NATIONAL CHAMPION TAKES PART IN NEW 90-MILE SPORTIVE
Added: (Fri Apr 17 2009)
Pressbox (Press Release) -
PRESS RELEASE (cycling media)
NATIONAL CHAMPION TAKES PART IN NEW 90-MILE SPORTIVE
Pete Matthews, the current National Over 65s Road Racing Cycling Champion, is taking part in the new 90-mile sportive as part of this summer�s The Liverpool-Chester-Liverpool Bike Ride 2009.
Pete, who is 66, has been cycling since he was 11 and still competes all over the country. He comes from Liverpool.
The Liverpool-Chester-Liverpool Bike Ride is one of the largest mass participation bike rides in the country. It is now in its 16th year and gives cyclists of all ages and abilities an opportunity to test their fitness and stamina or just have a go at cycling in an organised event.
For the first time, organisers, Pennine Events Limited, have added this new 90-mile sportive to the event. The sportive starts and finishes in Liverpool and uses Chester as a feed stop. Cyclists on the sportive will ride an undulating rural loop to the east of the city, criss-crossing the Sandstone Trail, through lovely villages like Alvanley, Woodside and Great Barrow and through Delamere Forest and Manley Common.
There are also three other shorter distances for cyclists to choose from in order to ride through the Wirral and Cheshire countryside: 20, 25 and 54 miles.
In all four distances, cyclists get the chance to ride, without traffic, through the Queensway Tunnel which links Liverpool to Birkenhead under the famous River Mersey. The other tunnel, the Kingsway Tunnel � which links Liverpool to Wallasey � will remain open to traffic throughout the event.
For those less serious about their cycling or those that simply want to take part in an organised cycle ride, there is also the Chester Family Fun Ride. This is a 6-mile loop and, as the name suggests, is aimed at families cycling together.
Pete said: �I am a proud Liverpudlian and this is an event that Liverpool is proud of. It�s a great event and showcases some of the beautiful countryside of the Wirral and Chester. I would encourage people from other parts of the country to come and enjoy a choice of great cycle rides including a rare opportunity to ride through the Queensway Tunnel without traffic. For novices, the Chester Family Fun Ride is a great introduction to cycling and taking part in an organised cycle event.�
Mark Sandamas, Director of organisers Pennine Events, said: �We are hoping for about 3,000 participants this year. We are delighted that riders such as Pete Matthews are taking part as he is a great ambassador for the sport and of course passionate about his home city of Liverpool and surrounding area.�
The event is sponsored by Liverpool Primary Care Trust, Merseytravel and Active City.
For more information about The Liverpool-Chester-Liverpool Bike Ride 2009, please visit http://www.pennineevents.co.uk/Events09.html
-ENDS-
Date: 17th April 2009
Issued by Red Flame Marketing on behalf of Pennine Events Limited.
For further information, please contact Richard Boyd at Red Flame Marketing on 0161 212 1113 or 07792 819 059.
Photo caption:
Sixty-six-year old Pete Matthews who is getting free entry to this year�s Liverpool-Chester-Liverpool Bike Ride.
Note to Editors: Pennine Events, which has offices in Barnoldswick and Wigan, specialises in organising sports, leisure, and health events, across the country. Pennine Events is one of the North of England�s leading organisers of cycling events working regularly for British Cycling, the UK�s governing body for cycle road racing. It also organises corporate events including conferences, product launches, and away days, along with tourism-related events such as health promotion days and music, arts and sports festivals. For further information about Pennine Events, please visit www.pennineevents.co.uk