Donegal 3 day cycle race

With plenty of training and only 50 miles of bike racing since Easter I decided the Donegal 3 day would be the ideal place to get a good arse kicking and a good dose of how bad my biking is at the moment. My main reason for racing was to get some quality training miles into the legs and nothing like a 3 day bike race to overload the system. We are all told to work on our weaknesses and my main weakness on the bike is climbing hills and as the ladies would say OMG the hills never ended.

Stage one -35 mile stage on the Friday evening with one category 3 climb about one mile long. There had been a traffic accident out the road so they had a rolling start that was neutralized. The speed they went out the road was far from neutral and by the end of stage one 60 riders had been dropped from the front group. The Sligo riders had a reasonable start. Desi Foley managed to be in the top twenty. Mick Devins also made the front group. Mooney lost contact on a downhill section and was about 2 minutes of the leaders with me and Bas loosing contact towards the top of the climb and finishing a further minute behind Mooneys group.

Stage 2 - 6k Time Trial. The night before had been filled with no sleep as I was completely wired with the previous nights stage. The time trail was 3.5miles with a bitch of a hill right at the beginning. The type of hill that has you in oxygen debt right from the start. Again Desi was the leading Sligo rider with a reasonable time and a top thirty finish. Next was Devins then myself, Daire and Basil

Stage 3 Saturday afternoon was a 55 mile road race with 3 categorised climbs. A quick shower after the time trail was followed by a hopeful hour in the bed. There was a category 3 climb after about ten miles and I just about managed to stay in the bunch. The rest of the day was sheer torture. Anyone who knows the roads around Ardara, Glenties, Nairn will know they are far from flat. Every climb felt like a categorized climb. I was swinging at the back of the bunch all day and I blew the head gasket after 35 miles at the top of the 2nd climb of the day. It’s a long way home when you are in no mans land and I slowly limped back to the finish losing about 12 minutes over the last 20 miles. Desi after riding very aggressively all day challenging for the king of the mountain jersey also blew on the last Category 2 climb and lost 10 minutes over the last 6 miles. Daire was the first of the Sligo lads across the finish line in the 2nd group about 20 secs off the stage winner with Micheal Devins and Basil in the next group a further minute behind.

Stage 4 -Sunday afternoon 55 miles with 3 categorised climbs and the one of the steepest and hardest climbs in the country the famous Glengesh pass. After a good night sleep I felt much better on Sunday morning. The first 30 miles was fast and furious with the relentless ups and downs trying to sap the legs before the big climb of the day. Foley attacked at the foot of the climb and went like a bullet and was first to the top of the accent and claiming the king of the mountains jersey. I decided as I was been dropped on every big climb trying to stay with the bunch and blowing up I would ride this one at threshold. At one stage it was so steep I am thinking that I might have to get off and walk but I managed to swing my way over the top. The main fact being the massive support on the mountain or was it the embarrassment of walking. I was actually shocked with the size of the crowds all over the course something we don’t regularly see on the cycling circuit. I was last of the Eire Og lads over the climb but all was not lost as I could see red jersey’s not to far ahead. Daire had a good climb scaling it with the second group. Micheal and Basil were a couple of minutes behind. What goes up must come down and the decent was very fast. I clocked a max speed of 49 mph not bad for a push bike and had caught the group that Basil was with by the bottom of the decent. The last 15 miles included one category 2 climb and I was a happy man to get over the last climb and back to Killybegs. Desi and a small group of riders stayed clear and Foley was beaten in the sprint finish claiming 4th spot in the stage and the king of the mountains jersey. Daire was next Sligo man home about 3 minutes behind Desi’s group, Micheal Devins was in the next group and further 3 minutes behind and my group was next about 2 minutes after Devins group.

Overall Daire was first of the Sligo lads home just pippin Devins on GC. Desi won the king of the mountains jersey.

What’s next on the agenda for Eire og. There are a number of races taking place in Connacht over the next couple of weeks.

Friday 11th of June - Ballinrobe – Handicapped (Perfect for beginners)

Connacht League – June 22nd, 29th, July 13th,27th and September 19th

Mullingar 2 day – 10th &11th of July – A4 race

Enniskillen 2 day – 24th and 25th of July – A4, ladies and club riders

Anyone who is riding with the fast or intermediate group on Thursdays nights are well capable of competing in the above events. The Connacht league races are handicapped events and you will be set of with similar standard groups. If you are interested in cycle racing you should try and target some of these events. If your interested plase contact Colm 0876811197

Eire og are going to enter a team in the Enniskillen 2 day event. Anyone interested in participating plase contact colm ASAP.

If you want to participate you will be better of taking out a club license for a tenner and a one day licenses on the day of the vent.