As a Sunderland lad, a request to help a great Sunderland charity with a bike ride through Ireland brought a Simon Cowell, "Its a yes from me" when the call came in the Autumn of 2012.
Saying yes is one thing but the months pass quickly as the call to report to Newcastle Airport for the flight to Dublin arrived on my doorstep. The well planned training routine as a build up to the trip, of course became a fantasy for this ageing dentist. Months of mile building and rear toughening was what they asked.
Bradley here didn't even scrape the surface, a few cycles to work and a couple of 25 milers to introduce my rear to the granite like seat of a modern carbon fibre road bike. I didn't know it at the time but the lunacy of this training regime was to become very clear in the beautiful countryside of Eire.
30 riders congregated in Dublin on a beautiful June day, many of us basking in the sun in Temple Bar with its Guinness tempting us as a nutritious training fluid. One,two,infact four or five seemed a good idea on that cycle free day in one of the friendliest cities you will ever visit. Adding to the fun, we were to be guests of Dominic the British Ambassador to Eire in his official residence in Dublin. Fine food, wonderful service and ample wine and Brandy.
I suspect the British cycle team have alternative methods of carbo loading pre event but we weren't complaining. It was a wonderful evening of hospitality and an opportunity we were very lucky to experience.
Day 1 of the five day , 400 mile marathon back to Sunderland, dawned with cloudless skies and perfect cycling conditions. The Guinness diet of the day before was taking its toll somewhat, but I was clearly not alone in this as we congregated at 830 am to begin the journey north to Warrenpoint. Apart from a few spreading waistlines we passed off as a decent peloton in our matching Giant cycle tops. 30 souls embarking on a gentle cycle through meandering country lanes, how wrong could we be. A near 80 miles on the first day was to change the perception of our little holiday cycle together.
Arriving in Warrenpoint on the Irish border with a walk John Wayne would have been proud of, highlighted my lack of preperation for this cycle journey. Wrong placement of underwear, no placement of tactical creams and little training exposed this beginner to some dinner table abuse... With justification.
Warren Point NI
Day 2 and another near eighty mile cycle north in beautiful,near Mediterranean conditions, as we headed for the spectacular mountains of Mourne.
So a long ride with a significant climb in the hills added to the fatigue but oh so worth it when the stunning views were laid out in front of us. As we continued to grind out the miles, the East coast of Northern Ireland was a joy in the evening sun. Day two ended in Bangor with this old fella finishing with some dodgy corner cutting through Bangor in the top 3 . The fact that the rest of the 27 were waiting for half an hour on the coast thinking we were lost was of course no significance as we downed a cool Guinness in the sun. Keep up boys and girls....
The yellow jersey boys.. Bangor
Day 3 started early with a rush hour amongst the cars in the City centre,Belfast. Lively, to be sure, but thirty bikes do command a degree of respect on the road and there were fortunately no fatalities as we landed at Graftons main retail outlet in Ireland for some brilliant hospitality. Drinks and Beefburgers served by a friendly staff in the compound of our main sponsors - athletes food to be digested on the three hour ferry crossing to Scotland, again in wonderful sunshine on the deck. I could get used to this tour de Ireland stuff.
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Back on the bikes near Stranraer for a new country,more sun and more miles. A few more midges on this side of the Irish Sea but some stunning scenery in the Gallowshields area of Bonny Scotland eased weary legs. A lovely hotel greeted us with a truly miserable hotel keeper for the night, downing drinks as the bloke cracked jokes relentlessly behind the bar, not. Not a bad view from the bedroom window next morning however upped his trip advisor rating to one out of ten.Didn't spoil the trip one jot but I would change your job mate.
Day 4 The day haunting the team had arrived, with the Peloton staring ninety miles from Scotland to Weardale in the face. Having managed a maximum of 25 miles in training, the lunacy of my training regime started to dawn on me. Ninety miles is a long way in a sports car,on a bike its a Jacksie shredder.I hit the wall a few times and learned a few lessons on cycling psychology, one being stick with someone who is hurting more than you and be lifted by their moaning .. Marshall Hall. Only joking Marsh.
Nent Head ,Weardale was a joyous sight after the insanity of cycling up the cobbled streets of the North face of Alston village, a death trap after 75 miles on a bike. The exhilaration of completing this genuine challenge engulfed the group in a love in, in the hotel car park. Cuddling blokes doesn't come easy but the bonding in adversity has strong appeal on trips like this.
Day 5 Nent Head to the home of football in the North of England, the Stadium of Light. Kidded that we were nearly home, the team set off on the shortest leg of the trip. Crawleyside bank soon put pay to the false hope that most of this leg was downhill. How wrong can a man be. Evil doesn't do it justice and one of the toughest climbs in the UK gave the crew a right kicking as they say in Sunderland. The summit was however pretty much it, and a nice cycle to Sunderland concluded this brilliant trip.
The sun shone on the home of football as the Foundation peloton crossed the line to meet up with our families and so began the stories which of course became more distorted as the Guinness flowed.
On a personal level I found the five days to be exhilarating on so many levels. From the amazing scenery we were exposed to from the saddle,the team spirit without tension and particularly the physical challenge. People are stripped down to the real person in those circumstances and not one of the team were found wanting, showing remarkable endurance and spirit.
People who I had never met before became good friends. We laughed and took the Mick in equal measure, all just there to raise money for kids we would most likely never meet.
Special thanks...
Susan and Harry Hall of Reds Hairdressing. As main organisers of the trip, their efforts behind the scenes must have been phenomenal. T
he trip ran like clockwork,great routes,hotels and perfect timings. Brilliant. Thanks in particular to Susan for getting me through some low points when the old body decided it had had enough.
Jackie Gordine Road crew of the highest order , never complained but just kept oiling the wheels of this great machine through four countries. superb effort Jackie.
Ritchie and Darren Cycling specialists and brilliant support team. Never stopped grafting and added class to the effort , couldn't have done it without their efforts. Top lads.
Phil and Ken from the Foundation. Great lads giving focus to why we were there in the first place. These fellas graft with genuine enthusiasm for a great charity and were a superb part of the team. Thanks for pulling it all together lads.
Gavin and Team Grafton. Our main sponsors but more than that, great members of the cycle team. We couldnt do it without your financial support and better still you are a great bunch of people. Thanks for the laughs.
Erio Spagnoli my room mate for the week and the most entertaining member of the whole group. Accepted relentless ribbing brilliantly and made us all laugh without even realising it. A great team member who could snore for Italy. Great effort doc.
Sean and Alison Thompson deserve immense praise for a 400 mile ride on a tandem. Those who were fortunate enough to be on the trip witnessed two people digging deeper than many could ever achieve. A remarkable effort from two of the nicest people I have ever met. Stars of the show without peer.
Cycle World Chester le street /Sunderland for their support and brilliant bikes
Giant Cycles for their generous equipment support. A top company.
Finally I would like to thank my family,friends,patients and staff of Olivers who gave so generously in support of my trip. I was lucky enough to raise over £1500 towards a near £50 k total. Amazing generosity associated with this great week which certainly helped when those hills nearly got the better of me. Thank you all so much.
Anyone who would like to add to my sponsorship for the underprivileged children of Sunderland helped by the Foundation, my just giving page can be found at ....
www.justgiving.com/MichaelDublinCycle
Michael Oliver - Olivers Dental Studio
D2Scycle 2013
Foundation of Light
Shattered dot com.
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