2011 singlespeed World championship to be held in Ireland.

Shannon region's Limerick county to host on Ballyhoura MTB Trail
Ireland won the right to host the 2011 singlespeed world championship at the 2010 edition in Rotorua, New Zealand. On Monday, organizers announced a specific venue and date for next year's race. The Ballyhoura Mountain Bike Trail, located on the borders of counties Limerick, Tipperary and Cork, will host an estimated 500 competitors from more than 30 countries around the world. The Sports Academy International, with the support of Shannon Development, is putting on the event on Saturday, August 27.

"We successfully beat competition from around the world to host the annual event, which was held this year in New Zealand," said Tomas Madigan, Joint CEO of Sports AI. "Since 1999 the event has attracted participants from throughout the globe and we are delighted to be able to bring hundreds of competitors to the southwest next August, bringing a much needed boost to the local economy."

"Winning this prestigious and colourful event for Co. Limerick continues to endorse the Shannon Region as a premier sports and event destination, which brings over 60 million euro in revenue annually," said Dr. Vincent Cunnane, CEO of Shannon Development. "With Limerick City's designation as the European City of Sport for 2011 and the array of events already secured for the Region, 2011 is going to be a fantastic year".

The Singlespeed World Championship (SSWC) is an annual event. It is only open to bicycles with a single gear ratio. Those bicycles can be either singlespeeds or fixies. Most of the bicycles used in these races are mountain bikes. However, many people take part in the race on cyclo-cross bicycles, racing bicycles and bicycles defying easy categorization. Each year, the winners are branded by a tattoo.

"Tomas Madigan from Sports ai is a true ambassador for the Shannon Region. He competed in a sports event in New Zealand to win this event for Limerick beating South Africa and Italy his worthy opponents," said Karen Brosnahan from Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau. "We are very proud of his efforts and all the more as he was one of the first people to sign up to the sports ambassadors' programme we operate in partnership with Shannon Development."
The 2010 event was won by Garth Weinburg (New Zealand) and Heather Logie (Australia).