Locals enjoy town cycle parade during annual Athlone Bike Fest
This year's rescheduled Athlone Bike Fest took place on Saturday last and culminated with a large group of cyclists taking part in a bike parade from the White Gates at the greenway to the canopy at Church Street.
The local COPA youth band was waiting to greet the cyclists when they arrived.
The day's events began with a charity Spinathon at Athlone Regional Sports Centre, in aid of Esker House Domestic Abuse Support Service, before participants joined Shannonside Cycling Club for a greenway cycle to Moate and back.
With the event being held on July 4, America's Independence Day, Donald J Trump won the 'scariest costume' prize, before trying to steal the Spinathon trophy.
Prizes and spot prizes on day were generously sponsored by JYSK, Applegreen, O’Brien’s Wine, Buckley Cycles, and Arcadia Retail Park, with Damien Ryan receiving an Athlone Bike Fest jersey for his continued promotion of cycling to work as well as his committee work for the event.
Damien Ryan is a dedicated cyclist who helped make Bike Fest 2026 happen and organised logistics support on the the day with the help of Chris Coleman and Keith Farrell.
Cllr Frankie Keena was gifted a phonebook with a large collection of photos from various events, including his work with the Junior Mayor initiative and on the twinning of Athlone with Providence, Rhode Island, in 2025.
John Henson, chairperson of the Athlone festivals and events group, and the former chairperson of Athlone Bike Fest, was on hand to present Cllr Kenna with the gift, and a father and daughter were singled out for their bravery in finishing the parade on a tandem after completing the greenway cycle.
Young Robyn Coleman volunteered to cycle the large tandem bike with her father, and it is hoped the event will attract more and more unusual and colourful bikes in the future.
The tandem can be seen in Spanners Cafe alongside a collection of car memorabilia and antique bicycles including two choppers and a beautiful penny farthing from 1903.
The greenway offers a fantastic route for cyclists, and connects with Athlone's pedestrian bridge across the Shannon, so organisers are hoping that more and more people will consider cycling a little more and enjoying the health and environmental benefits of cycling more often.
The chairperson of Athlone Bike Fest, Morgan Fagg, expressed his thanks for everyone who promoted and supported the event.
Morgan also expressed his gratitude to Buckley’s Cycles, Athlone Regional Sports Centre and An Garda Síochána who facilitated school events during Bike Week, and to Kelsey Tobin of Esker House who ran the charity Spinathon.
Athlone Bike Fest committee member Cllr Frankie Keena said the group appreciated the great support from Steve Digby and all his colleagues in the Shannonside Cycling Club for participating in the event.
"In addition, the help from Brian Fagg and Ciaran Harte in making the event run smoothly was very important, and we are grateful for it," said Cllr Keena.
He concluded by stating that the financial support for the Esker House Domestic Abuse Support Services Spinathon was greatly appreciated.
The annual event was supported by Westmeath Sports Partnership and Westmeath County Council, and is hoped it will continue to grow and encourage more cycling in the Midlands.