Pat Jones Memorial Cycle to return this Easter

After an absence of two years, due to Covid-19 restrictions, the Pat Jones Memorial Cycle will be back on the roads of Offaly, Kildare, Meath and Westmeath in 2022.

The event, organised by the Edenderry-based Team 905 Cycling Club, will take place on Easter Saturday, April 16.

This will be the seventh running of this hugely popular cycling event which has raised over €30,000 for local charities since its inception in 2014. It comes at a good time of the year in the national cycling calendar and usually attracts about 200 cyclists from clubs all across the country to Edenderry.

It has established a reputation as a very well run event over a safe course, with almost all left-handed turns, which is a good test for participants of varying fitness levels.

As in previous years there will be two routes – a 40km trip from Edenderry via Rhode, Croghan, Daingean and home through Ballyfore, and a longer 90km circuit through Enfield, Kinnegad, Tyrrellspass, Croghan and Daingean.

Starting times are 10am for the 90km event and 10.30am for the shorter 40km. Both events will start from St Mary’s Secondary School, Edenderry.

Registration will be available online at https://eventmaster.ie/events/Sport or on the day at St Mary’s. Registration fees are €10 for the 40km (€15 for non-Cycling Ireland members) and €20 for the 90km (€25 for non-Cycling Ireland members).

The club is delighted to include North Offaly Meals on Wheels and Helping Holles Street (National Maternity Foundation) as the two beneficiaries of this year’s event.

As in previous years, the main sponsor for the event will be Croí Laighean Credit Union.

The PJMC committee, under the leadership of Brendan McAuliffe, is already working on the considerable logistical arrangements for the day.

Brendan said: “I am delighted to see the PJMC back in Edenderry this year. It has been a tremendously successful event since 2014 and somehow the cycling year didn’t seem complete during the pandemic without the PJMC as the main point of our season.

"Pat Jones was a very highly regarded member of Team905 and this is a great way to honour his memory. I’m also very happy to welcome aboard the National Maternity Foundation and North Offaly Meals on Wheels and all of us involved are looking forward to a safe and successful day on April 16th,” he added.

Updates on arrangements for the event will be provided by Team905 over the next few weeks.