Anyone taking part in this year’s Manx Telecom End2End Mountain Bike Challenge can choose to have photos of them in the event uploaded directly to their Facebook page. Photographers will be taking pictures around the course on September 13, and everyone who signs up for the ‘Pic2Go’ service will have their photos automatically published on their Facebook timeline so friends and family can share in the fun.

Pic2Go was used during this year’s Parish Walk, and at the Tough Mann Adventure Challenge. The service proved to be extremely popular at both Manx Telecom sponsored events, so the company is also making it available for the End2End. It’s a free service and all you need to do is sign up at www.manxe2e.org before the event to receive updates on race day. It will be run on an ‘opt in’ basis so only those competitors that register will have their photos sent to Facebook. You can also register after the event to have photos added to your timeline. Pic2Go works using software which recognises a unique barcode on the race number of each competitor.

Voirrey Barron, Marketing Communications Manager at Manx Telecom, said:

“This year’s Manx Telecom Parish Walk was the first time that Pic2Go had ever been used at an event in the Isle of Man. We had a great response from walkers, and at the Tough Mann Adventure Challenge too. It’s a fantastic way for friends and family to share in the excitement of events as they happen, so we’re confident it will be popular with End2End riders this year. Pic2Go is just one of the ways we are using technology to support and enhance the sports and community events we sponsor. It’s only possible thanks to our superfast 4G mobile broadband network which has 99% population coverage as this provides the bandwidth required for photographers to upload photos on location around the course. Thousands of pictures will be taken on the day of the race which adds up to a massive amount of mobile data that will be uploaded via our 4G network.”

The 2015 Manx Telecom End2End Mountain Bike Challenge covers a 46-mile course starting at the Point of Ayre. This year it finishes in Port Erin for the first time in its recent history. The elite group of 200 riders will start at 10am, followed by 200 more at 10.05; 200 at 10.10; and the rest of the field at 10.15. More than 1,100 riders have entered this year’s event, including 29 Manx Telecom staff.

For more information about the event go to www.manxe2e.org 

Photo - Action from the 2014 Manx Telecom End2End Mountain Bike Challenge. Riders in this year’s event can choose to have photos of them sent direct to their Facebook page.