach your hurl to your bike in a safe and convenient way for the first 40 children who have registered.

To be eligible for any of these, participants must register in advance via either https://bit.ly/pearse-stadium-bike-valet (if making your own way by bike to Pearse Stadium) or https://bit.ly/knocknacarra-hurling-family-cycle (to join the family cycle from Knocknacarra to Pearse Stadium) – you only need to register for one.

To attend the match, all adults and children will require tickets to enter, which can be purchased online in advance separately from the GAA (€5 for children and €15/€20 for adults).