Registration and Car Parking

• The Tour of the Orchard County is based at the Armagh City hotel, which is in the centre of Armagh City. There will be a full section of the car park at the city hotel decicated for participants in the event. Registration will also take place at this location and will be clearly sign posted upon arrival at the Armagh City Hotel.

Event Start Location and Times

The Tour of the Orchard County will start and finish from the Armagh City Hotel. There will be NO ENTRY on the day, all participants must register online. Sign On will be open from 8am until 10am and the first riders will be underway from 10am.

Equipment

General Advice

Participants must be aware that weather conditions in Co.Armagh can change and deteriorate rapidly and therefore should bring appropriate clothing to keep them warm in any adverse weather. It is also essential that all competitors undertake a training programme in the months leading up to this event to ensure the day is as memorable as possible.

Remember to check your equipment before the event, including:

Course marking and signage

The signage on the route will consist of non permanent, bio degradable paint sprayed onto the road and pointer arrows at road junctions.

Feed Stations

As with all such cycling events, it is important for the health and safety of the riders (due to the calorie expenditure) to provide feed stations at strategic points along the route. There will the three fully maned feed stations for the longer route and two manned stations for the shorter route.

Marshals

There will be marshals (wearing fluorescent vests) located on the route both in vehicles and at stationary posts. All volunteers and staff involved in the event will be clearly identifiable. The marshals do not have the authority to stop motorists, they are there for your safety and other road users.

Bike Mechanics

Mechanical support will be available at Event HQ as well as a roving mechanic to support any participants with difficulties with their bike. Please note that this is only for major mechanical problems – the mechanic will not be on hand to fix minor mechanical problems.

Supporters

Family and friends are more than welcome to come along to this event to show support for people they know. The familiar voice of someone you know can make all the difference when the legs are burning, the throat is dry and there are still a few miles left to go! Supporters also add an atmosphere and additional energy to the experience for all the other participants and the crew. We will help advise spectators as to where the best locations are along the route to cheer participants on.

Event Photography

A photographer will take photographs on the day of participants, these will be made for sale after the event – identification of each cyclist will be based on race numbers.

Health and Saftey on the Event

Event organisers will strive to keep the event as safe as possible:

• Ambulances and roving medics will be available all day, should anyone require medical assistance it will be administered in the fastest possible timeframe
• The local PSNI will also be informed that the event is taking place
• WateElectronic chipping for all event participants will ensure that Race Directors can check for any non-finishers or for participants in troubler Bottle
• A sweep vehicle will be in operation at the end of each of the three routes to check for any participants in trouble
• Pre-event communication to event participants will clearly highlight the route and areas where roads may be busy
• All participants will be given detailed route instructions and emergency contact numbers for event HQ