BALLYHOURA came alive last week to the adrenaline rush of 75 cyclists competing for the 2014 European Marathon Mountain Bike Championships in glorious sunshine amid large crowds of spectators.
Several of the leading competitors, both male and female, in the event spoke afterwards in complimentary terms of the Limerick village and the course on which they cycled.
Christoph Sauser, who won the elite men’s event, said: “It’s my first time in Ireland. It is definitely very green here, lovely people. It’s a completely different trail here – trails built for riders, by riders so there is always a good flow. In Europe we always race on existing trails.”
Elite women’s winner Tereza Hurikova also left with a very positive impression, saying: “It’s my first time in Ireland and I am nicely surprised by everything – people, nature, this race, how it was organised.
“Everything was very well marked, everything was perfect. The course was so much fun with so many kilometres of singletrack. I have never had a race like it.”
Borghild Løvset, who came third in the elite women’s race, added: “The people are very friendly and I feel really welcome here. It’s green and good weather.”
In the races, the men’s title went to Swiss rider and reigning world champion Sauser, with Jaroslav Kulhavy of the Czech Republic finishing second and Austria’s Christoph Soukop in third.
The women’s race was won by Hurikova, who overcame a bad crash during the event to claim first prize before going to hospital for treatment. Sally Bigham was second and Løvset was third.
