Thursday, May 31st, 2018
Wicklow 200, Ireland’s longest running annual challenge cycling event, has created a new initiative aimed at preserving the environment on the roads of Ireland’s Garden County.
The Love It Don’t Leave It campaign centres around the beauty of the surroundings the riders will be travelling through during the Wicklow 200 and its Wicklow 100 sibling on Sunday June 10th.
The anti-littering campaign is asking riders to ‘love Wicklow, don’t leave litter’ and will incentivise entrants to dispense of litter responsibly as well as introducing other initiatives aimed at acknowledging and preserving the natural beauty of Ireland’s most popular cycling destination.
Wicklow’s roads have been the training ground for cycling legends and current pros alike such as Tour de France heroes Stephen Roche and Shay Elliott as well as current pros Nicolas Roche and Chis Juul-Jensen. Wicklow has also formed the backdrop for some of the most beautiful images seen in cinemas and on TV around the world.
Therefore, the organisers of the Wicklow 200 have created the Love It Don’t Leave It campaign aimed at educating and encouraging riders to enjoy their surroundings without environmental impact.
On the day, riders can exchange gel wrappers and energy bar wrappers at the finish line for tickets in a prize draw.
In addition, the organisers have made a commitment to reduce plastic waste by using water tanks to refill the riders’ water bottles at the feed stations in Baltinglass and Rathdrum.
The organisers will also keep plastic food packaging to a minimum by ensuring that cakes and savoury items are not individually wrapped for dispensing at the feed stations and the finish line.
The Wicklow 200 organisers believe that the roads and landscape they travel through give so much to cyclists and it’s our responsibility to give something back to the countryside.
An extensive #LoveItDontLeaveIt media campaign will keep the aims of the initiative at the forefront of minds in the run up to the event.
Event organiser Alan Heary believes that the Love It Don’t Leave It initiative is a key component in getting the most out of the Wicklow 200 experience for riders and organisers alike.
“For everyone involved in Wicklow 200, the event is a privilege and it’s up to us to recognise our good fortune by returning the compliment.
“The Love It Don’t Leave It initiative is our way of showing the world that cycling in Ireland’s most beautiful county is an honour and we’re asking our riders to acknowledge that by retaining their litter to be disposed of in the proper way.
“The water tanks will dramatically reduce the amount of plastic waste the event generates and the packaging needs have also been cut by not individually wrapping each food item in plastic as was the custom in past years.
“We’re constantly reviewing our activities around the event and looking for ways to reduce our environmental footprint in Wicklow.”
#LoveItDontLeaveIt