MANX Telecom is the new sponsor for the ever popular End to End mountain bike race.
The island’s premier telecoms company has announced a three-year deal beginning with the 2013 event on September 8.
The race, which began in 1996, is now called the Manx Telecom End2End Mountain Bike Challenge but will be run on the same 46-mile Point of Ayre to Cregneash course as in recent years.
Entries open on this Friday, March 1 - go to www.manxe2e.org for online entry and event information. Steve Honeybone, chairman of the End2End organising committee, said: ‘We’re delighted that Manx Telecom is making a long-term commitment to support the race and bringing its technical expertise to help us develop the event even further over the next few years.’
The End to End is the latest major event to be backed by Manx Telecom and follows the company’s announcement in 2012 of a three-year deal to sponsor the Parish Walk. The End to End is not the company’s first cycling sponsorship - since 2008 it has backed Manx Road Club, which competes as Team Manx Telecom.
David Smith, Manx Telecom marketing director, said sponsoring the mountain bike challenge is part of the company’s ongoing commitment to support community events. He added: ‘The End to End is one of the highlights of the island’s sporting calendar, but also a great community event.
‘In addition to using our technical expertise to help the organisers develop the End to End for both competitors and spectators, sponsorship also allows us to give something back to our customers.
‘So, as we did for Parish Walk entries, our mobile customers will receive a £5 discount on entry fees. Working in partnership with the excellent team of organisers we look forward to seeing the Manx Telecom End2End Mountain Bike Challenge go from strength to strength.’
The End to End has seen some epic battles in recent years, most notably the wheel-to-wheel duels between former Olympic mountain biker and four-time winner Nick Craig, and Manxman Elliot Baxter who has won the event five times.
But among the 1,700 competitors each year there are always stories of riders overcoming personal challenges just to complete the course. For many of them, finishing the End to End, or maybe simply making it to the start line, represents the culmination of a long struggle to overcome hardship, injury or illness - or to raise funds for a charity that is close to their heart.
It’s a rider who falls into one of these categories who will win a prize being introduced by the new sponsors - The Manx Telecom Merit Award. Entries to the Manx Telecom End2End Mountain Bike Challenge are limited to 1,700 and such is the popularity of the race it’s expected that all of the entries will be taken up within a week or so of entries opening on March 1.
In 2012 all places were taken up in less than two weeks, so if you’re keen to take part you are advised to sign up as soon as entries open online at www.manxe2e.org