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Post by bigjim on Apr 29, 2009 22:33:42 GMT 1
Good luck to Bernie and Sonia, on Friday when they start their challange. Hope the weather improves with sunshine and a tail wind, have a safe journey
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Post by manuel6b2 on Apr 29, 2009 23:06:43 GMT 1
I second that. Good luck to you both. If you can, please supply some photos and a short report for the web site   |
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Post by Barry Van Kellett on May 5, 2009 23:54:47 GMT 1
I'll give you a photo of them in Bantry on friday!
Me and my mate did it unsupported, and couldnt believe it when we were riding out to Mizen to start on the first day and were passed by a posse of riders, one of whom was wearing a Dromara CC jersey.
We stayed in Tralee, Oranmore and Bundoran and today, on the worst day for cycling I have ever seen (the wind was with us thankfully but for the last 12 miles of torture), as we ground out the last Mile, who passes us on the way in, but the same bunch of riders in their cosy mini bus!!!
Its an epic journey.
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Post by Bernie Monaghan on May 6, 2009 20:19:07 GMT 1
Gingerbreadman, hope you and your mate enjoyed the trip. Thanks for your post. Great to see you guys from the 'relative' comfort of our mini bus yesterday. Weren't those last few hills deadly, but we plodded on and got up them with the wind helping with the final push. You appeared to have panniers and no support vehicle - fair play to ye. We went back to a local bar for a few well deserved beers and to change into dry clothes before heading home.
Sonia and I had a great trip. Day 1 we did about 75 miles from Mizen to Mallow where we arrived just in time to watch the rugby - we had a room beside the night club and it felt like we were trying to sleep in the middle of the dance floor, our lullabyes were 'In da Cluuuub' Eminem !! etc. . The hotel had let us lock the bus and bikes out the back of the hotel - next morning the guy had left the keys at home and we had to hang around til he went home and came back with the wrong keys - this went on til someone eventually found keys and we got the bikes and van out, but a late start at nearly 10.30. It was a marathon and a half from Mallow to Athlone (125 miles) and it didn't help that we'd started late and them someone kept moving Athlone further away - one sign would say Athlone 10km, then a couple of miles up the road one would say Athlone 10km, many swear words uttered by all. We had a mammoth climb up and over the Glen of Aherlow, Sonia just pressed her turbo button and went up them hills like the duracell bunny on speed! The rest of us just plodded on and got the job done. Briliant descent at around 40mph after all the hard work.
First two days were good with just a light shower here and there, in fact short sleeve jerseys and legs were involved and we felt good afterwards, going for dinner and a few bevvies. Day three was mixed with lots of rain. We stayed in a B&B in the townland of Tattyreagh or Clanabogan near Omagh. The name 'Golden Hills' should have been a clue, but we were surpised after over 100 miles to find we had to climb and climb and climb to get to our accommodation in the lashing rain. Then after showers it was into Omagh on the mini bus to find the only restuarant still open at 11pm, an Indian with the hottest curry in Ireland, where we had Sonia's leaving do and a late night. Some guys tried to be brave, having the very hot curry, needless to say there were frequent disappearances into the bushes the next day on the way to Donegal.
Yeserday morning (Tuesday) we awoke to rain and lots of it and that continued throughout the day and was added to by the battering wind, sleet and exfoliating hail in our faces when we got into Donegal. We headed into Omagh town and off to Strabane, Derry, Muff, where we had lunch stop. Then it was onto Moville, Carndonagh etc and trough to Malin Town. The stretch from Carndonagh to Malin was the scariest bit of cycling I've ever done we tried to stay on the extreme left of the road, as you would, but the area was so open and exposed and the wind so strong that it was nearly impossible - at one stage I was going to just get off the bike because it was so dangerous, but I could see that we were so close to Malin we just kept pushing on - you kept getting pushed to the right, into the road, toward the traffic and you didn't know if you were going to be able to keep the bike upright - for once I was glad not to have a super lite carbon frame. The support driver said he could see Sonia and I constantly leaning and pusing our bikes over to the left which meant our bikes were nearly horizonatal. We kept going and eventally got to Malin Head. The area was beautiful but the weather was something else. We didn't hang around for too long taking pictures as the water was running out of us.
All in all a great trip, great cycling - it was well do-able but not by any means easy. No major incidents or injuries, one really close shave were some eejit overtook us on a blind corner and an oncoming driver had to screech to an emergency stop with the smoke coming out of the tyres to avoid hitting either us or the car, could have been nasty.
385.5 mile accumulated. The guys with us from Almac were Paddy Hoy, David Downing, Stephen Gallagher, brothers Oliver and Kevin (keep 'er lit) Rodgers, Stuart Jones and Tony Vaughan. Our support driver was Daryl McErlean, who made sure our bottles were replenished, there were lots of refreshments etc. All the guys were geat to Sonia and I and gave us great encouragement. We're both really grateful to them for their company, good crack and support. We are especially grateful to all our Dromara mates who texted us before and druing the trip -thanks so much it really helped. Will try to upload pictures.
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Post by manuel6b2 on May 7, 2009 0:37:11 GMT 1
Photos  Malin |
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Post by numpty on May 7, 2009 14:00:50 GMT 1
Well Done to both of you  Its good to see Sonia wearing her Dromara CC top |
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Post by Barry Van Kellett on May 8, 2009 10:36:48 GMT 1
Yea, we just decided to get out and do it! The run out from Carndonagh to Bamba's crown wasbrutal. And we were on a mission as we had to get back to the wee bar down the road for our taxi back to Derry! The best thing about the last day was that my luggage was at its lightest as I was wearing almost every bit of cycling clothing that I had with me! The trip over carndonagh mountain though was incredible. Gale on the back and over 35mph without even pedaling. We met 3 poor english lads heading the other way. They were doing about 5mph downhills! We clocked 426 miles, a little bit more than we intended. Day 1 - Mizen Head to Tralee. Saturday morning, and we couldn’t put it off any longer. We cycled out to Mizen Head from the B&B in Goleen. The skies were clear and the scenery was amazing. Brian had stipulated that he did not want to ride on main roads too much, and preferred little country roads. So with this in mind, we cycled north to Bantry and off across Coomhola Mountain. 464meters of climbing later and the water bottles were dry. Thankfully it was mostly downhill to Kenmare for some well earned refuelling and a short rest. From there we climbed up to moll’s gap. It was here I realised I’d left my camera at the shop in Kenmare at the bottom of the mountain. We rode from here down into the Black Valley and up to the gap of Dunloe, and down and on towards Tralee for dinner and bed. Day 2 - Tralee to Oranmore.The second day’s weather was as good as the first, my farmers tan was well on its way to the redder stages of its development. We cycled up through quiet country roads as far as Tarbert and ferried across the Shannon. We then continued up to the west coast of Clare and turned inland just before the Cliffs of Moher, towards the Burren. Disastrously, the plotted route tried to take us down a hiking trail which was unsuitable for road bikes, and by the time it was noticed it was pointless going back. After adding on at least an hour and a number of miles I never wish to know, we got back on track and sped towards Oranmore outside Galway very late in the day. Day 3 - Oranmore to Bundoran
We had planned on extra distance in this leg to give us the best possible chance for the final day. Brian’s love for wee country roads was waning. We kept on the main roads up to Sligo and on to Bundoran. It was windy and damp. It was pretty uninspiring stuff. Brian kept me amused with his rendition of the Saw Doctors “N17”. I think he is auditioning for X Factor soon. Day 4 - Bundoran to Malin Head The final day and it was extra hard getting on the bike due to the worsening weather. The rain was unrelenting and the wind was biblical. Thankfully we had the wind on our back for large parts of the cycle. Credit must go to Brian for analysing weather reports religiously for the past 12 months and insisting we rode south to north. The assisting wind gave him the opportunity to rub Deep Heat on his knees while on the move. We stopped in the town of Ballybofey for food and a respite from the horrendous conditions. Getting back on the bike was hard and I honestly thought we would have to bail out on the final day. However, we warmed up a bit and managed to keep going. Once we reached Carndonagh and headed further out on the peninsula the wind got worse and worse and just staying on the bike was a struggle. Still, just after 5pm on Tuesday we reached Malin Head and completed our journey. Edit - Pic of the climb up Coomhola:  A stand up all the way climb. I was using a double so had no choice. When he tried to sit and pedal in his granny ring the front wheel wouldnt stay on the tarmac! The hills in Aherlow are big. I usually camp there once a year and the last few times have ridden round Ballyhoura on the MTB. I lost my camera on day 1 and the shop keeper in kenmare posted it to me. Bless his cotton socks. Just got it back. |
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Post by Bernie Monaghan on May 8, 2009 11:54:49 GMT 1
Great to read your report on your trip. Yeah we had some mighty hills too around Glen of Aherlow and Bansha Wood in particular.
On our final day, wherever we went, there was a general hummmm of Deep Heat and Tiger Balm, which when mixed with the after effects of the hottest curry in Ireland the previous night ,it's a wonder the places didn't empty immediately we entered!!
On a very wet day, i was in the toilets of a hotel in Tipp. getting rather imtimate, as in and up close and personal, with two of those blowing hand dryer things, when one woman caught me in a rather compromising position. AS I felt the need to justify my strange behaviour I explained what I was at, but she gave me a few euros for our cause anyway!!
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Post by StephenP on May 8, 2009 22:03:46 GMT 1
Congratulations and total respect to everyone who did this challenge - but especially to Bernie and Sonja. You have truly earned your cycling 'spurs'.
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Post by Barry Van Kellett on May 10, 2009 22:12:25 GMT 1
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Post by StephenP on May 12, 2009 17:14:35 GMT 1
Caption competition idea. Anybody like to to suggest a caption for the picture of Bernie and Sonja getting soaked? Mine is.....
"Not waving but drowning!"
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Post by Bob P on May 15, 2009 21:41:00 GMT 1
Caption competition idea. Anybody like to to suggest a caption for the picture of Bernie and Sonja getting soaked? Mine is..... "Not waving but drowning!" |
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Post by Hairpin on May 19, 2009 0:00:38 GMT 1
Well done to Bernie and Sonja. Sounds like you had great craic along the way. Mary.
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Post by ThereseSmyth on May 19, 2009 16:24:44 GMT 1
Well done both of you. Total Respect. Fantastic achievement.
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Post by anne on May 19, 2009 23:04:54 GMT 1
Congratulations Bernie n Sonia.....enjoyed reading your report n the pics say it all.....wet, wind, camaraderie n fun
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