Wheelers trio home after Ireland challenge

9 July 2014

THREE members of the Shimna Wheelers Cycling Club recently completed the arduous Mizen Head to Malin Head cycle challenge, spending almost 380 miles in the saddle.

Eugene Carville initially planned to undertake the challenge and was looking for other club members to join him, so Deon McNeilly and Denis Ward obliged. And Sharon Carville drove between the various B&Bs they stayed in during the three-day cycle.

The route planning involved a combination of Google maps, the availability of B&Bs along the route and roads that could be easily followed to avoid getting lost. The cyclists also tried to keep off main roads.

On June 28, the cyclists set off from Newcastle at 7am for the long drive to Mizen Head — Ireland’s most southerly point — with the ride north starting at 3pm.

The only problem on route was a loose spoke on Deon’s front wheel. After the final stop for a pizza at Mallow, the trio cycled the final 10 miles to Park South B&B, arriving at 10pm, completing almost 100 miles during the day.

Day two of the cycle started around 8am after breakfast with the cyclists facing a 161-mile journey to Fenagh, via Tipperary, Nenagh, Athlone and Longford, resting at the Old Country Rectory B&B.

A telephone call to the B&B in advance of the cyclists’ arrival resulted in a very helpful landlord asking if an iced bath would be required as two cyclists the previous week undertaking the same trip and had requested one. The response from the Shimna Wheelers members was ‘no,’ explaining a shower would suffice.

Sharon was first to arrive in Fenagh and the landlord again enquired about an iced bath. The trio’s driver declined the offer, explaining a pint of Guinness would hit the spot. The cyclists then arrived safely with Eugene having picked up the only puncture of the trip just outside Athlone.

Day three began with the landlord advising the cyclists to watch out for the turning to Enniskillen in Ballinamore, as the ice bath cycling duo from the previous week missed the turning and headed off in the wrong direction.

Denis, who was keen to get started having applied copious quantities of Sudocrem to make his seating arrangement more comfortable, set off to get a head start. As Deon and Eugene arrived in Castlederg, there was still no sign of Denis. Eventually he was tracked down having missed the turning in Ballinamore, with Sharon going to his rescue, making sure he was back on track.

By 6pm all three who were together again approached the final climb to Ireland’s most northerly point, Malin Head, to complete the day with 118 miles covered.

After three days, 377miles, 11,680 feet of climbing and almost 24 hours in the saddle, riding time at an average speed of just under 16 miles per hour, perfect weather of light breeze and sun throughout, the cycle was complete. By 10pm after the drive back to Newcastle, everyone was back home.

• Anyone looking for a less arduous cycling challenge, Shimna Wheelers are holding their first Sportive, on Sunday July 13, covering 50 miles, starting at 10am from Bryansford GAC in Newcastle. More details are available at shimnawheelers.com

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