Pat Jones Memorial Cycle gears up for Easter Saturday
This Saturday, April 8, will see the eighth edition of the Pat Jones Memorial Cycle (PJMC) take place in Edenderry. The event is organised by Team905 Cycling Club.
Since its inception in 2014 this very popular event has raised almost €40,000 for local charities. Over that time around 200 cyclists have participated every year coming from cycling clubs all over Ireland and even abroad on a few occasions. On Saturday morning official starter Philip Brady will get the peloton underway from St. Mary’s Secondary School at 10am. The riders will cover a distance of 92 kilometres through Enfield, Kinnegad, Rochfortbridge, Tyrrellspass and Croghan before heading back to Edenderry through Daingean.
There will be a rest stop at Milltownpass Community Centre on the local GAA club grounds. The shorter 40-kilometre event will depart from St. Mary’s at 10.30 and will cover the Rhode, Croghan and Daingean loop.
The running of the event is a major logistical exercise covering stewarding, food breaks, first aid, road safety, car parking and venue management for the start and finish and Team905 CC is extremely grateful for all the support forthcoming every year from the many agencies, organisations and volunteers that make it possible.
Coming at an early part of the national cycling year this year’s event is expected to attract a large field to Edenderry on Saturday. The course is relatively safe with almost all left-handed turns and is a good test for participants of varying fitness levels.
Registration will be available online at https://eventmaster.ie/event/WvDvi65i0j or on the day at St Mary’s. Registration fees are €10 for the 40km (€30 for non-Cycling Ireland members) and €20 for the 90km (€40 for non-Cycling Ireland members). The beneficiaries for this year’s event are Helping Holles Street (The NMH Foundation) and North Offaly Meals on Wheels.
Speaking on behalf of the North Offaly Development Company (the organisers of Meals on Wheels), Jimmy Todd said: “We are very pleased to once again be associated with Team905 in the running of the PJMC. This local initiative has done sterling work over the last decade or so in highlighting deserving local causes and in raising much needed funding.
"Meals on Wheels is a vital community support system in the area and we will be doing our best to make it as successful as possible on the day and we wish every rider who takes part a safe and pleasant trip.”
Darren McKenna of Helping Holles Street spoke of the great levels of co-operation generated during the running of last year’s cycle and expressed confidence that this year would be no different.
“Helping Holles Street provides an absolutely critical support to the Neo-Natal Unit of the National Maternity Hospital delivering services to the most vulnerable members of our society and deserves huge credit for the work they do. The funds generated by events like the PJMC are always welcome and hopefully everything will go well on Saturday with a safe and enjoyable event,” he said.
If you are out and about in Edenderry, or indeed anywhere along the various routes, on Saturday, you might give the riders an encouraging shout as they pass.