Castletownbere, Cork

I have just returned from Castletownbere in Cork and I have to say I was sorry I did not bring my bike. If anyone is interested in a cycling holiday it provides lots of cycling routes, gentle and not so gentle hills and great scenery. For the walker there is an abundance of scenic ways and even the motorist has enough to keep them happy. I know we are planning a trip to the Reek in August and those interested should reply to the forum topic with their names. But maybe we should also look at the possibility of heading off to another region for a weekend cycle. Pack the bikes on cars or a van and spend the weekend exploring Cork, Kerry, Donegal or Leitrim.

Wolftrap Cycling Club Annual Cycle

The Wolftrap Cycling Club are holding their annual club cycle on the 29th July. This unfortunatly clashes with the Pink Ribbon Cycle but there may be some that would like to take a trip to Birr and support them. There will be two routes : 60k and 115k. Sign in at 08:30 and off at 09:30. €15 inc. lunch, parking, showers and marshalls. Contact wolftrapcc@gmail.com or phone 087-227134. You can get further information here. Anyone going please open a thread on the forum and maybe cr pooling could be arranged.

Into the West

Yes it’s that time of the year again. Get the lycra on, the padding in place and the legs pumping.

The Canada Life Into the West Cycle Challenge 2112 is now open for entry. You can get an enter on line here

Donamon GP Sunday 17th 12noon start

Donamon Dynamos are looking for help with their cycle on the 17th. It's a 12 noon start and they could do with some help. If you know anyone that could give a bit of a hand please ask them to give John a call on 087 6660411. Maybe some of the early starters could go along and offer their services. Or indeed some of those we have yet to get back on their bikes. Remember what goes around comes around and we may need the help at a later date.

On your Bike Sunday 10th

Well what can I say? It was a glorious day for a cycle and we even had the company of some new faces. Thank you to all who came along, I did notice that some of those that were with us two weeks ago were missing. I hope the trip to Portrunny did not put them off and they will join us next week. I believe that everyone had a good time and certainly some of the junior cyclists put the rest of us to shame. In talking with some of the parents that were cycling, I think the seeds of an idea are growing in relation to a project for the junior cyclists over the summer months. Cycling should be for everyone and it was great to see road, hybrid and mountain bikes all cycling together. There are those who enjoy speed and then there are those that just want to get out for a spin. We have to try to cater to all types and we need your suggestions to help and indeed pull us back when we get ahead of ourselves. One of the suggestions to come out today was that we might have a 10am cycle as well. This group could arrange to meet the fitter cyclists from the 9am start and return to Kilteevan for the 1130 gang. That way the 9am cyclists can push 30k+ while the 10am group could maybe hit 20k+ (or in my case 10k+). Let's not forget that not everyone is as fit as they might like to be and not everyone wants to compete in the Tour de France. So is this something worth looking at? Have a think about it. I won't make next week's cycle but you can leave comments here or open a topic in the forum.

Lakeside Wheelers Host National Crit Championships

Friday 15th June starting at 7pm sharp. A criterium or "crit" as it is more commonly called is a road race held on a short course. Usually around a town centre on closed roads, where the riders complete a certain number of laps or a certain amount of time plus a number of laps (e.g. one hour plus three laps). For more information and a description of the course go to the Lakeside Wheelers site here

Donamon Dynamos Cycle 16th

Donamon Dynamos are looking for help with their cycle on the 16^th. I have no details yet but I will post them as soon as I can. However if you can lend a hand please contact John Concar on 087 6660411

Sunday 3/6/12

Well it was what some might call a soft day. I have to admit I missed the 9am cycle as I was recovering from a 21^st. I also missed the 1130 cycle as I was too lazy to get on my bike. However there were some hardy boys that took to the roads at 0900 and had a very nice 50k trip to warm up for the 1130. The veterans enjoyed a leisurely cycle while another couldn’t wait and decided to hurry along. No doubt to ensure a timely attendance at Mass. I’m sorry to say that the 1130 cycle did not go ahead as the rain put a slight damper on it. So let’s hope that next Sunday we have a dry day and we can get all those fine weather cyclists back on their bikes. Looks like the next trip will be Tuesday evening and I will miss it again as I have been asked to attend a meeting for the Roscommon Pink Ribbon Cycle on the 29^th July. Question would it be worth posting some video on bicycle maintenance and cycling technique?