Maiden City Criterium to bring speed and thrills to Derry's city centre streets

For the fourth year running, Derry’s streets will hum from the spin of carbon wheels when Foyle Cycling Club’s annual Maiden City Criterium retuns to the city centre next month.

Details of the event were unveiled today by Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Cllr Elisha McCallion.

With a strong field expected, including top Rás rider Ronan McLaughlin and last year’s A1 race winner, Angus Fyffe, ‘A Night at the Races’ will take place on Tuesday, 7 June at 8.00pm..

Drawing crowds of 100s of spectators since 2012, the race is one of the blue ribbon cycling events to be held in Ulster, and this year the total prize fund exceeds £1000 for the first time. Forming an integral part of the local Council’s Big Bike Festival, this year’s event is supported by Tourism NI.

Ronan Gallagher, Foyle Cycling PRO said: ‘this is a fantastic event being hosted in the City and we’re delighted that Tourism NI recognises its importance to the City. We hope that the people of Derry will come out to encourage and cheer on the riders on what is one of Ireland’s most difficult circuits.’

The adult races will be preceded by a junior Sprocket Rocket race, which will be held in Foyle Street. With the first race set to commence at 8.00 sharp, spectators are being asked to get to the circuit for 7.50pm.

Cyclists with the appropriate race licence can sign on at: http://www.entrycentral.com/Maiden_City_criterium.

A criterium is a mass-start road-cycle race consisting of several laps around a closed circuit, the length of each lap or circuit ranging from 1 km to 2 km.