Thank you for your support

The Westport Covey Wheelers Towers Bar & Restaurant Team successfully completed the An Post Ras 2017 and want to say a massive Thank You to all our generous supporters!

 

Background

Westport Covey Wheelers Cycling Club are a community-based club with members of all ages, starting off as young as 8 and pedalling on into the over 70s. The club is run by volunteers and promotes cycling locally as a social hobby up to competitive national racing level. The development of the next generation of juniors riders is a fundamental part of the club’s activities. Entering a Westport team in the An Post Ras 2017 is a key element in acquiring the knowledge to continue this development.

Westport Covey Wheelers Cycling Club hope to support a team to complete the An Post Ras from May 21st to 28th 2017. The team of 5 will be made up of Westport CC and Mayo riders, with an essential support crew of 5 volunteers. The main aim of the project is to garner experience of Ireland’s biggest elite international cycle race in order to enter Westport teams in the years to come. Westport CC has a strong culture of developing young riders and providing a platform for these riders as they move into the senior ranks is an important club goal.

The An Post Ras is covered national in a wide selection of media and the 2017 Westport Ras Team can offer sponsors a great deal of promotion ranging from local and national tv, radio and newspaper coverage as well as across social media. The team will have a high profile launch with the Irish National Champion & BMC Professional Team cyclist Nicolas Roche, on the weekend before the race start.

This year’s Ras starts in Dublin Castle on Sunday, May 21st, the second stage on Monday, May 22nd will finish in Newport, after leaving Longford and going via Claremorris, Castlebar and Westport. The following day Tuesday, May 23rd the third stage will start in Newport and pass through Crossmolina and Ballina en route to Bundoran, Co. Donegal.

The Ras last visited Mayo in 2015 with huge crowds out to see it pass through Westport and for finishes in Newport and Ballina on that occasion and we’d expect similar levels of support and exposure this year

This is the first time Westport Covey Wheelers will attempt to enter and support a Ras team. A panel of riders have trained for The Ras over a 7month period, starting back in November 2016 and there will be 5 selected with a backup team of 5. In this essential support team, there will be a manager, assistant manager, coach, mechanic and masseur all giving their time freely to support the riders.

In 2015 the last time the Ras came to county Mayo, a successful Mayo team under the banner of Mayo.ie (as shown below) competed, creating massive coverage for Mayo tourism & business.

We are looking for crowdfunding to make this team possible. The riders and management have reached out to numerous businesses in the Westport area including generous existing sponsors of the Covey Wheelers club and have raised over 40% of the budget required. We really need your help to reach our funding target and bring this team from a dream to reality.

Project Costs (Westport CC Ras Team 2017):
Team Gear (includes sponsors themed jerseys) – €2500
Team Entry Fee – €250
Accommodation & Meals – €3500
Diesel (for team support car & van) – €1250
Total Budget required – €7500

The team have raised over 40% of this budget already and are seeking support in raising the remaining €4,500 required to make this project a reality

The biggest challenge for the team will be to compete against teams of full-time professional cyclists from all over the world. The team has trained hard around work and family commitments for this once in a lifetime challenge.
The next biggest challenge will be to learn as much as possible from the experience so this can be used to support successful Westport CC teams in years to come.

We really appreciate the time you have taken to read about our project and thank you very much for considering supporting our clubs ambitious goals.

Westport Covey Wheelers Ras Team 2017

http://www.anpost.ie/AnPost/IrishCyclingRas/Home/