The Auction Room named best café in Northern Ireland for cyclists

• The Auction Room chosen as #1 café destination for Northern Ireland’s cyclists
• Panel of expert judges including Angellica Bell select cycling café as favourite

The Derry, Londonderry café stood out among its competition for its attention to detail, and was a clear winner for Cycling UK’s judges, which included Celebrity Masterchef winner, Angellica Bell.

Angellica Bell said: "This is a quirky, cycle-friendly cafe and is a real gem for the cycling community."

For café owner, Neil Hyndman winning the award was the icing on the cake. “To have been nominated for this award is humbling in itself,” he said. “To emerge as winners is really overwhelming and we are so proud of our team.  This award will, no doubt, be a massive boost for our town and local cycling community.

“We work hard with our local council to seek further investment into cycling events and clubs throughout our district. We promote local cycling businesses in our shop, such as Victory Chimp & The Train Station, and we provide a range of gels and equipment to help keep the cyclists - and their bikes - functioning.”

All that hard work certainly pays off and the efforts of their cycling customers battling the terrain and elements seems to be rubbing off on Neil and the staff.

“Ultimately, we just really enjoy the energy, chat and craic the cyclists bring to our shop every day,” Neil said. “Finding out where they've cycled that day, whether it was windy or hilly - some of our staff have got into cycling through getting to know our cycling customers!

“We really believe there are some of the most stunning cycling routes right here on our doorstep at the foot of The Sperrins and we play our role in helping promote cycling tourism throughout our district.”