County Limerick's newest bike rental company, Cross Country Trails (www.xct1.com) this week launched the ‘Ballyhoura Screamer’ in association with Ballyhoura Fáilte, the Dino Café and Coilte.
The ‘Ballyhoura Screamer’ is a two stage mountain bike race that will take place on Halloween, Saturday October 31st.
The race will take place on the world class Ballyhoura single track trails within the Ballyhoura Forest across counties Limerick and Cork.
Stage one, a day stage race will offer a tough 30 km circuit to test any mountain biker while the night stage will bring riders through an altogether different forest enclosed by the dark of Halloween night and by the ghastly ghouls, grisly gremlins, devilish demons and creatures of the night from this world and the next.
The advice from the organizers to mountain bikers is do not dare to come alone but bring plenty of support from family and friends.
Chris o’ Callaghan of XCT1 advised that ’you may need support, the race will be very scary and family and friends will have plenty to keep them entertained otherwise with a programme of events that includes twilight haunted trail walks, a costume competition, Halloween games along with decorations, eerie events, hair-raising face painting and oodles of tricks and treats.
For mountain bike enthusiasts and more leisurely visitors the night stage promises to be a great spectator event.
Riders with night lights strapped to their helmets will set off at speed every 30 seconds to tackle the 10 km stage surrounded by a big race carnival atmosphere.
The Ballyhoura Screamer is part of a range of Halloween activities taking place at the Coillte Forest, Ardpatrick, County Limerick during the first ever ‘Ballyhoura Spook’ festival that offers a full family Halloween day out with a host of festivities, fancy dress, traditional Irish Halloween games, story telling and face painting.
The overall winner will have to complete both races but Chris O Callaghan of XCT1 ‘invites everyone with come and try out a stage as it will be possible to race just the day stage on its own if persons do not feel up for the forest on Halloween night’.
Full race details will be made available on ballyhouracountry.com, xct1.com, ballyhouramtb.com and coillteoutdoors.ie.
